Yellowknife

Yellowknife
Sǫ̀mbak'è
City
City of Yellowknife

Skyline of downtown Yellowknife

Flag

Coat of arms
Logo
Nickname(s): "YK", "The Knife", "The Blade"[1]
Motto: Multum In Parvo (in Latin) (English: Many things in a small place)
Yellowknife
Yellowknife
Coordinates: 62°26′32″N 114°23′51″W / 62.44222°N 114.39750°W / 62.44222; -114.39750Coordinates: 62°26′32″N 114°23′51″W / 62.44222°N 114.39750°W / 62.44222; -114.39750
Country Canada
Territory Northwest Territories
Region North Slave Region
Constituencies
Census division Region 6
Established 1934[2]
Incorporation (city) 1 January 1970
Government
 • Type Yellowknife City Council
 • Mayor Mark Heyck
 • Senior Administrative Officer Sheila Bassi-Kellett
 • MPs Michael McLeod
 • MLAs
Area (land only)[3]
 • City 136.22 km2 (52.59 sq mi)
 • Land 105.44 km2 (40.71 sq mi)
 • Water 30.78 km2 (11.88 sq mi)
 • Urban 13.09 km2 (5.05 sq mi)
Elevation 206 m (676 ft)
Population (2016)[3] 19,569
 • Density 185.6/km2 (481/sq mi)
 • Urban[4] 18,352
 • Urban density 1,402.3/km2 (3,632/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Yellowknifer
Time zone Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
 • Summer (DST) MDT (UTC-6)
Forward sortation area X1A
Area code(s) 867
Telephone Exchanges 444 445 446 669 765 766 767 873 920 999
- Living cost 117.5A
GNBC Code LBAMG
Website www.yellowknife.ca
Sources:
Department of Municipal and Community Affairs,[5]
Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre[6]
Yellowknife profile at the Legislative Assembly[7]
Canada Flight Supplement[8]
^A 2009 figure based on Edmonton = 100[9]

Yellowknife (English: /ˈjɛloʊnaɪf/; 2016 population: 19,569[3]) is the capital and only city, as well as the largest community in the Northwest Territories (NT or NWT), Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately 400 km (250 mi) south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River. Yellowknife and its surrounding water bodies were named after a local Dene tribe once known as the 'Copper Indians' or 'Yellowknife Indians', referred to locally as the Yellowknives Dene First Nation, who traded tools made from copper deposits near the Arctic Coast. The current population is ethnically mixed. Of the eleven official languages of the Northwest Territories, five are spoken in significant numbers in Yellowknife: Dene Suline, Dogrib, South and North Slavey, English, and French. In the Dogrib language, the city is known as Sǫ̀mbak'è (Som-ba Kay) ("where the money is").[10][11]

The Yellowknife settlement is considered to have been founded in 1934,[2] after gold was found in the area, although commercial activity in the present-day waterfront area did not begin until 1936. Yellowknife quickly became the centre of economic activity in the NWT, and was named the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1967. As gold production began to wane, Yellowknife shifted from being a mining town to a centre of government services in the 1980s. However, with the discovery of diamonds north of Yellowknife in 1991,[12] this shift has begun to reverse.

History

Looking south-west, across Yellowknife from the Bush Pilots Monument

Traditionally, First Nations people of Yellowknives Dene culture had occupied this region; by the 1930s they had a settlement on a point of land on the east side of Yellowknife Bay, Dettah.[13] The current municipal area of Yellowknife was occupied by prospectors who ventured into the region in the mid-1930s.[14]

A Klondike-bound prospector, E.A. Blakeney, made the first discovery of gold in the Yellowknife Bay area in 1898. The discovery was viewed as unimportant in those days because of the Klondike Gold Rush and because Great Slave Lake was too far away to attract attention.[15]

In the late 1920s, aircraft were first used to explore Canada's Arctic regions. Samples of uranium and silver were uncovered at Great Bear Lake in the early 1930s, and prospectors began fanning out to find additional metals.[16] In 1933 two prospectors, Herb Dixon and Johnny Baker, canoed down the Yellowknife River from Great Bear Lake to survey for possible mineral deposits. They found gold samples at Quyta Lake, about 30 km (19 mi) up the Yellowknife River, and some additional samples at Homer Lake.[17]

The following year, Johnny Baker returned as part of a larger crew to develop the previous gold finds and search for more. Gold was found on the east side of Yellowknife Bay in 1934 and the short-lived Burwash Mine was developed. When government geologists uncovered gold in more favourable geology on the west side of Yellowknife Bay in the fall of 1935, a small staking rush occurred.[18] From 1935 to 1937, one prospector and trapper named Winslow C. Ranney staked in the area between David Lake and Rater Lake with few commercial results. The nearby hill known as Ranney Hill is his namesake and a popular hiking destination today.[19] Although Con Mine was the most impressive gold deposit and its development created the excitement that led to the first settlement of Yellowknife in 1936–1937. Some of the first businesses were Corona Inn, Weaver & Devore Trading, Yellowknife Supplies and post office, and the Wildcat Cafe. Con Mine entered production on September 5, 1938. Yellowknife boomed in the summer of 1938 and many new businesses were established, including the Canadian Bank of Commerce, Hudson's Bay Company, Vic Ingraham's first hotel, Sutherland's Drug Store, and a pool hall.

