Heavy smoke from nearby wildfires fills the sky in Yellowknife on Tuesday, August 15, 2023. Residents of the capital of the Northwest Territories and two neighbouring First Nation communities have been ordered to evacuate by Friday because of an encroaching wildfire. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Angela Gzowski
YELLOWKNIFE – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is expected to convene an urgent meeting with ministers and senior officials today as residents of the capital of Northwest Territories are ordered to evacuate the area because of an encroaching wildfire.
The evacuation order issued late Wednesday applies to Yellowknife, which has a population of about 20,000 people, as well as the nearby communities of Ndilo and Dettah.
Trudeau, who is on vacation in Tofino, B.C., updated his itinerary Thursday to include an urgent meeting of the incident response group, a cabinet committee that typically consists of senior ministers and top officials.
But it’s not yet clear who else is expected to be in attendance.
An update on the discussions is expected this afternoon.
Residents of Yellowknife and neighbouring communities have been ordered to leave by noon on Friday, and reception centres for Yellowknife evacuees are set to open at noon Thursday in three Alberta communities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2023.
