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By Canadian Press

Federal incident response group meeting over N.W.T. wildfires, evacuation

Aug 17, 2023 | 5:03 PM

YELLOWKNIFE – Residents of Yellowknife and some neighbouring communities have been ordered to evacuate the area by Friday because of an encroaching wildfire.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has convened an urgent meeting with his incident response group over the wildfires in the Northwest Territories.

A readout from the federal government says the cabinet committee discussed wildfires across the country this year, including the current fires in the Northwest Territories and the evacuation of its capital.

Trudeau asked ministers to work with partners in the telecommunication sector to ensure that essential services remain available.

He also stressed there would be no tolerance for price escalation of airfare and essential goods for evacuees.

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Some evacuees are heading to reception centres in Alberta communities more than 1,000 kilometres to the south. The province is also taking in inmates from the Northwest Territories.

The inmates are among thousands of residents from Yellowknife and other areas who have been forced from their communities due to raging wildfires.

Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis says in a social media post that inmates from the territory are being transferred to the Edmonton area.

He says they are to remain in the province for the duration of the evacuation.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2023.

The Canadian Press