Yellowknife in the mid-20th century

The population of Yellowknife quickly grew to 1,000 by 1940, and by 1942, five gold mines were in production in the Yellowknife region. However, by 1944, gold production had ground to a halt as men were needed for the war effort. An exploration program at the Giant Mine property on the north end of town had suggested a sizable gold deposit in 1944. This new find resulted in a massive post-war staking rush to Yellowknife.[20] It also resulted in new discoveries at the Con Mine, greatly extending the life of the mine. The Yellowknife townsite expanded from the Old Town waterfront, and the new townsite was established during 1945–1946. The Discovery Mine, with its own townsite, operated 81 km (50 mi) to the north-northeast of Yellowknife from 1950 to 1969.[21]

Between 1939 and 1953, Yellowknife was controlled by the Northern Affairs department (now Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada) of the Government of Canada. A small council, partially elected and partially appointed, made decisions. By 1953, Yellowknife had grown so much that it was made a municipality, with its own council and town hall. The first mayor of Yellowknife was John "Jock" McNiven. In September 1967, Yellowknife officially became the capital of the Northwest Territories. This important new status sparked what has been coined as the third boom in Yellowknife. New sub-divisions were established to house an influx of government workers.[22]

In 1978 the Soviet nuclear-powered satellite Kosmos 954 crashed to Earth near Yellowknife. There were no known casualties, although a small quantity of radioactive nuclear fuel was released into the environment, and Operation Morning Light—an attempt to retrieve it—was only partially successful.[23]

A new mining rush and fourth building boom for Yellowknife began with the discovery of diamonds 300 km (190 mi) north of the city in 1991.[24] The last of the gold mines in Yellowknife closed in 2004. Today, Yellowknife is primarily a government town and a service centre for the diamond mines. On April 1, 1999, its purview as capital of the NWT was reduced when the territory of Nunavut was split from the NWT. As a result, jurisdiction for that region of Canada was transferred to the new capital city of Iqaluit. Consequently, Yellowknife lost its standing as the Canadian capital city with the smallest population.[25]

Geography and climate

Yellowknife has a subarctic climate[26] (Köppen: Dfc) and averages less than 300 mm (12 in) of precipitation annually, as the city lies in the rain shadow of mountain ranges to the west.[27] Thanks to its location on Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife has a frost-free growing season that averages slightly over 100 days.[28] Most of the limited precipitation falls between June and October, with April being the driest month of the year and August having the most rainfall. Snow that falls in winter accumulates on the ground until the spring thaw.

Yellowknife is on the Canadian Shield, which was scoured down to rock during the last ice age.[28] The surrounding landscape is very rocky and slightly rolling, with many small lakes in addition to the larger Great Slave Lake.[29] Trees such as spruce and birch are abundant in the area, as are smaller bushes, but there are also many areas of relatively bare rock with lichen.[30] Yellowknife's high latitude causes a large variation between day and night. Daylight hours range from five hours of daylight in December to twenty hours in June. Twilight lasts all night from late May to mid-July.[31]

Yellowknife has very cold winters and mild to warm summers. The average temperature in January is around −26 °C (−15 °F) and 17 °C (63 °F) in July.[27] According to Environment Canada, Yellowknife has the sunniest summer in the country, averaging 1034 hours from June to August.[32] The lowest temperature ever recorded in Yellowknife was −51.2 °C (−60 °F) on 31 January 1947, and the highest was 32.5 °C (90.5 °F) on 16 July 1989.[27] Yellowknife averages 2256.5 hours of bright sunshine per year or 43.5% of possible daylight hours, ranging from a low of 15.4% in December to a high of 63.0% in June.[27] Due to its warm summer temperatures, Yellowknife is well below the arctic tree line in stark contrast to areas further east in Canada on similar parallels.

