2023 wildfire review: How the GNWT reacted to all 35 recommendations

A review of how the Northwest Territories handled 2023’s wildfires and evacuations made 35 recommendations. Here’s how the GNWT responded.

On this page, we’ve produced one-line summaries of all 35 recommendations – and the response the GNWT just released – so you can quickly see what was suggested and what the GNWT says.

The wording below is ours, not theirs.

For the full version, read the formal response and our main report.

Legislation changes

1. Updated the Emergency Management Act to mandate preparedness standards for communities.
GNWT: Agrees, says this will happen in the next three to five years but a working group will decide how that looks.

2. Develop enforceable regulations that ensure best practices are used and apply accountability measures.
GNWT: Agrees, says this will happen in the next three to five years but a working group will decide how that looks.

3. Amend legislation to clarify how a territorial state of emergency affects a local state of emergency.
GNWT: Agrees, says this will happen in the next three to five years but a working group will decide how that looks.

4. Create a dedicated emergency management agency for the NWT.
GNWT: No, as it isn’t feasible or appropriate to staff a year-round agency given the “infrequency of large-scale emergencies.”

5. Legislate minimum training levels for the Incident Command System.
GNWT: Says it “generally agrees” but also that it would not do this. Instead, it said training “has been made available” to the relevant people, a plan is in place and a new advisor has been hired.

6. Legislate a minimum number of training exercises for the GNWT and communities.
GNWT: Agrees, says this will happen in the next three to five years but a working group will decide how that looks.

Organizational preparedness

7. Incorporate the Incident Command System into day-to-day operations, such as at major public events.
GNWT: Partially agrees but does not commit to doing this.

8. Develop a centralized system to track Incident Command System certifications.
GNWT: Agrees and says it is already doing this.

9. Continue to develop “recurring, scenario-based training” for incident management teams and elected officials.
GNWT: Agrees and says it is already doing this.

10. Establish a list of essential personnel before an emergency occurs.
GNWT: Agrees and says it has committed to doing this since 2024 while supporting “more robust” planning at community level.

11. Engage Indigenous governments in emergency management.
GNWT: Agrees and says it is working on it.

12. Train emergency social services personnel on Incident Command System integration.
GNWT: Agrees and says it is working on it.

13. Learn from past reviews through a structured process to avoid repeated mistakes.
GNWT: Agrees, admitting “notable gaps and challenges in response to the events of 2023.” Says it has an established process.

14. Foster formal partnerships with Alberta, BC and other jurisdictions.
GNWT: Agrees and says agreements are in place and reviewed regularly.

Community and personal preparedness

15. Do more to help communities improve their emergency plans and test them consistently.
GNWT: Agrees. Says it already offers templates for emergency plans and annual workshops, and has added two positions in planning, training and development.

16. Bolster Firesmarting efforts with “appropriate funding and education.”
GNWT: Agrees but says this was out of scope for the review. Says ECC has a new section devoted to wildfire prevention with a strategy soon to be released.

17. Make an inventory of the NWT’s essential personnel, businesses and critical infrastructure.
GNWT: Agrees and says some work of this nature already happens, while more will happen within the next two years.

18. Update messaging to residents about emergency preparedness and get people to plan based on being away for a week rather than 72 hours.
GNWT: Partially agrees and says it is “enhancing messaging to include information about extended evacuations and planning for pets and livestock.”

19. Improve planning related to how vulnerable people are helped in emergencies.
GNWT: Agrees, says the territorial emergency plan was updated in 2024 and work has begun to improve how this is handled at community level with GNWT support.

Roles and responsibilities

20. Clearly define every government agency’s role and responsibility.
GNWT: Agrees and acknowledges 2023 displayed “gaps in role clarity among staff.” Says improvements were made in 2024 and regular reviews will occur.

21. Recognize Indigenous sovereignty and integrate Indigenous governments as equal partners in emergency management.
GNWT: Agrees and is engaging with Indigenous Governments on this.

22. Establish workforce management policies for essential and non-essential staff.
GNWT: Agrees, says some work has happened and it will investigate “human resource policy options to establish workforce management policies for identified critical staff during emergencies.”

Understanding risk

23. Continue implementing a comprehensive all-hazards risk matrix.
GNWT: Agrees and updated this in 2024 with regular updates planned.

24. Purchase mitigation equipment and train personnel on its use.
GNWT: Agrees and says work on this has taken place, but says this is out of scope for this review.

25. Access and include local fire and Indigenous knowledge to support decision-making.
GNWT: Agrees, says this already happens and says this is out of scope.

Response activities

26. Improve the GNWT registration system used during evacuations.
GNWT: Agrees. Says it built a registration portal for communities in 2023 but some chose not to use it. The GNWT is now building an “improved registration tool for residents who require disaster assistance and recovery after an emergency event.”

27. Plan alternative operating hubs for the GNWT beyond Yellowknife.
GNWT: Agrees, has built this into departmental plans and is working to better understand “critical supply chains.” Adds that communities and businesses “should also consider the potential impact to their operations should the City of Yellowknife be offline.”

28. Develop and communicate pre-planned evacuation routes and reception centres.
GNWT: Agrees and commits to work on improving this, but says things like evacuation routes and where to go depend on what is happening and what’s available at the time.

Transition to recovery

29. Improve re-entry planning by learning from other parts of Canada.
GNWT: Agrees and says it provides communities with tools for re-entry planning.

30. Include trauma-informed mental health and community-based healing in re-entry planning.
GNWT: Agrees and says this is already in the plan.

31. Explore better options for insurance and disaster financial assistance.
GNWT: Agrees, says Ottawa is launching a flood insurance program and the territory is working on better communication around insurance.

Communications

32. Improve how NWT Alert works and ensure there’s one alert process for the territory.
GNWT: Partially agrees. Says this is part of a national system and there are restrictions in place as a result. Pledges to work with communities “to develop clear protocols about who is using which system for which notifications.”

33. Find a means of delivering consistent messaging across traditional and social media platforms.
GNWT: Agrees, says it is “exploring how to better manage communications.”

34. Create a framework for risk communications.
GNWT: Agrees and commits to improving the existing framework, “including how to communicate with key partners more effectively.”

35. See if technology and innovation can help overcome gaps or barriers in communication.
GNWT: Agrees and acknowledges that issues in 2023 led to “confusion and uncertainty among residents.” Says it did work on this in 2024, is doing more work and has developed a communications protocol with Indigenous governments.