The fonds consists of records created and used by Timothy (Tim) Garrish while flying in the NWT as a bush pilot for more than four decades. The records date primarily from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. The records largely document Garrish’s roles as a bush pilot, as a check pilot doing fire suppression work (forest fire fighting), and as the owner of a small air charter service.

The fonds was put into artificial series by the archivist based on record type: textual records, photographs, maps, and videos.

This fonds consists of records generated by Policy and Planning Division, Community Works and Capital Planning Division, Lands Division, Sport and Recreation Division, Community Planning and Lands Division, Community Governance, the Directorate, Public Safety and the Corporate Services Division of the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. The files from the Policy and Planning Division relate to Devolution, Privatization, Resource Community Policy, Resource Development Policy, Local Government Priorities, Assistant Deputy Minister (ADMS) Coordinating Committee, Ministers Speeches, as well as, Minister's Tours of the Baffin, Kitikmeot, Keewatin and Mackenzie Delta Regions.

The material from the Community Planning and Lands Division and Community Governance date from 1953-2012 and includes minutes and files from the following Committees: Land Use Advisory Committee, Senior Management Committee, Land Review Committee, Land Claims Working Group, Land Information System Working Group and the Federal/Territorial Land Committee. There includes files related to the Land Claims Working Group, self government negotiations and service to Status Indians. There is substantial documentation regarding MACA's responsibilities and efforts in Land Claims work, including a small number of cartographic records (Norman Wells only). In addition, there are various files relating to departmental acts/regulations, policies and procedures, and planning files. Also included are Annual Workplans for Community Planning (1986-1994); minutes of Community Planners Meetings (1986-1993); Annual reports re: Monitoring of the Planning Act (1990-1993) and the Lands division; copies of various policy and procedures manuals related to Community Planning; a set of completed surveys related to Solid Waste Disposal; records related to standards and criteria for capital planning, review and revisions to the water and sewage subsidy program. There is also a small group of community planning records and maps for Pond Inlet from 1987-1990. Other community planning records and maps relate to the Beaufort Delta region and the South Slave region. There are also operational evaluations of communities in the Beaufort Delta region. Records of a 2007 Lands Conference on the New Deal are also included.

The records from the Directorate date between 1988-2011 and consist primarily of manual, policy binders, handbooks and reports. The record include handbooks and manuals related to management of water and sanitation services, formula financing for communities, land administration training, municipal works training, local government manuals and treatment and handling of hazardous waste material, records relating to real estate licensing and the review of the territorial lottery process. Also included are transcripts of interviews with residents of Fort Rae, organizational charts for the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and strategic planning documents for the department from 1989-1990, a service contract for Nunavut, and records relating to resource development. In addition, there are reports to the Directorate from the divisions, issue files, Social Agenda files, briefing notes, Senior Management Committee records, and Minister Responsible for Youth, Deputy Minister and Ministerial Chronos.

The records from the Corporate Affairs or Corporate Services Division date from 1977-2013 and relate to emergency measures, Community Empowerment, Municipal Community Assistance Program (MCAP), a 1995 Ministers of Local Government Conference and conference hosted by MACA and the NWT Association of Municipalities, Government of the Northwest Territories Steering Committee-Pine Point, aboriginal claims and briefing notes from the 1st Session, 7th Session and 8th Session of the Legislative Assembly. There are files concerning the delivery of the community development fund and a legislative proposal to amend the Municipal Statutes Act, as well as user pay/user say initiatives. In addition, there are files from the regional office in Inuvik related to the department's involvement with the Arctic Winter Games, policy and guidelines for the Fitness Leadership Certification Program, workshop material about the Staff and Volunteer Training Program, a copy of an organizational planning tool that was produced by the department and disseminated during workshops hosted by MACA, as well as memorandum of Understanding with Arctic College concerning the Recreation Leaders Program. In addition, there are student education plans and evaluations for the Recreation Leaders Program. Records also include decision papers, legislation files related to the Area Development Act and the Municipal Statutes Amending Act, and reports on conferences.

The records from the Surveys and Mapping Division date from 1987 and relate to a review of the division.

The records from the Sport and Recreation Division date from 1978 to 2007 and include training materials for communities to develop effective recreation committies and records related to recration facility development including community based project files and policy binders. Records also include meeting minutes from 2006-2007.

Records from the Fort Smith Regional Office consist of trip reports to communities conducted by MACA staff as well as training initiatives being delivered by the Department.

Records from the North Slave Regional Office consist of meeting notes, planning documents, and correspondence relating to a functional review of regional operations, as well as correspondence and a presentation relating to a strategic planning workshop.

From the Public Safety division, there are planning and committee records relating to emergency response, search and rescue, forest fire fighting, disaster assistance, safety and preparedness, as well as Memoranda of Understanding with other agencies in relation to emergency response, and lottery licensing guidelines and Hamlet of Paulatuk Lottery Licensing Bylaw. Also included are assessment appeal tribunal files and a file related to legal gambling in the NWT. From the Public Safety division's Office of the Fire Marshal, there are fire fighting training course materials as well as files related to amendments to the Fire Prevention Act.