Climate data for Yellowknife Airport, 1981−2010 normals, extremes 1942−present
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high humidex 2.9 6.1 8.9 20.2 25.6 34.0 35.4 34.3 27.2 18.1 6.3 1.6 35.4
Record high °C (°F) 3.4
(38.1)		 6.2
(43.2)		 9.3
(48.7)		 20.4
(68.7)		 26.3
(79.3)		 31.1
(88)		 32.5
(90.5)		 30.9
(87.6)		 26.1
(79)		 19.0
(66.2)		 7.8
(46)		 2.8
(37)		 32.5
(90.5)
Average high °C (°F) −21.6
(−6.9)		 −18.1
(−0.6)		 −10.8
(12.6)		 0.4
(32.7)		 9.7
(49.5)		 18.1
(64.6)		 21.3
(70.3)		 18.1
(64.6)		 10.4
(50.7)		 0.9
(33.6)		 −10.0
(14)		 −17.8
(0)		 0.0
(32)
Daily mean °C (°F) −25.6
(−14.1)		 −22.9
(−9.2)		 −16.8
(1.8)		 −5.3
(22.5)		 4.6
(40.3)		 13.3
(55.9)		 17.0
(62.6)		 14.2
(57.6)		 7.2
(45)		 −1.7
(28.9)		 −13.7
(7.3)		 −21.8
(−7.2)		 −4.3
(24.3)
Average low °C (°F) −29.5
(−21.1)		 −27.5
(−17.5)		 −22.7
(−8.9)		 −11.0
(12.2)		 −0.5
(31.1)		 8.5
(47.3)		 12.6
(54.7)		 10.2
(50.4)		 4.0
(39.2)		 −4.2
(24.4)		 −17.5
(0.5)		 −25.7
(−14.3)		 −8.6
(16.5)
Record low °C (°F) −51.2
(−60.2)		 −51.2
(−60.2)		 −43.3
(−45.9)		 −40.6
(−41.1)		 −22.8
(−9)		 −4.4
(24.1)		 0.6
(33.1)		 −0.6
(30.9)		 −9.7
(14.5)		 −28.9
(−20)		 −44.4
(−47.9)		 −48.3
(−54.9)		 −51.2
(−60.2)
Record low wind chill −64.0 −61.0 −56.8 −53.2 −31.8 −11.2 0.0 −4.8 −16.4 −36.3 −54.7 −58.9 −64.0
Average precipitation mm (inches) 14.3
(0.563)		 14.1
(0.555)		 13.9
(0.547)		 11.3
(0.445)		 18.4
(0.724)		 28.9
(1.138)		 40.8
(1.606)		 39.3
(1.547)		 36.3
(1.429)		 30.3
(1.193)		 24.8
(0.976)		 16.2
(0.638)		 288.6
(11.362)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 0.1
(0.004)		 0.0
(0)		 0.2
(0.008)		 2.5
(0.098)		 13.8
(0.543)		 28.9
(1.138)		 40.8
(1.606)		 39.2
(1.543)		 32.7
(1.287)		 12.1
(0.476)		 0.3
(0.012)		 0.2
(0.008)		 170.7
(6.72)
Average snowfall cm (inches) 19.7
(7.76)		 20.0
(7.87)		 18.5
(7.28)		 10.3
(4.06)		 4.7
(1.85)		 0.0
(0)		 0.0
(0)		 0.1
(0.04)		 3.5
(1.38)		 20.9
(8.23)		 36.5
(14.37)		 23.5
(9.25)		 157.6
(62.05)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.2 mm) 10.7 10.0 8.4 5.0 6.6 7.6 9.6 10.5 11.2 13.4 14.4 11.2 118.5
Average rainy days (≥ 0.2 mm) 0.2 0.1 0.3 1.2 5.3 7.5 9.6 10.4 10.6 5.5 0.6 0.2 51.3
Average snowy days (≥ 0.2 cm) 11.9 11.0 9.2 4.4 2.1 0.1 0.0 0.1 1.2 10.0 16.0 12.8 78.6
Average relative humidity (%) 64.6 61.6 54.7 52.5 45.9 45.2 47.9 55.7 64.7 75.2 77.8 69.2 59.6
Mean monthly sunshine hours 50.6 107.3 188.4 276.4 335.7 373.8 358.0 276.2 157.7 65.0 42.7 24.6 2,256.5
Percent possible sunshine 26.8 43.5 51.8 62.2 60.8 63.0 61.2 55.5 40.3 21.0 20.2 15.4 43.5
Source: Environment Canada[27][33][34][35]
April 28, 2012 on Yellowknife Bay. The surface melt begins to make transportation more difficult to and from the houseboats near Jolliffe Island.

Law and government

A modern irregularly shaped rectilinear brick building with concrete walkways curving up to it through grass and small trees, with two people sitting on a bench in front. A sign in front and vertical lettering on the building read "Yellowknife City Hall".
City Hall

Yellowknife has a municipal government system and is governed by the Yellowknife City Council, which consists of an elected Mayor and eight Councillors.[36] The Government of the Northwest Territories delegates powers to the municipality through legislative acts and regulations. Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers at City Hall on the second and fourth Monday of each month, and are open to the public. Municipal elections are held every three years.[37] The current mayor of Yellowknife is Mark Heyck.[38]

Yellowknife is represented in the territorial government by seven of the 19 Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories (MLAs). These MLAs are elected every four years and sit in the Northwest Territories Legislative Building, located in Yellowknife. The MLAs elect the Speaker of the House as well as six Cabinet Ministers and the Premier, which forms the Cabinet.[39] In addition, a Commissioner is appointed by the Federal Government to fulfill a similar role to that of the Lieutenant Governor.[40] The Northwest Territories is one of only two federal, provincial or territorial jurisdictions in Canada that operate under a consensus system of government.[39]

The Northwest Territories is in the federal electoral riding of Northwest Territories and has one Member of Parliament and one Senator, currently Michael McLeod and Nick Sibbeston, respectively.[41][42] Yellowknife is home to seven of the 19 electoral districts in the Northwest Territories, the Frame Lake, Great Slave, Kam Lake, Range Lake, Weledeh, Yellowknife Centre and Yellowknife South ridings.[43]

