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Trudeau visits Yellowknife during tour of wildfire areas in Northwest Territories

YELLOWKNIFE — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is continuing his tour of the fire-ravaged Northwest Territories today in Yellowknife.

Trudeau is scheduled to make a housing announcement then attend a roundtable discussion with the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.

The capital’s 20,000 residents were forced out of their homes for three weeks in the summer due to an encroaching wildfire.

Flames didn’t enter the city but destroyed most buildings and homes in Enterprise, a hamlet of 100 people near Hay River.

Trudeau toured that area Wednesday, walking among burned-out homes and vehicles as he spoke with officials.

The territory saw nearly 70 per cent of its population displaced by wildfires and a record amount of land burned during the fire season.

News from © Canadian Press Enterprises Inc., 2021