Yellowknife

A black bear was killed by wildlife officers after it wandered into Yellowknife's Northlands neighbourhood late Sunday night. Officers tried to haze the bear away with vehicles and loud noises, but it was not afraid and could not be driven off.

Swimming, wading, and shoreline play are temporarily restricted at Fred Henne Territorial Park in Yellowknife after routine testing found elevated bacteria levels, including E. coli, in the main beach water. Officials say the closure is precautionary and no illnesses have been reported.

Evacuees from Fort Simpson staying at Yellowknife’s Multiplex say a heat wave and constant lighting are making it difficult to sleep. The city has ordered portable cooling units to help lower temperatures in the emergency shelter.

Higher moisture across the Northwest Territories has created more breeding habitat for mosquitoes, and residents around Yellowknife are noticing more bites than usual. An entomologist says the increase is consistent with wetter conditions, though West Nile virus has not yet been reported in the territory.

Colder-than-average temperatures across the Northwest Territories helped winter and ice roads open earlier and remain in service later than usual, according to territorial infrastructure officials. In Yellowknife, winter averaged −26.9°C, and several key routes closed after their typical mid-April dates.

The Government of the Northwest Territories confirmed avian influenza (H5 strain) in two common ravens in Yellowknife during routine wildlife monitoring. Officials said the cases appear isolated and advised the public and hunters to avoid handling dead birds and to follow hygiene and food-safety precautions.

After an unusually warm fall, Yellowknife, N.W.T., is experiencing one of the coldest winters this century, with 68 days below -30°C, nearly double the typical count, catching residents off guard and straining local shelters.

Elevated lead levels were found in drinking water fixtures at Mildred Hall School in Yellowknife, the fourth Yellowknife school to test positive this year. The N.W.T. government will fund alternate drinking water for any territorial school while testing and remediation continue.

Wildfire smoke drove air quality in Yellowknife to high-risk levels, prompting Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Kami Kandola to issue an advisory urging residents to limit outdoor activity and take health precautions. The advisory highlights vulnerable groups and directs people to the Air Quality Health Index for up-to-date information.

Testing found lead above Health Canada’s limit in several classroom sinks at N.J. Macpherson School in Yellowknife, the third city school affected. The N.W.T. chief public health officer ordered daily flushing and alternate drinking water while fixes are pursued.

Residents reported an unknown black streak in the waters of Great Slave Lake near Mosher Island; Fisheries and Oceans Canada confirmed it is likely ash, posing no risk to drinking water or wildlife.

Dense wildfire smoke has prompted air quality advisories across several Northwest Territories communities, leading to health warnings and the opening of clean-air shelters in Yellowknife and Fort Providence.

Smoke drifting into Yellowknife on May 29, 2025, mainly originated from wildfires in Alberta, with additional smoke forecast from northern British Columbia, according to FireSmoke Canada projections.

A small fire broke out at the Yellowknife landfill on April 22, likely ignited by improperly disposed electronics, but was quickly extinguished by city staff and the Yellowknife Fire Division.

The Yellowknives Dene Chief criticizes Canada's handling of contaminated sites in the North, highlighting a lack of reconciliation and proper management, as an auditor's report calls for better inclusion of Indigenous peoples and long-term care plans.

Yellowknife encountered unusual weather with freezing rain and temperatures around -1°C, despite average late January temperatures being around -20°C.

A wolf expert commended a Yellowknife woman for her response during a typical encounter with a pack of wolves, advising caution and proper behavior in such situations. "I had hiking poles and I started banging them together and I'm just like 'hey, hey, hey.' I know sometimes dogs respond to deeper voices, so I put my best deep voice on. I started yelling at them."

The N.W.T. Department of Environment and Climate Change has warned anyone using trails north of Yellowknife to use "extreme caution" after wildlife officers reported a pack of wolves stalking a hiker and their dogs in the area on Saturday.

Wildfires in the N.W.T have emitted 97 megatonnes of carbon into the air so far this year according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. That's 277 times more than what was caused by humans in the territory back in 2021.

Canadian fire crews on Thursday battled to prevent wildfires from reaching the northern city of Yellowknife, where all 20,000 residents are leaving by car and plane after an evacuation order was declared.