Yellowknife

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.

A blue-green algae bloom in Yellowknife Bay sparked worry for people's dogs. Here's what an aquatic quality scientist and a veterinarian have to say about it.

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) has issued heat warnings for Yellowknife and many communities in the South Slave, Sahtu and Beaufort Delta regions — where day time temperatures near 30 C and overnight lows near 20 C are expected in the coming days. People are urged to seek out air conditioned spaces to seek relief.

Usually found in marshy areas of Alberta, the bird has occasionally been spotted in more southern N.W.T. communities. Last week, one crossed a stretch of the Arctic ocean and found itself in Ulukhaktok, astonishing birders who say it's never been spotted so far north.

An airline crew flying into Yellowknife a few weeks ago reported seeing some unidentified high-altitude lights near the airport — apparently leaving both the crew on board and air traffic controllers on the ground perplexed.

Despite the negativity toward using and selling fur, Indigenous people say fur can be a sustainable, respectful and even luxurious material for clothing, accessories and art.