Smoke prevents Yellowknife from holding welcome home celebration

YELLOWKNIFE — Smoke has forced Yellowknife to cancel a celebration marking the return of residents to the city after a wildfires-prompted evacuation that lasted for weeks.

The Northwest Territories capital had planned a “Welcome Home” gathering on Saturday at Somba K’e Civic Plaza, featuring live music, bouncy castles and a shop-local contest.

But the city posted a notice on its website that due to poor air quality, the celebration has been cancelled due to safety concerns, although the shop-local promotion was still on.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued a special air-quality statement on Saturday for Yellowknife, saying “smoke is causing or expected to cause poor air quality and reduced visibility.”