YELLOWKNIFE, CAPITAL OF THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

 

Yellowknife, the largest community in the Northwest Territories, lies on the west shore of Yellowknife Bay, a narrow inlet on the north shore of Great Slave Lake into which flows the Yellowknife River.  Situated 960 km by air north of Edmonton and 440 km by air south of the Arctic Circle, the town lies in the lake-strewn Precambrian Shield.  The bluffs and outcrops which form the main topographical character of the area include the most ancient rocks known on earth.  In the Yellowknife area, patches of permafrost are found a few centimeters below moss and muskeg in summer.  Scrub forest composed mainly of jackpine and black spruce grows in this region, as well as birch trees and occasional groves of poplar.

 

Climate:

Warm clear days fill the summer from early June to early September, with the July mean high temperature of 20.4C and a low of 11.3C.  Late August often has a few rainy days, but the total annual precipitation is approximately 143.5 mm.  The mean high January temperature is -23.4 C, and the low B32.0C.  Winter lasts from late October to April.  Spring and summer are characterized by extremely long periods of daylight, two months of which have 22 hours of sunlight per day with bright twilight for the remaining two hours.

 

Historical Background:

The first use of the term Yellowknife appears in the Journal of Samuel Hearne of the Hudson=s Bay Company, who passed through the area B the country of the Yellowknife Indians B 1771 en route to the Arctic Coast.  The name Yellowknife is a misnomer; the true translation of the Indian term is ACopperknife@, derived from the fact that the Indians used tools made of copper.  Yellowknife is named after the Yellowknife Dene who moved into the area in the early 1800=s.

 

Flanked by some of the richest gold deposits in Canada, Yellowknife first came into prominence with the gold strike in 1934.  The first boom lasted until 1939 during which the population climbed to 2,300.  Another boom hit the area in 1944 with reports of new discoveries.  With this second boom it became evident that the townsite, on a rocky promontory joined to the north shore by an isthmus one quarter of a mile long, was unsuitable for expansion.  In 1945 plans were made for a new townsite about one kilometer inland, and by 1947 an extensive building program was underway including the construction of a water and sewer system.  In 1948 the Northwest Territories Power Commission, known since 1988 as the NWT Power Corporation, completed a large hydro-electric plant of 8,350 H.P. on the Snare River about 144 km northwest of Yellowknife, to supplement the 4,700 H.P. plant built by the Consolidated Mining and Smelting Company on the Yellowknife River about 24 km north of the town.  The capacity of the Snare River plant was increased substantially in 1960 with the construction of a 9,200 H.P. development at Snare Falls, some 16 km downstream from the existing plant.

 

In the summer of 1953 Yellowknife became a municipal district and elected its first mayor.  Administration is now provided by a Council comprising of a mayor and eight councillors.  On January 1, 1970, Yellowknife became the first and only city in the Northwest Territories.


 

Speaking in Yellowknife on January 18, 1967, the Honourable Arthur Laing, Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development, named Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories effective May 1, 1967.  The Commissioner of the Northwest Territories moved to Yellowknife with his immediate staff in September 1967, and more personnel followed as the territorial government absorbed functions previously handled by the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development.

 

Currently Yellowknife is experiencing another boom with the discovery of diamonds at Lac de Gras.  On October 14, 1998, BHP opened Canada=s first diamond mine. Ekati Diamond Mine is located about 300 km northeast of Yellowknife. 

 

Diavik Diamond Mines Inc. (DDMI) is also working on opening a second diamond mine in the Lac de Gras area.  Diavik=s submission of the Project Description and permit and licence applications in March of 1998 officially triggered a Comprehensive Study of the project under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act.  Diavik will not begin mine construction until they have obtained both government and investor approval.  The Diavik Diamonds Project is a joint venture between Diavik Diamond Mines Inc (60%) of Yellowknife and Aber Resources Ltd. (40%) of Vancouver.  DDMI is a subsidiary of Rio Tinto plc of London, England.

 

Population:

17,275

 

Facilities:

Yellowknife is well serviced by two arenas, a curling rink, swimming pool, private squash club, bowling alley, 18-hole golf course, mini golf, tennis courts, fitness clubs, beaches, walking trails, cross-country ski trails and ski club, parks, playgrounds and both softball and fastball diamonds.  A variety of clubs and organizations also exist, including Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, the Elks Club and Cadets, just to name a few.  Of course, Yellowknife is also surrounded by thousands of kilometres of wide-open spaces for snowmobiling, snowshoeing, dog sledding, camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. 