Records from the Community Development division relate to municipal land selection and land implementation, community transfer initiatives, and community based planning.

There are also reports related to taxation, community planning and financing municipal government.

Records include reports relating to sport, youth, and drinking water, as well as an annual report from the Office of the Fire Marshal. Also included are communications in the form of interdepartmental and external newsletters, as well as pre-flood season communication documents, a program backgrounder and outline, and a Returning Officer's Manual.

The accession consists of the Forest Fire Management in the Northwest Territories Public Discussion Paper prepared by the Department of Renewable Resources in January 1990.

Records include a legislation file related to the review of the Fire Prevention Act, a Policy & Procedures file related to Inspection Reports and Fire Marshal's Order forms, and monthly reports of the Fire Marshal for 1993-1995. The reports are mostly statistical in nature, but some include personal information in narrative form. Some of the reports are by region (Keewatin, Inuvik, Baffin, Kitikmeot, Headquarters (HQ)).

This accession consists of three posters created by the Northwest Lands and Forests Service. The posters featuring the mascot Tuktu and promote fire prevention.

The accession consists of a binder on Fireline Organization created by the Northwest Lands and Forest Service, revised in 1975, and presumably also used by the Northwest Territories Department of Renewable Resources once responsibility for forestry was transferred from the Federal government in 1987.

The fonds consists of records created by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Lands and Forest Service prior to responsibility for forests being transferred to the territorial government in 1987.

The records include a forest inventory of the Slave River Valley, a binder on Fireline Organization, and fire prevention posters featuring the mascot Tuktu.

Records include signed Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with Aurora College and with the NWT Association of Municipalities, records related to the CORE Fire Training Program, and reporting related to training for Community Administrators and Senior Administrative Officers, respectively.

Records date from 1985-1996 and include NWT annual forest fire operations reports, reports on recommendations pertaining to fire management on the winter and forested ranges of the barren-ground, Beverly and Qamanirjuaq herds of caribou, as well as an evaluation and summary of the transfer of fire and forest management from the Department of Indian and Northern Affairs to the GNWT. The majority of the files consist of project reports that were prepared by Peat Marwick Stevenson and Kellog for the GNWT related to forest and fire management practices and policies.

This accession consists of a binder on a fire ecology camp for youth run by the Forest Management Division of the Department of Resources, Wildlife and Economic Development. The binder includes job descriptions, information sheets, camp proposal, maps, correspondence with the Lutselk'e Band, service contracts, activities, schedules, activities sheets and forms, written reports, video outline, posters from previous years, background reference information, media contacts and letters, and a final report.

This accession consists of excerpts from the Department of Renewable Resources Operations Manual on Forest Fire Response - Protection of Communities from Forest Fires, including a sample Community Forest Fire Management Agreement.

Records date from 1999-2004 and consist of 2 published pamphlets: one on fire prevention in public buildings, and one on technical evaluations of facilities. Also included is a published guide, covering engineering practices in water and sewer systems.

Records date from 1971-[1979] and cover annual fire loss reports of the Chief of Safety, as well as informational brochures on public safety topics such as fire, poison, home and industrial safety, with accompanying illustrations.

This accession consists of records relating to research on forest fires created and compiled by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development Northern Affairs Program. The records include research papers and articles, reports, meeting materials, publications list, an aerial photograph, and correspondence.

This fonds consists of 374 images comprised of 167 colour slides, 115 colour photograph prints, 5 colour negatives (duplicates corresponding to 5 of the 115 prints in N-2009-006) and 87 b&w negatives. The photographs, taken by Foster, document several NWT communities in the 1970s and 80s, including Snare Lake (Wekweti), Holman, Fort Smith and Lac La Marte (Whati). There are also photographs from what is now Nunavut, including Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet, Lake Harbour (Kimmirut), and an outpost camp just outside Lake Harbour (Kimmirut). There are are 106 print photographs that document changes in Yellowknife's downtown core from 1978 - 2001. There are also several photographs from the Beaufort Sea which were taken while Foster was evaluating the impact of off-shore drilling on the nearby communities. Also included are nine colour photographs of the Lupin and Polaris mines at Resolute Bay, taken in 1980. Overall themes include mining, firefighting and fires, oil and gas exploration, community life, housing, fishing, aerial shots of communities, recovery of a float plane from Back Bay, the 1988 Yellowknife air show, tundra and foliage, and the 1972 solar eclipse in Rankin Inlet.

This accession consists of two oversize cloth public notices. One warns of the dangers of forest fires; the text is in Tlicho and written in syllabics. The second identifies a native hunting and trapping preserve. An annotation on the front indicates that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) schooner the "St. Roch" may have located this notice in 1944. On the back there is an annotation: "Robert G. Fulton and Gerald Klondike Helicopters on Board M.V. Theta [1931?] Calgary Alberta."

This fonds consists of 132 colour slides of Camp Canol. Included in the images are winter and summer scenes, views of buildings and equipment, and scenes of the camp being burned.