Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, on September 7th, while on a regional tour, I was travelling into the communities of Nahanni Butte. Arriving into the community, the weather was good. During our visit, the wind shifted and started to pick up. By the end of the day, we witnessed smoke and some ashes start to engulf the community.
Upon my return to Fort Simpson, I received an update from the Department of MACA about the situation. No emergency at that point. Unfortunately, with Mother Nature anything can change in a heartbeat. During Thursday night, the community leaders decided that it was best to evacuate the community members to across the river for the safety of the elders and others. During this time, the regional NWT Power Corporation, ENR, and MACA staff were engaged with the situation.
About 10 p.m. that night, an ENR staff member drove to the community to provide water and gas for the evacuees. As well, they provided guidance for remaining residents on how to protect their community. Later, the community decided that they should evacuate everybody to Fort Liard. There were approximately 80 evacuees and what impressed me was that the community of Fort Liard was able to house the residents and look after them on such short notice. Normally, Fort Simpson is the location identified as the place to go who are prepared for this type of situation. The next day, the situation got a bit worse and it was recommended that evacuees stay in Fort Liard for at least another day. At this point in time, the Emergency Measures Operation Committee was activated.
During this trying time, I witnessed the committee work together. In my former job, I had the opportunity to be part of the committee. It still impresses me the work they do. It is like they have emergencies daily. All the departments were engaged doing their respective roles. All evacuees returned to Nahanni Butte on September 9th with no incidents.
Mr. Speaker, in the final Executive Incident Report submitted on September 11th, it was stated that the wildfire was approximately 8,000 hectares in size and located approximately 5 km southwest of Nahanni Butte. With these facts presented, it is understandable how the community saw this as an emergency and took action. Overall, the safety measures were taken to keep residents safe, and an emergency response was acted upon in adequate time. ENR will continue to action and monitor the wildfire until it is out, eliminating the fire threat for the community. I would like to thank the departments who were part of the EMO committee, and I’d like to thank the residents of Nahanni Butte. I will have questions for the Minister later. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. Members’ statements. Member for Deh Cho.
