GN declares State of Emergency in Bathurst Inlet due to wildfire

Press Release

Bathurst Inlet, Nunavut– The Government of Nunavut’s (GN) Minister of Community and Government Services (CGS) David Joanasie yesterday declared a state of emergency under Nunavut’s Emergency Measures Act, effective immediately, in the area of Bathurst Inlet due to a wildfire that started August 9.

“Like most Canadian jurisdictions, Nunavut is experiencing first-hand the impacts of climate change. Inuit have been expressing their concerns around the rapidly changing environment in the Arctic for years and wildfires are another unfortunate example of the effects of climate change,” said Minister Joanasie. “While wildfires are not common in Nunavut, they do pose a risk when they approach people, communities or industry.”

The need to declare a state of emergency is to provide the GN with the authority take necessary measures to protect people in the area and where necessary, deploy necessary resources to respond to the fire in Bathurst Inlet. The declaration also provides additional authority to control and assign assets of GN departments and public agencies under the Emergency Measures Act.

Under the authority of the Emergency Management Act, the Minister of Community and Government Services is issuing a do not enter order and an evacuation order to individuals already in the area. Additional measures may be implemented under the terms of the emergency declaration.

The state of emergency for the Bathurst Inlet area will be in effect for 14 days, from August 10-23, 2023.

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Media Contact:
Hala Duale
Communications Specialist
Community and Government Services
867-975-5406
hduale@gov.nu.ca

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