By road and by air, Yellowknifers head home after 3-week evacuation
CBC live-blogged the first day that the city began to welcome back its residents
People hoping to make the long drive back north to Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndilǫ and the Ingraham Trail Wednesday started the day with some good news: highways were open and weather looked good.
Roadblocks leading toward Yellowknife were cleared away around 11 a.m. Meanwhile, power was restored Monday in Fort Providence and gas is once again available for people driving north.
If you have questions about the return home, take a look at our running list of reader-submitted questions and government answers.
CBC's Natalie Pressman will be updating you on this page on everything from road and fire conditions to what city and territorial officials have to say throughout the day.
Refresh this page to see the latest updates.
6:30 p.m.: That's a wrap on our live updates for the first day of residents returning to Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndilǫ and the Ingraham Trail (I've got to hit the road myself!).
6:10 p.m.: As Yellowknifers made their way home, firefighters could be seen leaving the city.
4:35 p.m.: The Government of the Northwest Territories confirmed in a Facebook comment that it is investigating an incident of someone receiving flight confirmation for a different family. The territory wrote that the incident is the result of an incorrectly entered phone number and that it is trying to reach the intended recipient to inform them of their flight.
4:31 p.m.: Firefighters today encountered children playing in burned forest along the highway. In an email, fire information officer Mike Westwick reminded travellers about the dangers of those areas. He said there are hot ash pits along the highway as well as damaged roots which could cause falling trees. Fire is also still burning in some areas. Westwick said interacting with these areas is "very dangerous" and pulls emergency responders away from important work.
4:05 p.m.: Air Canada and WestJet are posting commercial flights to Yellowknife again — and as of today, flights leaving in the next week from Calgary and Edmonton are under $200. That's a marked difference from flights out of the city three weeks ago, when people hoping to evacuate by commercial airline reported seeing tickets online that cost in the thousands of dollars.
At the time, Air Canada said those sky-high prices were based on "complex itineraries involving multiple flights, and sometimes multiple carriers, rather than direct flights out," and said it was capping prices on direct flights out of the city. Now, prices are more reasonable. For example, a one-way WestJet ticket from Calgary to Yellowknife, through Sept. 13, is $139, taxes included. On Air Canada, the same ticket is $144.
Of course, the Northwest Territories government is offering repatriation flights for free. Those flights began departing today and are expected to continue for five days.
4:00 p.m.: The government of the Northwest Territories says hotels in Calgary will no longer be available after Sept. 8. About an hour ago, the government posted that evacuees in Calgary are encouraged to pre-register for flights today by 8 p.m. to ensure they get on a flight before hotel accommodations end. If Calgary evacuees don't pre-register today, the territory says it can't guarantee they will be booked on flights before their accommodations end.
3:15 p.m.: Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty said that today, for the first time in three weeks, she saw kids at the park. Appearing on CBC News Network, Alty said officials will be reviewing ways the city and territory can improve and make recommendations for future crisis situations. She said she wants to ensure there are enough community events to get Yellowknifers back together and enough supports to help manage the trauma of the evacuation experience.
3:00 p.m.: In an email, the Department of Infrastructure says a total of six commercial flights were scheduled to arrive in Yellowknife today (Sept. 6), two of which would continue south. The department says it isn't expecting any delays but that there will likely be a reduced schedule for commercial flights this week. It said it can't provide an estimate on when commercial air services will resume as usual, since it can't comment on airline resources. From the department's perspective, it's ready for services to resume fully.
2:55 p.m.: In an update from N.W.T. Fire on the wildfire burning near Hay River, the fire service says that fire remains about 1 kilometre from the airport, 500 metres from the hospital and about 500m from West Point First Nation. The wildfire is about about 12 kilometres from Kakisa. N.W.T. Fire says the relief felt from rainfall in the area is fading with Hay River's heavy drought
1:38 p.m.: As Yellowknives Dene First Nation (YKDFN) welcomes members back to Dettah and Ndilǫ today, YKDFN incident commander Kieron Testart says public works staff and Yellowknife city contractors made sure houses have full water tanks, and the First Nation has a list of animals taken in by the SPCA so people can reunite with their pets when they return.
Testart said YKDFN has arranged for evacuated elders to fly home as a group on one chartered flight from Edmonton. Elders will be accompanied by YKDFN staff who will act as caregivers. The date and time of that flight's departure hadn't been set, as of this morning.
Chief Ernest Betsina of Dettah says YKDFN staff in the south are working to locate members and make sure everyone who needs to gets on a repatriation flight.
"I'm hoping that all the people got accounted for and everyone will come back to their homes safely," he said.
1:30 p.m.: Arriving by plane, returning residents describe feeling relief to be back in the capital.
