‘I challenge everybody to shop locally for Christmas and help these guys out’Leaders in Hay River, N.W.T., say they’ll be lobbying the territorial and federal governments to find additional support for local businesses after a five-week evacuation due to wildfire. Hay River’s evacuation order lifted Saturday, allowing residents to return, though the town remains under an evacuation alert in case the nearby wildfire flares up again. In prior disasters, the town has been able to benefit from federal funding through the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor). Hay River senior administrative officer Glenn Smith said the town received about $1.5 million for its flooding last spring. “It’s just not enough to cover the costs that these businesses were incurring during a lengthy evacuation,” he said, adding Hay River businesses were impacted by multiple rent payments as one example of expenses.
