{"id":{"repo_id":"royalroads","oai_identifier":"oai:null:10613/28922"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/royalroads/oai:null:10613/28922","repository":{"repo_id":"royalroads","name":"Royal Roads University","base_url":"https://www.viurrspace.ca/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Indigenous Language Inclusion in Emergency Communications: A Case Study of the 2023 Yellowknife Wildfire Evacuation","abstract":"This thesis evaluates the exclusion of Indigenous languages from emergency communication during the 2023 North Slave Complex wildfires and examines the implications for reconciliation and public safety. Despite the Government of the Northwest Territories’ recognition of nine Indigenous languages, all alerts were issued only in English and French. Using a decolonizing policy analysis informed by cultural safety theory (Papps & Ramsden, 1996; Smith, 1999) and resilience engineering (Hollnagel et al., 2011), this study analyzes government records obtained through Freedom of Information requests, policy documents, and media coverage. Findings demonstrate systemic barriers that continue to marginalize Indigenous language speakers during crises, increasing their vulnerability. Comparative case studies from Nunavut, Alaska, Hawaii, and Aotearoa New Zealand illustrate practical models for Indigenous language integration. Policy recommendations are proposed to strengthen reconciliation through legislative reform, infrastructure investment, and Indigenous-led governance. This research contributes to scholarship by showing that linguistic exclusion in emergency management is not only a public safety failure but also a continuation of colonial inequities (Tuck & Yang, 2012; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015).","abstract_html":"This thesis evaluates the exclusion of Indigenous languages from emergency communication during the 2023 North Slave Complex wildfires and examines the implications for reconciliation and public safety. Despite the Government of the Northwest Territories’ recognition of nine Indigenous languages, all alerts were issued only in English and French. Using a decolonizing policy analysis informed by cultural safety theory (Papps & Ramsden, 1996; Smith, 1999) and resilience engineering (Hollnagel et al., 2011), this study analyzes government records obtained through Freedom of Information requests, policy documents, and media coverage. Findings demonstrate systemic barriers that continue to marginalize Indigenous language speakers during crises, increasing their vulnerability. Comparative case studies from Nunavut, Alaska, Hawaii, and Aotearoa New Zealand illustrate practical models for Indigenous language integration. Policy recommendations are proposed to strengthen reconciliation through legislative reform, infrastructure investment, and Indigenous-led governance. This research contributes to scholarship by showing that linguistic exclusion in emergency management is not only a public safety failure but also a continuation of colonial inequities (Tuck & Yang, 2012; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015).","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wilson, Sara"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Pete, Shauneen"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025","date_published":"2025","updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:48:36Z","subjects":["School of communication and culture"],"languages":["en_US"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20486"],"render_values":[{"text":"https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20486","href":"https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20486","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/10613/28922","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Pete, Shauneen"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wilson, Sara"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-10-02T01:08:50Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-10-02T01:08:50Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["School of communication and culture"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_US"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/10613/28922","https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20486"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["2025"]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This thesis evaluates the exclusion of Indigenous languages from emergency communication during the 2023 North Slave Complex wildfires and examines the implications for reconciliation and public safety. Despite the Government of the Northwest Territories’ recognition of nine Indigenous languages, all alerts were issued only in English and French. Using a decolonizing policy analysis informed by cultural safety theory (Papps & Ramsden, 1996; Smith, 1999) and resilience engineering (Hollnagel et al., 2011), this study analyzes government records obtained through Freedom of Information requests, policy documents, and media coverage. Findings demonstrate systemic barriers that continue to marginalize Indigenous language speakers during crises, increasing their vulnerability. Comparative case studies from Nunavut, Alaska, Hawaii, and Aotearoa New Zealand illustrate practical models for Indigenous language integration. Policy recommendations are proposed to strengthen reconciliation through legislative reform, infrastructure investment, and Indigenous-led governance. This research contributes to scholarship by showing that linguistic exclusion in emergency management is not only a public safety failure but also a continuation of colonial inequities (Tuck & Yang, 2012; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015)."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Indigenous Language Inclusion in Emergency Communications: A Case Study of the 2023 Yellowknife Wildfire Evacuation"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Pete, Shauneen"],"dc:creator":["Wilson, Sara"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-10-02T01:08:50Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-10-02T01:08:50Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025"],"dc:description":["2025"],"dc:description.abstract":["This thesis evaluates the exclusion of Indigenous languages from emergency communication during the 2023 North Slave Complex wildfires and examines the implications for reconciliation and public safety. Despite the Government of the Northwest Territories’ recognition of nine Indigenous languages, all alerts were issued only in English and French. Using a decolonizing policy analysis informed by cultural safety theory (Papps & Ramsden, 1996; Smith, 1999) and resilience engineering (Hollnagel et al., 2011), this study analyzes government records obtained through Freedom of Information requests, policy documents, and media coverage. Findings demonstrate systemic barriers that continue to marginalize Indigenous language speakers during crises, increasing their vulnerability. Comparative case studies from Nunavut, Alaska, Hawaii, and Aotearoa New Zealand illustrate practical models for Indigenous language integration. Policy recommendations are proposed to strengthen reconciliation through legislative reform, infrastructure investment, and Indigenous-led governance. This research contributes to scholarship by showing that linguistic exclusion in emergency management is not only a public safety failure but also a continuation of colonial inequities (Tuck & Yang, 2012; Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015)."],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/10613/28922","https://doi.org/10.25316/IR-20486"],"dc:language.iso":["en_US"],"dc:subject":["School of communication and culture"],"dc:title":["Indigenous Language Inclusion in Emergency Communications: A Case Study of the 2023 Yellowknife Wildfire Evacuation"],"dc:type":["Thesis"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-27T20:48:36Z"}