Evacuees navigate problems, find solutions at Yellowknife’s multiplex

At Yellowknife’s multiplex, some Fort Simpson evacuees say issues like heat and security are creating significant problems. Others say fixes are being found, for now.

Community leaders have warned repeatedly that residents could be away from their homes for multiple weeks as crews tackle a large wildfire on the village’s doorstep.

The Village of Fort Simpson has said evacuees should seek “more substantial” accommodation and move to “a larger centre with more amenities” if they have to.

In the meantime, Yellowknife’s multiplex remains home to many dozens of Fort Simpson residents who had no alternative when they fled to the territorial capital, where almost all hotel rooms are taken.

Ordinarily a set of sports arenas, the multiplex is a hard environment in which to rest. Some evacuees say they have endured high temperatures – Yellowknife hit 30C on four straight days this week – that made the environment unbearable. Though a donation of hand fans offered temporary relief, volunteers have sought more permanent cooling solutions. 

“The Elders are sweating, the volunteers are sweating,” said Darlene Lebrun, a Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation member volunteering at the multiplex. She said the heat had been enough to send an Elder to hospital earlier in the week.

Dehcho First Nations health and wellness program manager Gracyn Tanche told Cabin Radio equipment designed to improve things is on the way. The city has found two large air conditioning units and additional fans that are scheduled to arrive on Friday, Tanche said, a development first reported by the CBC.

To try to mitigate the sweltering heat by allowing some airflow, the multiplex doors are open during the day.

While Tanche said those doors are closed at night, Lebrun said the multiplex’s free food and resources have attracted inebriated people. She said Elders and others seeking relief in the cooler air outside were met by intoxicated people.

Certain areas “have begun to feel unsafe” as a result, Lebrun wrote in a letter outlining her concerns that was sent to the NWT’s MP and premier alongside Yellowknife’s mayor and Cabin Radio on Thursday.

She used the letter to ask for wellness spaces away from the “noise and stress of the evacuation setting,” short excursions for evacuees and more temporary parking for campers, among other needs. (The city and territorial government have been approached for a response.)

Tanche said from her point of view, some of the challenges evacuees initially faced in Yellowknife are starting to be solved. For example, she said, the Łı́ı́dlı̨ı̨ Kų́ę́ First Nation has recruited some of its members to provide more security support. 

“The spirits are lifted and people are feeling better. There’s more laughs and more smiles,” Tanche said.

‘Trying to provide what we can’

Beyond security and heat, hotel accommodation and traditional food are also challenges that volunteers and officials are trying to address.

Currently, some evacuated Elders and families with children are staying at the Quality Inn. As their initial hotel bookings come to an end, more individuals may need to be accommodated at the multiplex, which Tanche said will require more resources.

Evacuees are now trying to find money through donations to pay for more accommodation beyond the multiplex in a bid to ease pressure on the facility.

More traditional food is also needed, several people said. While the Salvation Army has been providing evacuees with food, Lebrun said, Elders “have a difficult time digesting certain types of food.”

Heather Nakehk’o, a food coordinator at the multiplex, is one of the volunteers actively working to serve traditional food to people who need it.

“One of the first things I heard was that the Elders weren’t able to eat the food that was being served,” said Nakehk’o. “They have health issues and it wasn’t suitable for their diets.”

On hearing that complaint, Nakehk’o said, she started bringing food to the multiplex.

She was able to procure more through her contacts and said the North Slave Métis Alliance had offered its help. Wild meat donations and cooks are still being sought.

“I don’t know if it’s enough. We’re trying to provide what we can – it’s all volunteer-run and donated – I’m just trying to fill those gaps,” said Nakehk’o. 

Though she said the availability of traditional food is getting better, she added the prospect of some hotel bookings coming to an end could complicate her ability to keep everyone fed if they end up being spread out.

“If people are moving to campgrounds, or if more people are moving back to the multiplex, I don’t know,” she said.