NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: community resilience, women's health, Yellowknife, wildfire

Objective(s): This study is interested in learning about how staff and service-users from a community-based organization in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories experienced the 2023 wildfires, evacuation and return home. This research is being done in collaboration with the Yellowknife Women’s Society (YKWS) and is expected to support the development of an emergency preparedness plan for the YKWS, as well as other community-based organizations involved.

Project Description: This licence has been issued for the scientific research application No. 5979. This study is interested in learning about how staff and service-users from community-based organization in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories experienced the 2023 wildfires, evacuation and return home. The team will capture these voices through interviews and discussion groups with staff and service-users. This research is being done in collaboration with the Yellowknife Women’s Society (YKWS). The YKWS is currently in need of an organizational emergency preparedness plan. This research is expected to support the development of this plan for the YKWS, as well as other community-based organizations involved. This research may contribute to emergency preparedness planning in Yellowknife, and the NWT more broadly. Finally, this research highlights voices and experiences of equity-deserving groups in wildfire evacuation and recovery has been identified as a gap in the literature, it is expected this research will contribute to filling this gap. Qualitative Research Community partners and relationship building: The PI has been collaborating with YKWS on this research project and supporting them with the development of their emergency plan for their organization. Recruitment: YKWS will distribute the email script and flyers to community organizations identified (Salvation Army and YWCA) to recruit staff and service-users. Interested participants will reach out to Tasha Lake, to learn about the project, answer any questions they have regarding participation and provide information about participant in either an interview or a discussion group. Data Collection: Interviews (in person when possible) will be conducted by Tasha Lake with staff, and offer to service-users who wish to participate in the project, but not in the discussion group. Interviews will be approximately 30-60 minutes. Discussion group will be held at either YKWS, or in at the site of the participating organization. Discussion group will be approximately 1-2 hours. Snacks will be provided. Support from YKWS in house Elder will be available. Graphic recording of the discussion group will be arranged. Questions for both interviews and discussion group will be related to experiences of evacuation and the return home to Yellowknife in summer 2023 wildfire evacuation. Research development: The PI has been collaborating with YKWS Research participation: Community organizations will be invited to participate in the research Dissemination: A final report will be shared with YKWS and participating community organizations, and made available to other organizations, and levels of Government who may wish to have access. We hope this is support their future emergency planning. Research will be part of Tasha Lakes Ph.D dissertation. Opportunities for presentations and publications have been discussed with YKWS The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from: September 19 - December 31, 2024