Fire at Yellowknife encampment ‘preventable,’ lawyer says

A lawyer who has been representing some residents of an encampment in Yellowknife says a recent fire could have been avoided if the GNWT had provided more support.

Emergency responders attended the fire at the encampment located near the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre and NWT Legislative Assembly around noon on Wednesday.

Smoke from the fire could be seen across the city’s downtown as municipal enforcement officers, Yellowknife firefighters and RCMP responded.

Lawyer Peter Adourian, who has met with city and territorial officials on behalf of people living at the encampment to address concerns, told Cabin Radio the fire was caused by someone trying to heat their tent. He said an open flame was not used.

Adourian said no one was injured in the fire, which destroyed one tent and all of its contents.

In an update on Wednesday afternoon, the City of Yellowknife said the cause of the fire was determined to be accidental and that several heating sources were located in the immediate area. The city reminded residents to always monitor portable heating devices when in use.

NWT RCMP said damage from the fire, which was quickly contained and extinguished, was limited to a wall tent and nearby tree, and that no injuries were reported to police.

RCMP said an investigation into the fire has been completed and “no indications of criminality were found.”

Adourian said the fire was “a preventable issue” that could have been avoided if the NWT government had agreed to provide fire extinguishers and fire-retardant tarps and tents to encampment residents.

“These are extremely modest investments and I wasn’t asking for the world, I wasn’t asking for housing for all, I was simply asking that they take into consideration the difficulties and the dangers that people on the street face,” he said.

A letter Adourian sent to territorial and city officials asking for those items on September 10, which was shared with Cabin Radio, states that “all tent encampments are at severe risk for fire.” The letter notes that as the temperature drops, the need for heating and risk for fire will increase.

“Fire extinguishers are an absolute necessity. Fire-retardant tarps and tents severely decrease the risk of injury or death in the event of a fire,” the letter says.

In its response to the letter on September 29, Housing NWT did not directly respond to the request for fire extinguishers or fire retardant tarps and tents but said the GNWT’s position was that “formalized encampments heighten the risks for already vulnerable populations.”

“The GNWT’s focus is to ensure that safe, accessible spaces with resources and services are available to all who need them,” Housing NWT wrote.

Adourian said Housing NWT’s response has been “frustrating.”

Territorial officials have previously denied requests to provide portable toilets and other services to encampment residents saying the GNWT does not promote encampments but people are allowed to camp on commissioner’s land.

According to Housing NWT’s letter to Adourian, the average occupancy between the overnight sobering centre, Salvation Army shelter and women’s shelter in Yellowknife was 80 people from September 1 to 14, with a maximum of 90 people staying at shelters overnight. The GNWT said there was a maximum capacity of 103 beds between the three shelters.

Adourian said the number of people staying at the encampment overnight currently fluctuates between five to ten people.

‘An effective approach’

In the NWT legislature last week, Frame Lake MLA Julian Morse praised Adourian for approaching the GNWT when the encampment was initially established in the city’s downtown to identify a better solution. Morse said that resulted in the encampment moving to its current location, which he said is “much better suited to the residents of the encampment and the community.”

“It was an incredibly effective approach, and I think it provides an important lesson for government in how we approach solutions to homelessness,” he said.

Morse said he met with some residents of the encampment this past summer who said they chose to live in the encampment as shelters don’t feel safe and don’t provide a place for them to keep their belongings.

“I can’t blame them. I wouldn’t feel comfortable sleeping in a shelter. Would you want to sleep on one of those floors? Would you want your children to?” he questioned. “Shelters are an important short-term solution, but they are not housing and they are not a viable alternative to encampments.”

Morse said his visit to the encampment highlighted the importance of people having agency over their own housing and the need for the GNWT to work with encampment residents on solutions.

Yellowknife Centre MLA Robert Hawkins in the legislature this week called on the NWT government to accelerate development of a clear encampment policy.

“We need to do something and step up about this encampment problem,” he said on Wednesday.

“Serious urgency is before us.”

In response to questions from Hawkins, housing minister Lucy Kuptana said Housing NWT is “looking at delivering an all-of-government approach in terms of policy” by the spring of 2026.

“We have to be careful in our policy. We can’t rush a policy but we are working to deliver something,” she said.

“I’ll ask the president of Housing NWT if anything can be done sooner.”