GNWT releases Request for Proposal for independent review of 2023 wildfire emergency response
Publication Date
News Release
To understand the full scope of the emergency management activities associated with the 2023 wildfire season and improve future emergency response, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will undergo the biggest after-action review in its history. Today the GNWT released a Request for Proposal (RFP), seeking a third-party contractor to carry out this work.
As part of the review, the successful contractor will assess the emergency management activities associated with the 2023 wildfire season, focusing on risk monitoring, emergency preparedness activities, response activities, operational and public communications, and transition to recovery, which includes re-entry planning, repatriation and damage assessments.
The review will rely heavily on public engagement through questionnaires and public meetings, allowing for anonymous feedback to ensure residents are comfortable providing honest accounts of their experiences.
Engagement will focus on communities that were directly impacted by the 2023 evacuations and will include:
residents impacted by the wildfires
Indigenous governments
non-government organizations
business stakeholders
community governments and local emergency management organizations (EMOs)
regional EMOs
territorial EMO (including federal partners)
Members of the 19th Legislative Assembly in office during the 2023 wildfires
GNWT employees and senior management
The final independent review of the 2023 wildfire emergency response will be publicly released in Fall 2024. The findings of the review will inform the decision of whether move forward with a public inquiry.
Quote(s)
“I’ve spoken extensively about the need for an independent third-party review of the GNWT’s response to the 2023 wildfires. It’s important that residents, Indigenous governments and stakeholders have an opportunity to share their experiences as part of a transparent and comprehensive review process so that we can have a fulsome assessment of last year’s response. With this being the largest review in the GNWT’s history, the successful proponent has a big job ahead of them, and I look forward to seeing how the results will improve our response to future emergency situations.”
- RJ Simpson, Premier of the Northwest Territories
Quick facts
Engagement will target the following communities: Hay River, K’atl’odeeche First Nation, Sambaa K’e, Wekweètì, Behchokǫ̀, Fort Smith, Salt River First Nation, Jean Marie River, Enterprise, Kakisa, Yellowknife, and Dettah/N’dilo.
The independent review of the 2023 wildfire emergency response was originally under the purview of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA). Discussions among Members of the 20th Legislative Assembly have shifted the approach – the review is now being managed by the department of Executive and Indigenous Affairs to ensure independence from MACA, the department responsible for coordinating the GNWT’s emergency response activities.