Ottawa commits to improve infrastructure in fire-ravaged NWT after criticism from premier

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Canada’s new Emergency Preparedness Minister says Northwest Territories Premier Caroline Cochrane’s frustrations about inadequate federal funding for infrastructure in the North are “obviously well justified” and that “a lot of work” is needed to address the issues once the emergency fire situation ravaging her jurisdiction is over.

“I would say there is a lot of work that needs to be done and to analyze what the actual needs are,” Harjit Sajjan, the former defence minister who was sworn into his new role as part of the late July federal cabinet shuffle, said in an interview Sunday. “We’ll have to have the types of discussions about what those needs are and making sure that we put the right investments in place,” he said, adding that Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal “will be co-ordinating the wider government response when it comes to the infrastructure side.

“We have a lot more work to do when it comes to making sure the right communication lines, the right transportation lines and the right resources get to the right places” to ensure “the territories get the support that they need, and that is something the Prime Minister has stated that we’re absolutely committed to,” Mr. Sajjan said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with Ms. Cochrane in Edmonton on Saturday and discussed “investments in infrastructure” among other matters, according to a release that day from his office. On Sunday, Ms. Cochrane said that during their discussions he had made “specific commitments” to address her criticisms, which included speeding up the Employment Insurance process for NWT residents and providing an advance under the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements to aid with cash flow.

He also committed to collaborating with the territory on plans for possible air evacuations of communities without road access, Ms. Cochrane said in a social-media post, as well as to prioritizing the development of road infrastructure, enhancing satellite redundancy and assisting the NWT in addressing the effects of climate change. ”I see these commitments as crucial steps toward supporting the immediate and long-term needs of the Northwest Territories and our residents,” Ms. Cochrane said in her post.

As essential workers were ordered to leave Hay River on the southern shore of Great Slave Lake Friday, Ms. Cochrane criticized Ottawa during a news conference, saying the federal government hadn’t adequately funded infrastructure in the North, creating dangerous conditions during evacuations from the region’s fires. She said the territory has been treated like a “Third World country” as decades of requests for the same federal infrastructure funding spent in the south of Canada had gone unheeded.

Fires have cut off phone and internet connections in several territory communities, while 22 communities in the territory have no permanent roads, she said.

As of Sunday afternoon, the out-of-control blaze is over 400,000 hectares in size and only 1.5 kilometres from the centre of the Hay River community of about 4,000 people. More than 200 firefighting personnel remain in the area to fight the blaze.

NWT fire information officer Mike Westwick said the fire didn’t grow closer to the town centre on Saturday; however, he noted, the situation can change rapidly.

“We’re in the midst of the peak burning day right now. We’re in a place where it’s going to be heating up, their winds could be picking up. The situation can change,” he said in an interview Sunday afternoon.

Temperatures in the area reached up to 30 C on Sunday and winds gusted up to 45 kilometres an hour coming from the southwest. Mr. Westwick said such conditions could push the fire north and east and pose risks to the town.

On Sunday morning, heat warnings were issued in the Fort Liard, Fort Providence, Fort Simpson, Wrigley and Hay River regions. Mr. Westwick said high temperatures and dry conditions in the region may lead to more severe fire activity.

“It’s undoubtedly a tough situation, but our teams put in the preparations, and we’re ready to stand tall and defend that place for as long as it’s safe,” Mr. Westwick said.

On Sunday, NWT Finance Minister Caroline Wawzonek shared details in a social-media post of some of the fire-related costs that have overwhelmed the budgets of a jurisdiction that she said derived “limited revenue from a small population served over a vast geography.” She anticipates fire suppression costs will hit $100-million this year – more than five times the annual budget – and reliance on emergency services, food and basic amenities from Alberta will ultimately cost the territorial government millions.

Mr. Sajjan defended his government’s response to the fire emergency, which included his approval more than two weeks ago of a request for federal assistance from the NWT government. That includes the provision of Canadian Armed Forces members and resources to assist and enable basic firefighting, airlifting of people and equipment in and out of affected areas, and planning and co-ordinating support and funding for response and recovery activities for eligible First Nations.

Mr. Sajjan said he’s also been in regular daily contact with his counterpart in the NWT government, Environment and Climate Change Minister Shane Thompson, to get direct updates.

“We’re putting all the right resources in when it comes to the response” to the fire, Mr. Sajjan said. “But now because this has been increasing every single year, disaster after disaster because of climate change, we do need to take a look at and review what are the resources that are needed.”

With files from The Canadian Press