Thousands of Yellowknifers are expected to make the trip home on Wednesday by road and air.
Airlift flights are taking place from Calgary, commercial flights at Yellowknife Airport resume and a checkpoint on the highway outside the city is expected to lift for people driving back.
A power outage caused by a transport truck in Fort Providence, which disrupted fuel sales for a few hours on Tuesday, has been resolved.
Fire crews continue to work on forest fires outside Hay River and Fort Smith, whose residents have no timeline for their own return after more than three weeks displaced.
On this page, we’re bringing you updates throughout the day on travel conditions and the fight against the NWT’s wildfires.
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Read our quick summary of wildfire threat to get the latest on the fires in less than a minute of reading. And remember to bookmark our homepage for all of our coverage in one place.
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Updates appear below, latest first. All times are MT.
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Live text reporter: Ollie Williams in Fort Providence
6:31 – I’m going to be live on video from Big River at 8am, when I’ll give you the most comprehensive update I can on what to expect on the roads today. Any questions ahead of that, let me know. And tell me where you’re driving from today! (Or if you’re hanging back, let me know when you’re thinking you’ll eventually head home.)
6:15 – The GNWT advised us late last night, regarding airlift flights back home:
“The first re-entry flight confirmations have been sent to some residents departing Calgary to Yellowknife. Notifications were sent by text message and contain check-in information. Follow the instructions in the text message and proceed to the check-in location at the specified time. You will be transported to the airport.
“You will NOT be asked to reply to the message. You will not be asked for personal information, payment, or any other details. There are no links to click. Do not respond to the text message. If you have questions about your flight confirmation, call 1-888-383-8410.”
The GNWT previously said notifications would be sent at least 24 hours before flights took off. So far, I have one report of someone receiving a notification only about 15 hours before his flight and 12 hours before he had to be at a different hotel for transit to the airport. I’d be interested to hear others’ experiences of that system.
6:14 – Don’t forget our Q&A has lots of answers for common questions from people heading home. If you’re on an airlift plane, expect someone to hop on your aircraft in Yellowknife to explain what’s available once you disembark – if all goes to plan, it sounds like there’ll be various services from the city and YKDFN to get you home safely.
5:52 – The Department of Infrastructure says the Yellowknife Airport parking lot’s barrier will stay open until Monday, September 11 at 8am – and that might change if more evacuation flights are scheduled. So getting your car out of the lot up to that point would appear to be free.
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5:48 – And you know what, let’s start the day with a note of encouragement for Air Canada. Candice writes:
“Air Canada was just really awesome. We had tickets booked on Aeroplan and they’ve just been cancelling and rebooking the Edmonton-YK portion for weeks now. Finally, on Wednesday it’s scheduled to actually leave, but now we need to stick around the south a few extra days as one of our family members has some medical stuff and should be closer to more accessible health services right now. They rebooked all four of our tickets for the family for several days from now, without change fees or penalties.”
I know people have a ton of poor experiences with airlines, but it’s heartening every now and again to hear something go right. Good luck to everyone heading for GNWT or commercial flights home today, let me know how your day goes.
5:46 – I did get a late message from Lianne after she got home last night. She wrote:
“The junction checkpoint went seamlessly. I was worried they were letting everyone and anyone through and that there would be a pileup. The checkpoint worker told us he had denied entry to 17 people so far on his shift!
“There was a lot of traffic after Peace River and so many people speeding.”
RCMP put out a statement yesterday emphasizing there are extra Alberta police vehicles on the south side of the border (and more police on the NWT side) so your odds of hitting a speed trap today are pretty good, just saying.
5:43 – If you are driving home from Alberta, the board is green. 511 Alberta and the NWT highway conditions map show you are good to go, and I have no overnight reports of disruption or poor conditions on the roads.
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5:36 – Good morning from the Snowshoe Inn! We’re starting today’s live coverage super early, since I suspect some of you might be starting the day super early too.
I’ll have the latest on travel conditions coming up.
If you are heading home by road or by air today, please keep us posted. Email any personal travel updates that you’re happy to share.
For people flying home: Did you get a flight notification from the GNWT? How is the travel to the airport and the airport itself? How was the flight, did your bags and pets get on board OK? How is your commercial flight going, was it cancelled or delayed or did it leave on time? What’s the situation at Yellowknife Airport?
For people driving home: Where are you leaving from? Who’s with you? What’s your travel plan? How is gas availability along the way, or accommodation if you need it? How are the highway conditions – the weather, the smoke, the traffic? Any tips for drivers following along behind you?
For people getting home any other way: What the heck?