K'atl'odeeche First Nation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau got an up-close look at the burned-out remains of buildings and vehicles Wednesday as he toured parts of the Northwest Territories ravaged by a record wildfire season.

After missed alerts and close calls, tools such as Facebook, satellite phones and door-knocks are being used by First Nations leaders in the country to keep their communities informed and maintain control over the messaging sent out.

Jennifer Coleman has lived in and around Hay River in the Northwest Territories her whole life, but the highway into the community felt like a strange place as she and other wildfire evacuees were allowed to return there on Saturday for the first time in over a month.

Residents of a second town near the Alberta-Northwest Territories boundary were ordered to evacuate to safety on Sunday, August 13, 2023, evening due to encroaching wildfires, with a new fire meaning the only route out for one of the communities was by air.

Nine fires are actively burning in the N.W.T., including an out-of-control wildfire about 32 square kilometres in size on the K'atl'odeeche First Nation that is believed to have been human-caused. 

Air quality statements continue to blanket much of British Columbia and the Prairie provinces as scores of wildfires rage.

Two national housing groups are calling on the Northwest Territories to declare a state of emergency for housing Indigenous people, particularly women and girls.

An Indigenous organization wants more money for more eyes and ears to keep tabs on traditional First Nations land and Canada's new protected areas.