Finance minister Caroline Wawzonek is asking evacuees to be patient with the GNWT as it figures out the next steps in the process.
“The GNWT is going to be as responsive as we need to be to a situation that is clearly evolving,” said Wawzonek during an update on the situation during a press conference on Aug. 22. “We simply cannot design programs to a situation we have not encountered before in the abstract.”
She added work was happening behind the scenes to develop further support programs, but said public supports need to be fair and responsive. She reminded people the GNWT covered the costs of evacuation centres, flights out of the city and covered gas at the Steam River along the way. She highlighted the Evacuation Disruption Program, which she said was developed during the Hay River evacuation.
“We got folks out and we’ll get them home, by air or ground,” she said. “We certainly won’t leave anybody behind.”
She said any evacuees who can seek shelter with family with friends should do so to save costs. She noted the focus now would shift to how to best take care of people staying in evacuation centres.
“The GNWT with our partners in Alberta will make sure everybody has a place to stay will have a place to stay and everyone who needs food will have food.”
Wawzonek said the current programming the GNWT has is not designed for dealing with 68 per cent of the population evacuated.
“We don’t yet have that program and I don’t have that answer,” she said. “We’re going to have to figure this out. People won’t get back unless they have funding.
“Options are going to come to the finance management board and we’ll work from that.
“No one is saying no.”
Wawzonek added the costs of the wild fire facing the GNWT is already “astronomical.”
She said cabinet would be asking the Legislative Assembly for a significant amount of money during the emergency legislative session being held Aug. 28. She said the amount of money cabinet would be asking the legislative assembly would be revealed then.
She said the GNWT was already meeting with the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce and would be meeting with the Hay River Chamber of Commerce, as well as NT Tourism to determine their needs.
“There’s some very active conversations happening right now,” she said, adding the process of establishing a new compensation program is already under way. “We’re trying to determine what will work, what is appropriate and what will be responsive.”
“We realize people had to drive a long way and we realize people will have to drive back.”
Wawzonek also hinted there may be items in the capital budget that may need to be slashed to cover the costs of both the wildfire response and the evacuation.
“Costs are tremendous here and that’s just the action we’re taking against the wildfire,” she said. “We’re going to have to look at what programs we’re offering. What construction projects have not started yet…”
Residents of Yellowknife were strongly advised to evacuate by their own means if possible.
Emergency Management Organization (EMO) information officer Jennifer Young said the evacuation order was written to give people options.
“We had to evacuate thousands of people at one time, so the order was to look at ways we could do that,” she said. “In 48 hours we evacuated tens of thousands of people out of Yellowknife.”
Young said people are free to move from evacuation centre to evacuation centre as needed.
“We just ask you de-register with the one you are currently in an re-register with the one you go to,” she said. She noted details of the Territory’s re-entry plan were in development and would be released soon.