Economy

Buildings at Giant Mine

As the largest city in the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife is the hub for mining, industry, transportation, communications, education, health, tourism, commerce, and government activity in the territory.[44] Historically, Yellowknife's economic growth came from gold mining, and later government; however, because of falling gold prices and increased operating costs, the final gold mine closed in 2004, marking a turning point for Yellowknife's economy.[45]

After a downturn in the 1990s during the closure of the gold mines and the downsizing of the government workforce in 1999, Yellowknife's economy has recovered, largely because of the diamond boom;[45] the Ekati Diamond Mine, owned and operated by BHP Billiton (sold to Dominion Diamond Corporation in 2013), opened in 1998.[46] A second mine, Diavik Diamond Mine, began production in 2003.[47] Production from the two operating mines in 2004 was 12,618,000 carats (2,523.6 kg; 5,563.6 lb), valued at over C$2.1 billion. This ranked Canada third in world diamond production by value, and sixth by weight. A third mine, De Beers' Snap Lake Diamond Mine, received final approval and funding in 2005 and went into production in 2007.[48] De Beers also applied in 2005 for a permit to open the Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project on the property formerly known as Kennady Lake. Upon receipt of approval, construction is expected to start in 2010 and the mine will reach full production by 2012.[49] As well, growth and expansion in natural gas development and exploration sectors has contributed to this growth. Economic growth in the Northwest Territories was 10.6% in 2003.[50]

The major employers in Yellowknife include: the Territorial Government, the Federal Government, Diavik Diamond Mines, Dominion Diamonds, DeBeers Canada, First Air, NorthwesTel, RTL Robinson Trucking, and the City of Yellowknife. Government employment accounts for 7,644 jobs, a large percentage of those in Yellowknife.[51]

During winter, the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is opened for semi-trailer truck traffic to take supplies from Yellowknife north to various mines located in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This ice road is usually open from the end of January through late March or early April, and Yellowknife becomes the dispatch point for the large number of truck drivers that come north to drive on the ice roads. During the 2007 ice road season, several drivers were featured on the History Channel TV series Ice Road Truckers.

The Aurora Borealis over Yellowknife.

Tourism is the largest renewable industry in the NWT and Yellowknife is the main entry point for visitors. Many of these tourists are Japanese, and come to experience the Northern climate and traditional lifestyle, as well as to see the Northern Lights. In 2004-05, visitors to the territory spent C$100.5 million.[37]

The City of Yellowknife raises 50% of its operating revenue through property taxation. Both Yellowknife Education District No. 1 and Yellowknife Catholic School Board also raise a portion of their operating revenue through property taxation. Property taxes in Yellowknife are calculated through property assessment and the municipal and education mill rates. Mill rates in 2005 were 13.84 (residential) and 19.87 (commercial).[37]

Canadian North, a regional airline, was headquartered in Yellowknife,[52] in the Northwest Tower in downtown. The airline announced that when its lease was to expire in the end of August 2013, the airline will vacate the office and move it and 20 employees out of Yellowknife.[53] The airline is now headquartered in Calgary.[54]

Regional mines

Yellowknife was originally established as a supply centre for numerous gold mines operating in the region in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The following is a list of the major mines, all of which are now closed. There were also tungsten, tantalum and uranium mines in the vicinity. Most mines in the Yellowknife area are within the Kam Group, a part of the Yellowknife greenstone belt.[55]

Aerial photo of Con Mine
Buildings at north end of Giant Mine site
Mine Years of Operation Minerals Mined
Con Mine (includes Rycon) 1938–2003 gold
Giant Mine 1948–2004 gold
Ptarmigan and Tom Mine 1941–1942, 1985–1997 gold
Negus Mine 1939–1952 gold
Burwash Mine 1935gold
Thompson-Lundmark Mine 1941–1943, 1947–1949 gold
Discovery Mine 1950–1969gold
Camlaren Mine 1962–1963, 1980–1981 gold
Beaulieu Mine 1947–1948 gold
Outpost Island Mine 1941–1942, 1951–1952 gold, copper, tungsten
Ruth Mine 1942, 1959gold
Rayrock Mine 1957–1959uranium
References:[56][57][58]

Infrastructure

RCMP headquarters

Emergency services

Policing in Yellowknife is provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP); Yellowknife is the headquarters for G Division, and houses more than 30 officers. The City of Yellowknife Municipal Enforcement Division (MED) is responsible for municipal bylaw infractions and traffic infractions (within city limits). The Yellowknife Fire Department handles the city's fire, ambulance, rescue, and hazardous materials responses.[59] A point of debate in recent years has been the implementation of 911 services in Yellowknife (currently one must dial one of two local numbers) through a partnership with five other Northwest Territories communities; the cost of installation is currently estimated at around $1 million a year. There have been a number of incidents where emergency services have been either misdirected, or improperly dispatched.[60] Health services are provided through the local Stanton Territorial Hospital. The Yellowknife Primary Care Centre has a broad range of practitioners including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, counsellors, dietitians and more. Services provided at the Yellowknife Primary Care Centre include mental health, diabetes education, diagnostic imaging, psychiatry and some home care services.[61]

