Yellowknife journalists work overtime to keep community updated during evacuations

Among thousands of people forced from their homes in the Northwest Territories, there are a handful of journalists who have taken working remotely to the extreme.

Among the thousands of people forced from their homes in the Northwest Territories, there are a handful of journalists who have taken working remotely to the extreme.

Ollie Williams and the team at Cabin Radio in Yellowknife have been keeping their audience informed with 24-hour live updates, despite being among those displaced by the 236 wildfires burning in the region.

"This is what I want to be doing, is getting information to people in a time of crisis and getting them to safety," Williams said. "There can't be a higher calling than that for a journalist and whatever we're able to do, we want to do it."

Cabin Radio is an independent media outlet in Yellowknife. Operated by five locals, it offers news, entertainment and music through its website and 24-hour online radio station.

Williams worked for the BBC for 10 years before moving to Yellowknife. He said the station started around six years ago when he and his fellow founders saw a gap in local news and entertainment.

"We worked very hard through the COVID pandemic to keep people informed in Yellowknife and the Northwest Territories," he said. "I was just looking forward to maybe having a nice, quiet 2023 with some slightly later wake-up calls."

"Then this week happened."