'A lot of work is happening': Takeaways from N.W.T. premier's visit to Norman Wells, Fort Good Hope

Earlier this week, N.W.T. Premier R.J. Simpson visited Norman Wells and Fort Good Hope where residents have been dealing with the ongoing impacts of a wildfire that's threatening Fort Good Hope. 

CBC News' Hilary Bird spoke with Simpson Thursday about what he learned during the visit, and how his government is responding. Since this interview, fire officials have announced that the evacuation order for Fort Good Hope is being lifted and evacuees will be going home this weekend.

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

What were the concerns that officials shared with you during your visit to Norman Wells?

So I didn't actually get to meet with the mayor. He was unavailable, but I met with the the SAO (senior administrative officer) and the issue that was raised was reimbursement for expenses that the community has incurred as a result of posting the evacuees. We also discussed issues related to low water levels in the river.

What came out of those discussions about reimbursement — is that something that the territorial government will cover?

Yeah. When a community host evacuees, they're eligible for reimbursement of expenses. It might not be all the expenses, but a significant amount of the expenses are recoverable through the federal program. So I raised that with my deputy minister once I got back and I know that they're looking into that to ensure there is timely payment because everyone struggles with cash flow these days and we want to make sure that we're not putting them in a position where they're unable to pay the bills.

You mentioned some of the difficulties with getting supplies because of the low water levels in the Mackenzie River. Are there any solutions after your meeting with the SAO that you were able to come up with to help the community meet the supplies demand?

Well, this is definitely something we have been aware of this past winter. A lot of additional work went into the winter road ensuring that additional goods could actually make it up that road in case there was a disruption in the barging services, which there was. We plan on doing that again in the upcoming year.

Currently, there hasn't been a lot of outreach to the local businesses in Norman Wells because they're in the middle of dealing with this evacuation, but once things settle down a bit, we will be having those conversations to get an understanding of the impacts on those businesses. We're also doing work in the background, such as looking into what has been done in other jurisdictions in similar situations, and looking into potential federal supports that could be accessed.

So a lot of work is happening now and then there will be engagement going forward.

Who did you meet with when you were in Norman Wells?

The SAO was sitting in for the mayor and I met with the president of the local chamber of commerce. I went down to the evacuation centre. I met with local evacuees and a lot of the staff who have been supporting the evacuation — I went down there because I wanted to chat. I've been evacuated a number of times and I spent a lot of hours at evacuation centres, and that's the place where you get the good information about what's happening, how people are feeling, what changes can be made and what's working well.

And what did you hear from the evacuees you spoke with?

People are anxious to to get home, and I understand that. They were also very thankful, a lot of comments about the support that Norman Wells has shown them, and that was very encouraging. I know that it's a lot of work for these communities to host evacuees, but it sounds like things have been going relatively smoothly.

You know, I have to thank the evacuees for doing their part and evacuating. It's tough when you're trying to fight a fire in a community and build fire breaks and do all this work and there's a lot of people around getting in your way. So I just wanted to thank those who have who stuck it out for a number of weeks now.

You also made your way to Fort Good Hope. What was that like?

It was sombre. Obviously, there was the helicopter crash that just happened, so I went by that site and spoke with leadership and some of the crew who were first on scene and cleaning up debris. It's had a big impact on the community and it's a tragedy. It goes to show that fighting fires, it's serious business. We had a death last year, we have had a death this year. And so I just want everyone to keep that in mind when they are out on the land and just to ensure that you're putting your campfires out.

We also went around the town and I was shown the different spots where the the fire was and then where it was jumping over, and it was just an incredible amount of work that the community has done to prevent that the spread of the fire.

That was my big takeaway. I knew from my conversations with the chief previously and through speaking with some of the other ministers, how much time and energy has actually gone into fighting this fire from the community's side. And to see what they've done, I know they were tired. So I thank them for their efforts.