Utilities and services

Snow removal in Yellowknife

Electricity

Electricity is provided to Yellowknife by Northland Utilities, serving 6,350 residential and 800 commercial customers. Yellowknife operates almost entirely on hydroelectricity from the Snare-Bluefish systems,[62] provided by the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC). NTPC's local production capacity is 67.9 megawatts, 30.89MW from 10 generators at the Jackfish Diesel Plant, 28.8MW from Snare Lake, and 7.5MW from Miramar Bluefish.[63]

Communications

Yellowknife's telephone services were established in 1947 by the independent Yellowknife Telephone Company, owned by investors mostly within the community. The system was sold at the end of 1963 to Canadian National Telecommunications, now Northwestel. Northwestel also provides manual mobile telephone service on VHF frequencies, and by the 1990s also provided cellular services that later were transferred to Bell Mobility.

Yellowknife's television services, in addition to over-the-air transmission begun in 1967, included the Mackenzie Media cable television system placed in service 1 September 1972, which was sold to Northwestel in late 1995.

In 2008 Northern based company Ice Wireless entered the market in Yellowknife, providing digital cellular products and services.

Water and sewerage

The City of Yellowknife provides pressurized potable water throughout the majority of the city, and has a network of gravity-fed sewage lines; trucked water and sewage is provided in areas not serviced by piped infrastructure. Sewage, with the aid of lift stations, is pumped to a series of lakes, referred to as Fiddler's Lake Lagoon, where it is held and allowed to naturally decompose. Water is obtained from the Yellowknife River and is disinfected with chlorine and liquid fluoride is added, but is not otherwise filtered or treated.[64]

Waste services

Residential garbage removal is through a user pay system, in which residents are allowed three 77 L (17 imp gal; 20 US gal) garbage bags per week; any additional bags must have a purchased tag.[59] The City of Yellowknife Solid Waste Management Facility is located on the Ingraham Trail (Highway 4) 2 km (1.2 mi) north of the city;[65] salvaging is encouraged, and the dump is infamous for the number of still useful items often found in it.[66]

Transportation

A C-130 Hercules at the Yellowknife Airport.

Yellowknife, while isolated geographically, has a modern transportation system. The Yellowknife Airport (IATA: YZF) is the busiest airport in northern Canada, having 70,699 aircraft movements in 2007 and handling over 400,000 passengers and 30,000 tonnes of cargo yearly.[67] It has two asphalt runways, one 7,500 ft (2,300 m) strip and another of 5,000 ft (1,500 m);[68] while the Yellowknife Airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency, it is certified for general aviation aircraft only. The Yellowknife airport is designated by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as a forward operating location for the CF-18 Hornet.[8] Despite its shorter runways, the airport can still accommodate 747s and other wide-body aircraft for emergency landings.[69][70] Air traffic control services, Instrument landing system (Category 1), and radar services are provided by Nav Canada.

Yellowknife Transit is the public transportation agency in the city, and is the only transit system in the Northwest Territories.[71]

Road construction in Yellowknife is often a challenge due to the presence of permafrost which requires that roads generally be regraded and resurfaced every 10 to 20 years. Most roads in Yellowknife are paved and road width varies from 9 to 13.5 m (30 to 44 ft). Winter snow removal is done on a regular schedule by the City of Yellowknife public works department.[59] Speed limits are 45 km/h (28 mph) on most roads, 30 km/h (19 mph) in school zones, and 70 km/h (43 mph) on highways. School zones and playground zones are in effect 24 hours per day 7 days per week. The highway system in the NWT is maintained by the Government of the Northwest Territories. Highway 4 (Ingraham Trail) and Highway 3 (Yellowknife Highway) both run through Yellowknife and are all-weather roads.[59] One well-known, almost infamous, road in Yellowknife is Ragged Ass Road, after which Tom Cochrane named an album.

Until 2012, Yellowknife did not have a permanent road connection to the rest of Canada's highway network, as the Yellowknife Highway relied, depending on the season, on ferry service or an ice road to cross the Mackenzie River.[72] With the completion of the Deh Cho Bridge, which officially opened on November 30, 2012, the city now has its first direct road connection to the rest of the country.[72]

Layout

Yellowknife, like most other urban centres, has distinct commercial, industrial, and residential areas. Frame Lake, Niven Lake, Range Lake, and Old Town are the residential sectors, with some of the population living in high-rises in the downtown core. Niven Lake is the only area under active development and expansion.[73] Downtown Yellowknife is home to most of the city's commercial activity, though some retail does exist in Range Lake. Industrial activity is limited to the Kam Lake and airport subdivisions.[74]

Houseboats

Jolliffe Island sits in Yellowknife Bay and is public land under the jurisdiction of the City of Yellowknife after a land purchase when Imperial Oil vacated the site.[75] The island is surrounded by a community of houseboats who have been living off the grid since 1978.[76] Their relationship with the city is complex and often strained as the houseboats are popular with sightseers, but at the same time they live outside of the city's tax jurisdiction while using city services leading to lawsuits and tensions with the City of Yellowknife.[77]