 

On the cultural side, there is a three-screen movie theatre, a performing arts theatre, a heritage centre and a variety of art galleries and shops.  Music and the arts thrive at a variety of festivals that celebrate the diversity of Northern talent, including Folk on the Rocks and the Festival of the Midnight Sun.  In winter, the Canadian Championship Dog Derby and Caribou Carnival are fun-filled and uniquely northern celebrations.

 


For shopping, there are a large number of stores offering an extensive selection of goods.  In fact, Yellowknife has undergone a significant retail boom as a number of large, national chains have moved into town, including Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, SAAN, Shopper=s Drug Mart, Extra Foods, Bata, Mark=s Work Warehouse and Northern Reflections.  These chains, combined with Yellowknife=s more traditional specialty shops and boutiques, give Yellowknifers excellent shopping facilities, both in the downtown core and the Frame Lake subdivision.

 

There are two large grocery chains, Extra Foods and the Co-op, as well as a number of small, privately-owned food stores.  The average cost of a nutritious diet for a family of four ranges from $147  to $167 per week.

 

For restaurants, Yellowknife has recently become home to a number of nationally known restaurants and fast food chains, including Pizza Hut, McDonalds, Boston Pizza, A&W and Dominos.  As well, there is a selection of local choices offering everything from gourmet dining to many international favourites.  Delicious Northern delicacies such as musk ox, caribou and Arctic char are served by  many restaurants.

 

There are two newspapers published every week in Yellowknife, News North (Mondays), and The Yellowknifer (Wednesday and Friday), which, in addition to news, shopping information, local events and other classifieds, lists the various local organizations, from Camera Clubs and Cross-Country Ski Clubs, to Yacht Clubs and Church organizations.

 

There are three stations serving radio listeners in Yellowknife:  CBC, an aboriginal broadcaster and a privately-owned commercial station.

 

Education:

There are ten schools in Yellowknife B eight elementary schools, serving grades K-8, and two secondary schools, serving grades 9-12.  These schools are administered by the Public and Catholic School Boards.  The seven Public schools are operating at between 64% and 84% of overall capacity, while the three Catholic schools are at capacity.  Yellowknife has one French-language elementary school, while two others offer French immersion programs.  Most of the schools are modern and well-equipped, and many also function as community and recreation centres.  There are also a large number of day care centres and play schools.

 

Aurora College offers a variety of post-secondary and continuing education courses at its large Yellowknife campus.  Courses include: management studies, teacher education, legal secretary, travel counsellor and nursing.  The City of Yellowknife and a number of private businesses also offer courses in everything from computers to oil painting.

 

Health:

The Stanton Regional Hospital, opened in 1988, is a state-of-the-art facility that functions as a regional referral hospital for the Western Arctic.  A 103-bed facility, it also includes a medical day care unit with four beds and s surgical day care unit with ten beds.  Stanton offers health care through a variety of programs, including general surgery, radiology, internal medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics and psychiatry. 

 

There are also senior citizens residences: the Aven Manor, a non-profit long-term care facility, Aven Court, independent seniors= housing, and the Mary Murphy Seniors= Residence for seniors who are able to live independently.


 

There are four dental clinics with a number of dental therapists, dentists, orthodontists and visiting periodonists and endodontists.  The dental clinics are all modern and technologically advances.

 

Transportation:

Yellowknife=s long and fabled aviation history began with the heroic and legendary bush pilots who made early journeys in the North on mail runs, search and rescues, aerial surveys and prospecting missions.  Ward Air, Max Ward=s famous airline, was started in Yellowknife when he moved here after the Second World War.

 

While flying does remain the quickest and most common means of travel to Yellowknife, you can also drive in and out on the Mackenzie Highway, an all-weather paved and gravel road that stretches past the Alberta border.  The drive from Yellowknife to Edmonton is 1,518 kilometres, takes from 18-22 hours and requires crossing the Mackenzie River at Fort Providence.  For those who would rather fly, there are over 35 scheduled flights a week from Yellowknife to Edmonton.  The major airlines serving the North are First Air and Canadian North. 

 

Mining:

Yellowknife is home to two major gold producing mines, the Miramar (Con) Mine and Royal Oak (Giant) Mine.  It also services the Ekati Diamond Mine at Lac de Gras.

 

Tourism:

The Prince of Wales museum and the Northern Frontier Visitors= Centre are well worth a visit.  Many visitors come during the winter to observe the Aurora Borealis.  Outfitters and tour companies offer a variety of packages to see the ANorthern Lights@ which are best observed from September on through the winter.  Fishing, hunting or photagraphy guiding tours are also very popular.

 

General:

A small city by some standards, Yellowknife continues to grow and evolve.  Yellowknife has twice been recognized as one of the top ten places to live in Canada by national surveys.

 

 

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