Resources for people affected by wildfires in the Northwest Territories

If you or someone you care about has been directly or indirectly impacted by the wildfires in the Northwest Territories, the resources below may be helpful to support your mental health and wellness. These services are free and confidential.

Wellness Together Canada Resources

These resources are available 24/7 with no appointment required. 

Talk with a counsellor

Wellness Together Canada offers free, private and confidential counselling support for youth and adults. Counselling support is provided by a professional counsellor. Learn more about this service on our Talk page. 

To access: Call 1-866-585-0445 

Indigenous peoples can also connect with experienced and culturally competent counsellors through the Hope for Wellness Helpline. 

To access: Call 1-855-242-3310 or chat online through the Hope for Wellness Helpline.

Connect with a community of support

You do not have to go through this alone. Wellness Together Canada offers communities of support for mental health and substance use health. Communities of support offer a safe space to talk with people who can understand where you’re coming from. 

Track your wellness

If you have the time and energy, you may want to take a moment to track and reflect on your well-being. This can help you identify supports that may help you through this difficult time. Create an account to complete a self-assessment and view your mental health and wellness trends over time. 

Learn 

On Wellness Together Canada, you can browse free articles, videos and more using our resource selector. Here are some resources that may be of interest to you during this time: 

• Coping with Stress: an article exploring stress and summarizing available resources and steps you can take for managing your stress as well as supporting someone going through a stressful time.

• Managing Worry: an article exploring feelings of worry and summarizing available resources for managing them. Some of these resources include immediate exercises for worry. 

• Climate Change: Coping with Difficult Emotions: an article that explores climate anxiety and climate grief as well as ways to cope with these emotions. 

• Understanding Anxiety and Worry Program: a short introductory course exploring how to recognize anxiety and worry in addition to coping strategies to help you calm down when feeling overwhelmed.

Supports and services available through the Government of Northwest Territories

Mental health and substance use health

For information about mental wellness services in the Northwest Territories, you can visit the Government of Northwest Territories’ Health and Social Services Mental Wellness and Addictions Recovery webpage. This includes information on how to access: 

• help lines; 

• online supports; 

• facility-based addictions treatment; and, 

• community-based supports.  

General services and supports

As the impacts of the wildfires continue, you can access the most up-to-date information about services and supports available through the Government of Northwest Territories through its Services and Supports page, which includes information about the following: 

• Supply services available in Yellowknife; 

• Health services for evacuees;

• School updates;

• Mental health supports; 

• Child and family services;

• Program and service updates; 

• Supports and services available through Service Canada; and, 

• Services for pets of evacuees.