Demographics

Historical populations (Statistics Canada)
YearPop.±%
19512,724—    
19613,245+19.1%
19716,122+88.7%
19819,483+54.9%
199115,179+60.1%
199617,275+13.8%
200116,541−4.2%
200618,700+13.1%
201119,234+2.9%
201619,569+1.7%
[78]
Canada 2006 Census Population % of Total Population
Visible minority group
Source:[78] 		South Asian 135 0.7
Chinese 250 1.4
Black 310 1.7
Filipino 575 3.1
Latin American 70 0.4
Southeast Asian 340 1.8
Other visible minority 150 0.9
Total visible minority population 1,830 9.9
Aboriginal group
Source:[79] 		First Nations 1,990 10.8
Métis 1,380 7.5
Inuit 640 3.5
Total Aboriginal population 4,105 22.2
European 12,575 67.9
Total population 18,510 100
Historical populations
YearPop.±%
199618,256—    
199718,307+0.3%
199817,664−3.5%
199917,469−1.1%
200017,414−0.3%
200117,772+2.1%
200218,409+3.6%
200319,210+4.4%
200419,622+2.1%
200519,644+0.1%
200619,522−0.6%
200719,727+1.1%
200819,929+1.0%
200919,874−0.3%
201019,978+0.5%
201120,248+1.4%
201219,752−2.4%
Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001-2012)[9]

As of 2012, there were 19,752 people and 7,286 (2011) households in the city.[80][9] The population density was 142.86 people/km² (369.85 people/sq. mi). The 2006 Census found that 22.2% of residents identified as aboriginal.[79]

In Yellowknife, the population is slightly disproportionate in terms of age distribution compared to the national average; the average age is 32.2, compared to a Canada-wide average of 39.5.[81] As of the 2009 figures, 13.8% of residents were 9 or under, 6.2% were from 10 to 14 years old, 15.9% were from 15 to 24, 35.2% were from 25 to 44, 22.5% were from 45 to 59, and 6.4% were 60 or older. From 1996 to 2009, the average annual growth rate was 0.6% for the total population; broken down by age, it was -1.3% for < 15 years, and 6.9% for 60 years and older.[9]

In 2006, two-person households with a least one child were the most common size at 36.2%. Overall just over one quarter of all households had only two occupants with no children.[78] The average income in the city was C$57,246, and the average income for a family was C$124,200, with 10.6% of all families earning less than $30,000.[9] Minimum wage in Yellowknife and the NWT is C$10.00.[82] Average household expenditures were C$103,762 in 2007.[83] In 2004, the unemployment rate was at 5.0%, an all-time low, and as of 2006 5.7%; the employment rate for males was 81.7%, for females it was 76.7%.[9]

The crime rate in Yellowknife for 2009 was 42.3 (per 1,000 persons) for violent crimes, and 142.3 (per 1,000 persons) for property crimes.[9] There were 324 births and 51 deaths in 2006.[9]

Almost 82% of residents spoke English as their mother tongue and almost 4% spoke French. More than 4% spoke an aboriginal language as their first language, including 1.3% who spoke Inuktitut, another 1.3% who spoke Dogrib, and 0.6% who spoke North Slavey, 0.5% who spoke Dene/Chipewyan, and 0.4% who spoke South Slavey. Other languages spoken in Yellowknife include Tagalog at 2.3%, Vietnamese at 1.6%, Chinese at 1.1%, German at 0.7% and Spanish at 0.4%.[84]

Yellowknife is home to just over 500 recent immigrants (arriving between 2001 and 2006) who now make up just under 3% of the population; 36% of these immigrants came from the Philippines, while 18% came from Ghana, 9% from Vietnam, 7% from the United States, and 5% came from China.[85]

Almost 73% of residents identified as Christian while 24% said they had no religious affiliation in 2001. For specific denominations Statistics Canada found that 36% of residents identified as Roman Catholic, 11% as Anglican, 10% for the United Church, about 2% each as Baptist, Lutheran, and Pentecostal, and more than 1% for The Salvation Army.[86] There were also 135 Buddhists, 125 Muslims, and 15 Jews.[86]

Culture

Historical sites

Events

The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre.

Attractions

Wildcat Cafe in the Old Town.

Some notable places to visit in Yellowknife include:

Plaque on the Bush Pilots monument

Other notable attractions include the Ingraham Trail, local fishing lodges, bush plane tours, the unique architecture of Old Town with the Bush Pilots monument, and any of the numerous lakes surrounding Yellowknife, many of which include beaches.

Notable people

Yellowknife Harbour, Great Slave Lake

Media

Print

The Yellowknifer, published by Northern News Services, is the major newspaper serving Yellowknife, published twice weekly on Wednesday and Friday. Northern News Services also publishes Northwest Territories News/North every Monday, which serves the entire NWT. As well, there is L'Aquilon, a French language newspaper published weekly.