"It was amazing landing back in the airport and seeing Yellowknife from the sky, an emotional experience for sure," said Rochelle Hildirman.
Lisa Balmer says she and her family were treated well in Alberta but that the evacuation was tough.
"It got old fast," she said.
Avery Balmer says it's good to be back but that Yellowknife "feels different now."
"I don't know, just something about it," he said.
1:08 p.m.: If you've got some time on your hands, our CBC colleagues put together this great About That explainer that runs through how the re-entry works.
12:30 p.m.: N.W.T. fire information officer Mike Westwick reminds drivers to be cautious of firefighters working on the road. Speaking with CBC host of Northwind Wanda McLeod, Westwick says there is still a lot of road happening near the highway that returning residents should be aware of.
He says travellers may even see flare ups on the wildfire burning between Yellowknife and Behchokǫ̀ but that the firefighters along the way are there to keep residents safe.
12:15 p.m.: CBC North reporter Liny Lamberink says there is no sign of the checkpoint at km 272, where cars had been lined up earlier this morning. When the barricade lifted at 11 a.m. CBC Network reporter Juanita Taylor said drivers honked and waved as they passed. Some of those drivers had spent the night by the checkpoint to be the first to enter the city.
11:00 a.m.: The evacuation order for Yellowknife, Dettah, Ndilǫ and the Ingraham Trail has lifted and the first cars are crossing into city limits. Flights are also touching down as re-entry begins by road and by air.
Residents can expect reduced services in Yellowknife upon return. The city has said that garbage pick-up will continue from Thursday, Sept. 7 to Sept. 29, but compost and organics pick-up will only begin the week of Oct. 2.
After that, the regular bi-weekly rotating schedule is back on with garbage the week of Oct. 9, organics the week of Oct. 16, and so on.
Those on trucked water can expect regular service delivery as of Thursday, Sept. 7. Since tank water has been stagnant during the evacuation, the city is reminding residents that water may only be suitable for cooking or bathing.
The solid waste facility will be open from Sept. 7 to 10, with no tipping fee from 11 a.m. to 4p.m. It will resume regular hours and fees from Sept. 12 onward.
The no tipping fee applies only to waste and food spoilage from the evacuation. Large items, construction waste and other waste will not be accepted.
10:00 a.m.: Amid Yellowknife's re-entry, Fort Smith is beginning to invite some critical personnel back into the community but reminds residents it's still not safe to come home.
RCMP have returned to prepare for other essential services re-entry, according to the Fort Smith Protective Services Facebook page.
The update says the community isn't yet safe to re-enter and promises more details "on that" later today.
It says the first step to re-entry is bringing in RCMP, staff from the power corporation, grocers and healthcare workers.
9:45 a.m.: For those flying into Yellowknife, volunteer drivers, shuttle buses and taxis are available to drive you back to your home or to vehicles parked at Sir John Franklin High School. City staff and volunteers will be in the terminal handing out taxi vouchers valid for up to $30 for a one-way trip.
Shuttle buses will be transporting Yellowknives Dene First Nation members home. There will also be some wheelchairs and an ambulance by the terminal for those requiring extra assistance. Children's car seats and pet crates will also be available to borrow.
9:20 a.m.: The territory's department of infrastructure provided a car count of vehicles passing through the Deh Cho Bridge.
On Sunday, the department counted 145 cars as the city began to open to essential workers Monday and Tuesday.
On Monday, 475 cars.
On Tuesday, 491.
That count includes local traffic and government highway operators, so it's not a perfect indicator for how many vehicles travelled to Yellowknife.
8:56 a.m.: Here's an update from Yellowknife Mayor Rebecca Alty:
8:41 a.m.: The N.W.T.'s highway conditions map shows HIghway 1 into the N.W.T. as open. If you're coming through there, expect to slow down around the Deh Cho Bridge, which will be single-lane traffic with short delays.
Our reporter Liny Lamberink caught up with some travellers in Fort Providence before they began the trek north. She says it was pretty quiet there this morning, with not a lot of people trickling in to gas up.
She spoke with Janice Clement, who told us she slept in her car by the Snowshoe Inn gift shop after driving in Wednesday. She's anxious to get home with her cat Teddy, who's been having a tough time during this evacuation. She's expecting to arrive early at the checkpoint between Behchokǫ̀ and Yellowknife. "I hope they'll have pity on me and let me through," she said with a laugh — next stop, home, where she can let Teddy out of his crate and give him a cuddle.
Liny spoke with Roger Carrasqueira, too, who left Fort McMurray at 6 p.m. last night and has been driving ever since. He hopes to be home before noon if he's let through the roadblock, and is looking forward to "getting back to normal."
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