The Northwest Territories (NWT) experienced their worst wildfire season on record in 2023. It was an unprecedented season, with nearly 70 per cent of the population having been evacuated over the course of the summer from across the territories, many residents having experienced loss of property, and many communities having suffered damage to their critical infrastructure.
Today, the Honourable Harjit S. Sajjan, President of the King's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada, announced an advance payment of $84,347,404 to the territory through the Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) program, to help assist with response and recovery costs associated with the 2023 wildfires.
When a large scale disaster happens, the Government of Canada provides financial assistance through the DFAA program to provinces and territories. Through this support, the government of Canada covers eligible disaster response and recovery expenses that have been submitted by the province or territory and that exceed what they could reasonably be expected to bear on their own.
The Government of Canada will continue to work closely with the Government of the Northwest Territories to respond to and recover better from disastrous events brought on by climate change.