Two magazines are based in Yellowknife: Above & Beyond - Canada's Arctic Journal and Up Here Magazine, both offering northern-related news and lifestyle articles.

Yellowknife CBC building, during the 2014 Northwest Territories fires

Radio

Frequency Call sign Branding Format Owner Notes
FM 95.3 CBNY-FM CBC Radio 2 Assorted music, public radio Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Rebroadcaster of CBU-FM (Vancouver)
FM 98.9 CFYK-FM CBC Radio One Talk radio, public radio Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Part of CBC North
FM 100.1 CJCD-FM 100.1 The Moose Adult contemporary Vista Broadcast Group
FM 101.9 CKLB-FM CKLB Radio: The Voice of Denendeh Community radio Native Communications Society of the Northwest Territories First Nations community radio
FM 103.5 CIVR-FM Radio Taïga Community radio Société Radio Taïga French language community radio

Television

OTA channel Cable Call sign Network Notes
8 (VHF) 10 CFYK-DT CBC Television Flagship television station for CBC North
11 (VHF) 9 CHTY-TV Aboriginal Peoples Television Network
13 (VHF) 4 CH4127 Ici Radio-Canada Télé Community-owned rebroadcaster of CBFT-DT (Montreal)

No part of the Northwest Territories is designated as a mandatory market for digital television conversion; only CFYK-DT converted its main transmitter in Yellowknife to digital.

On August 10, 2012, NASA announced that the section of Mars where the Curiosity rover of the Mars Science Laboratory mission landed would be renamed Yellowknife, in recognition of the city of Yellowknife. Yellowknife is usually where scientists start geological mapping expeditions when researching the oldest known rocks in North America.[99]

