YELLOWKNIFE (July 21, 2014) – Government of the Northwest Territories departments are working together with community governments and other organizations and agencies to monitor forest fire activity in the Northwest Territories and respond to potential threats to public safety, communities and critical infrastructure as required.

During this period of increased forest fire activity, individual departments are providing information on current activities through a variety of means, including on the Internet.

YELLOWKNIFE (July 21, 2014) – National Drowning Prevention Week is July 19-27. People living in and visiting the NWT are encouraged to “be Water Smart” while enjoying activities in, on or around our rivers, lakes and oceans.

YELLOWKNIFE (July 18, 2014) – Canada’s National Parks Day takes place on Saturday, July 19 this year. The Northwest Territories, home to 33 territorial parks and five national parks, recognizes the annual celebration as a significant day.

YELLOWKNIFE (July 17, 2014) – In Charlottetown, PEI last week, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty and a delegation of Northwest Territories (NWT) labour market and education representatives attended the national Skills for the Future symposium to discuss the evolving needs of Canada’s labour markets.

YELLOWKNIFE (July 16, 2014) – In Charlottetown, PEI last week, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty met with Labour Market Ministers from across the country to ensure jurisdictions are focusing on Canadians having the skills they need to compete in a global economy.

YELLOWKNIFE (July 11, 2014) – In Charlottetown, PEI this week, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment Jackson Lafferty presented a two-year strategy on national Aboriginal education to the Council of Ministers of Education (CMEC), to wide endorsement.

At the 2013 CMEC summit, Minister Lafferty was appointed CMEC Lead Minister on Aboriginal education to develop an Aboriginal education strategy that would lead the efforts of jurisdictions across Canada to ensure that education systems meet the needs of Aboriginal students.

No change from the July 07 11:00 a.m. bulletin.

Local smoke conditions in Yellowknife could worsen this afternoon and later tonight.

Bulletins will be suspended until new information or conditions demand.

Residents:

For more information on wildfires please consult www.enr.gov.nt.ca and the NWT Fire Facebook page.

Media:
For more information on wildfires please call:

Environment and Natural Resources continue to assess and plan operations for the fire near Reid Lake. Today teams are preparing for a potential burnout operation. Conditions over the next few days will determine when the action can be conducted. This operation is intended to keep the fire from advancing south and west towards the Ingraham Trail and other values at risk.

High winds and extreme weather conditions on Friday, July 04 pushed a fire near Consolation Lake towards Reid Lake. This fire is currently 7.5 kilometres east of the Ingraham Trail.

Weather conditions on Saturday allowed for Environment and Natural Resources teams to assess the fire and plan further operations over the coming days. Additional resources from BC, Alaska and Saskatchewan will be supporting efforts.

High winds and extreme weather conditions on Friday, July 04 pushed a fire near Consolation Lake toward Reid Lake. This fire is currently 11 kilometres east of the Ingraham Trail.

Environment and Natural Resources have brought in additional resources, including an Incident Management Team, to support operations. Today personnel will continue to assess the situation and plan operations to begin securing the southern flank of the fire tomorrow.