Wildfire at Fort Good Hope forces Dene National Assembly move to Dettah

Administration building in Dettah. (CKLB file photo)

The 54th Dene National Assembly will now meet in Dettah later this month, forced to change due to the impacts of the ongoing wildfires at Fort Good Hope.

Chief Gerry Cheezie speaks at the 1978 Dene National Assembly in Tulita. (NWT Archives/Rene Fumoleau)

Dettah will now host the event on July 23 to 25, 2024 at the Chief Drygeese Centre, the leadership team announced this morning.

The election for Dene National Chief will take place on July 24, 2024. Voting will take place both in person and online.

Fort Good Hope has been under an evacuation order since June 15. A wildfire fighting helicopter crashed on Friday at the airport. The fate of the pilot has not been officially released.

The community is under stress, but the fire was held at the community boundary.

The VQ001 fire is still out of control and there is no suggestion as to when residents will be able to return home.

Dene National Assemblies are held annually in different communities in Denendeh.

The Dene National Assemblies traditionally convene each summer in July, hosted in different communities within the five regions of Denendeh.