Of the many challenges the territorial government faces following 2023's wildfire evacuation, rebuilding trust with the public seems to be its biggest.

Transitional Solutions Inc. (TSI), an Edmonton-based consulting firm, was hired to conduct an after-action review on how the GNWT handled everything that year. A technical briefing involving the authors of the report was held Wednesday afternoon with the report released publicly shortly thereafter.

No GNWT spokesperson was available in person during the briefing to answer to that claim, but Premier R.J. Simpson and Municipal and Community Affairs Minister Vince McKay issued statements about the report's findings shortly before an embargo on the report was lifted on Wednesday afternoon.

Simpson stated that he understands it was a distressing time for everyone involved and that the review gives the GNWT the lessons it needs to take forward.

"The GNWT has already taken action in many of the areas identified in the report," he stated. "We will now take the time to study all of the recommendations closely, and weSA国际影视传媒檒l continue working in partnership with Indigenous and community governments to strengthen emergency preparedness and response in the territory."

McKay stated that the GNWT has updated the NWT Emergency Plan to clarify roles and responsibilities and implemented new training across the public service.

He also stated the GNWT is working with community governments to update local emergency plans, building surge capacity across departments, and collaborating with Indigenous governments through the Council of Leaders.

"Many of the reportSA国际影视传媒檚 findings reinforce the direction weSA国际影视传媒檝e already taken, and weSA国际影视传媒檒l continue reviewing the recommendations to determine where further action is needed," he said.

The release also indicated the territorial government is preparing a formal response to the reportSA国际影视传媒檚 recommendations, which it stated will be released this summer, and that there would be no further comment about the report until the response is published.

The review identifies a lack of trust in the territorial government as one of the key challenges.

"Many citizens expressed feelings of abandonment, confusion, and long-term trauma from the events. Engagement revealed this was partly due to a lack of clarity in communication, limited transparency in decision-making and response times that exceeded operational expectations in some regions," the review states.

The assessment also notes that building trust will be the most challenging outcome of this report.

Trust in the GNWT was apparently so low during TSI's review process that the firm noted participants were reluctant at first to participate in it. That was until TSI explained its review was acting at arm's length from the territorial government. While TSI was conducting its review, it noted that some participants felt they could not speak freely about their experiences for fear of repercussions. 

Some cited that during previous reviews, GNWT officials called out members of the public for their opinions, the assessment reads.

"These are concerning and show low trust between the public and its territorial government," the review states.

TSI recommends that the GNWT rebuild public trust through better communication as one of its intermediate goals, estimating it would take about three to four years. For comparison, a short-term goal would be to create a GNWT-run emergency management agency and to engage with Indigenous governments as full partners. 

TSI estimated that would take up to a year.

"A dedicated territorial emergency management agency is essential to reduce fragmentation and provide comprehensive, wraparound support," the review reads.

Beyond poor communication with the public, the report also noted that there appeared to have been inadequate communication internally and with third parties.

"Many GNWT staff did not understand whether their role was essential and whether they were to work remotely or not," the assessment reads. "This led to what people referred to as 'evac-ations' during engagement."

Other participants told TSI they did not trust information the GNWT provided during evacuation. One person was quoted as saying: "Frankly, I received better information from family and friends than I did from the government."

There was also no coordinated communication strategy between the GNWT and community-based organizations, the report added, despite a number of organizations who were prepared and willing to help.

"We were not partners to the government to help people impacted by these events. We could have done more if they had just asked," a quote from an unnamed not-for-profit leader in the report reads.