Vince McKay: Ready for the 2026 Season: Strengthening Emergency Preparedness in the Northwest Territories
Press Release
Check against delivery.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to provide an update on emergency preparedness in the Northwest Territories. The growing frequency and severity of climate-driven emergencies require a coordinated, proactive approach to emergency response. Our government continues to strengthen territorial readiness by improving interdepartmental coordination, community training, and response capabilities. These efforts reflect our responsibility to provide residents across regions with a responsive, organized system rooted in northern realities.
A central component of this work is the “Be Ready” public awareness campaign. Its message is clear: emergency preparedness is everyone’s responsibility. Residents, community governments, the Government of the Northwest Territories, the federal government, and our partners all have important roles to play. The campaign gives residents practical information and tools to help them understand local hazards, prepare emergency kits, make household plans, and stay informed during emergencies. Communities are stronger when residents are better prepared. When communities are stronger, our territorial response is stronger as well. I encourage all Members of this Legislative Assembly to ask their constituents to take steps to be prepared.
Mr. Speaker, the “Be Ready” campaign promotes collaboration across all levels of government and with key partners. Community governments are encouraged to lead local preparedness initiatives, conduct exercises, and maintain community emergency plans that reflect local risks. The GNWT provides training, coordination, and technical support, while the federal government supplies funding and national resources. Strategic partners like NGOs, industry, and volunteers are crucial to public education, evacuation support, and recovery operations.
Preparedness also means ensuring residents understand what to expect during an evacuation. To support this, the GNWT has developed a new evacuation preparedness brochure that provides clear, practical information on how evacuations are coordinated, the services available, and what residents should consider before leaving their community. It covers essential items to bring, identifies supports for families and Elders, considerations for pets, and how registration and re-entry processes work. The brochure is designed to reduce uncertainty, improve public confidence, and help residents make informed decisions during stressful situations.
Mr. Speaker, a significant component of our broader preparedness strategy is our focus on Wildland Urban Interface protection, which has become increasingly important as wildfire behaviour intensifies across the North. On May 21, 2026, the GNWT, in partnership with the NWT Fire Chiefs Association, launched a new Wildland Urban Interface program to strengthen wildfire response and better protect our communities. This program addresses a key gap identified in the 2023 wildfire operations review. It improves coordination between wildland and structural firefighting during community wildfire threats. It establishes a territory-wide system for mutual aid, supported by comprehensive guidelines and a targeted training strategy, to ensure the right expertise is applied to the right tasks. By building specialized capacity in our communities and reducing reliance on private or out-of-territory resources, this program improves safety, strengthens effectiveness, and increases local readiness. Communities including Hay River, Fort Simpson, Inuvik, and Fort Smith have already received additional tools, training, and support, demonstrating the value of sustained investment in the Wildland Urban Interface. We plan to build on that progress across the territory through ongoing improvement and annual review.
Emergency preparedness is about more than wildfire response. It means planning year‑round for floods, infrastructure disruptions, evacuations, and public health emergencies. The GNWT is continuing to strengthen training programs for local emergency management teams, modernize public alerting systems to ensure people receive timely and accurate information, and enhance coordination so resources can be deployed quickly when needed. This work is shaped by lessons learned from recent emergencies and by the clear expectation of Northerners that their government be prepared, organized, and accountable.
Mr. Speaker, I want to acknowledge the dedication of community emergency volunteers, wildfire crews, municipal staff, and Indigenous government partners. Their commitment is vital to our territory’s safety and resilience. Our government will continue providing the tools, training, and coordination required to protect residents and communities. We remain committed to strengthening emergency preparedness across the Northwest Territories.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
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