Sister cities

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.mycities.co/canada/city_yellowknife_X1A-0A1.html
  2. 1 2 About Yellowknife
  3. 1 2 3 "2011 Census". Government of Canada. Retrieved 2014-02-07.
  4. ↑ "Population and dwelling counts, for population centres, 2011 and 2006 censuses". Statistics Canada. Retrieved January 20, 2014.
  5. ↑ "NWT Communities - Yellowknife". Government of the Northwest Territories: Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. Retrieved 2014-01-20.
  6. ↑ "Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide". Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Yellowknife: Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories. Archived from the original on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  7. ↑ "Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife profile". Assembly.gov.nt.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-01-02. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  8. 1 2 Canada Flight Supplement. Effective 0901Z 27 April 2017 to 0901Z 22 June 2017
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Yellowknife - Statistical Profile at the GNWT
  10. ↑ "Yellowknife Visitors Guide" (PDF). Yellowknifer. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2009-03-25.
  11. ↑ "Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide". Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2016-01-01.
  12. ↑ "About Yellowknife". "City of Yellowknife". Archived from the original on 2009-02-26. Retrieved 2009-08-25.
  13. ↑ "Agreements, Treaties, and Negotiated Settlements Project". Indigenous Studies Program, The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  14. ↑ "Old Town" (PDF). City of Yellowknife. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-02-22.
  15. ↑ Price, Ray. Yellowknife, Peter Martin Associates, Toronto, 1967. Page 22.
  16. ↑ Watt, Frederick B. Great Bear: A Journey Remembered, Outcrop, Yellowknife, 1980. ISBN 0-919315-00-3.
  17. ↑ "Northwest Territories Timeline - "Yellowknife Johnny" Baker". Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-08-31. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  18. ↑ "Northwest Territories Timeline - Dr. Alfred Joliffe, Geological Survey of Canada". Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-10-18. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  19. ↑ http://www.miningnorth.com/_rsc/site-content/library/NWT_Mines_History_RSilke2009.pdf
  20. ↑ Decoursey, Duke. The Yellowknife Years, Parkview Publishing, Squamish, British Columbia. Page 112.
  21. ↑ "Northwest Territories Timeline - Discovery Mine". Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-10-18. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  22. ↑ "Yellowknife (NWT)-Government". Historica Foundation of Canada. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  23. ↑ "Northwest Territories Timeline - Cosmos 954 and Operation Morning Light". Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-10-16. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  24. ↑ "Northwest Territories Timeline - Discovery of Diamonds in the NWT". Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  25. ↑ "Northwest Territories Timeline - The Division of the NWT and Nunavut". Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2006-10-19. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  26. ↑ Timoney, K.P.; la Roi, G.H.; Zoltai, S.C.; Robinson, A.L. (1991). "The High Subarctic Forest-Tundra of Northwestern Canada: Position, Width, and Vegetation Gradients in Relation to Climate" (PDF). University of Calgary. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 "Yellowknife A". Canadian Climate Normals 1981–2010. Environment Canada. Climate ID: 2204100. Retrieved 2015-03-10.
  28. 1 2 "Physical and chemical limnology" (PDF). University of Laval. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2008-03-02.
  29. ↑ McManus, Curt. "The Northern Eco-System". University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  30. ↑ "The Plants and Animals of Northern Canada". University of Saskatchewan. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
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  32. ↑ "Sunniest Summer". Weather Winners. Environment Canada. Retrieved May 15, 2013.
  33. ↑ "Daily Data Report for April 2010". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. Climate ID: 2204100. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  34. ↑ "Daily Data Report for June 2013". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. Climate ID: 2204101. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  35. ↑ "Daily Data Report for May 2015". Canadian Climate Data. Environment Canada. Climate ID: 2204101. Retrieved 16 June 2016.
  36. ↑ "City Council". City of Yellowknife. Archived from the original on 2008-03-08. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  37. 1 2 3 "Yellowknife Community Profile 2006" (PDF). City of Yellowknife. 2006-08-17. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-01-27. Retrieved 2007-05-09.
  38. ↑ "Mayor". City of Yellowknife. Archived from the original on 2013-05-21. Retrieved 2013-07-08.
  39. 1 2 "Consensus Government". Government of the Northwest Territories. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  40. ↑ "Differences from Provincial Governments". Government of the Northwest Territories. Retrieved 2014-01-30.
  41. ↑ "Constituency Profile - Western Arctic". Government of Canada. Archived from the original on January 13, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  42. ↑ "Senator for the Northwest Territories". Government of Canada. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  43. ↑ "Constituency Maps". Elections NWT. Archived from the original on 2007-12-15. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  44. ↑ "Yellowknife (NWT) - Economy". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  45. 1 2 "A New Paradigm for Economic Growth" (PDF). City of Yellowknife. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  46. ↑ "History". BHP Billiton. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  47. ↑ "History". Diavik Diamond Mines. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  48. ↑ "Snap Lake: Project Schedule". De Beers. Archived from the original on 2008-02-04. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  49. ↑ "De Beers Gahcho Kue Diamond Project" (PDF). Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  50. ↑ "2006 NWT Socio-Economic Scan" (PDF). Government of the Northwest Territories. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-04. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
  51. ↑ "Public Sector Employment". Government of the Northwest Territories. Archived from the original on 2007-06-27. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
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  53. ↑ Vela, Thandiwe. "Airline moving jobs south" (Archive) Northern News Services. Retrieved on March 21, 2014.
  54. ↑ "Administration" (Archive). Canadian North. Retrieved on March 21, 2014. "Head Office - Calgary 200, 580 Palmer Road N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 7R3 Canada" and "Regional Head Office - Iqaluit P.O. Box 70 Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 Canada" and "Regional Office - Yellowknife 202 Nunasi Building, 5109 48th St. Yellowknife, NT X1A 1N5 Canada" and "Operations Office - Edmonton 101 – 3731 52 Avenue East Edmonton AB T9E 0V4 Canada"
  55. ↑ "Satellite Geological Mapping of the Yellowknife Volcanic Belt" (PDF). University of Calgary. Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  56. ↑ Silke, Ryan. 2009. "The Operational History of Mines in the Northwest Territories, Canada". Self Published, November 2009.
  57. ↑ "A Yellowknife Mining Chronology". NWT Mining Heritage Society. Archived from the original on August 22, 2004. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
  58. ↑ "History of Exploration and Development". Industry, Tourism, and Investment, GNWT. Archived from the original on 2008-12-01. Retrieved 2008-02-23.
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  66. ↑ "Treasure hunting at the dump". Northern News Services. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  67. ↑ "Aircraft Movement Statistics". Statistics Canada. Archived from the original on 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  68. ↑ "Airport Profile". Department of Transportation, GNWT. Archived from the original on 2007-02-27. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  69. ↑ "MLA says airport needs longer runway". Northern News Services. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
  70. ↑ "Emergency landing from Germany". Northern News Services. Retrieved 2008-01-23.
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  72. 1 2 Green, Jeff (November 29, 2012). "Deh Cho Bridge ends North’s reliance on ice road". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 30, 2012.
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  76. ↑ Rendell, Mark. "Who Was the First Houseboater on Yellowknife Bay". EdgeYK. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
  77. ↑ Rendell, Mark. "Council Briefs". EdgeYK. Retrieved 19 December 2014.
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  79. 1 2 2006 Aboriginal Population Profile
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  81. ↑ Statistics Canada (2006). "Age Groups and Sex for Population of Canada (2006 Census)". Retrieved 2010-05-. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)18
  82. ↑ "Current And Forthcoming Minimum Hourly Wage Rates For Experienced Adult Workers in Canada". services.gc.ca. Retrieved 2012-06-01.
  83. ↑ "Household Expenditure - Results". NWT Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original on 2009-04-04. Retrieved 2009-03-26.
  84. ↑ "Yellowknife". Detailed Mother Tongue (186), Knowledge of Official Languages (5), Age Groups (17A) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2001 and 2006 Censuses - 20% Sample Data. Statistics Canada. 2007-11-20. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
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  86. 1 2 "Yellowknife". Religion (95A), Age Groups (7A) and Sex (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas 1 and Census Agglomerations, 1991 and 2001 Censuses - 20% Sample Data. Statistics Canada. 2007-03-01. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
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  89. ↑ "13th Annual Winter Festival". The Snowking. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
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  98. ↑ "Welcome to the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre". Northern Arts and Cultural Centre. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
  99. ↑ "Curiosity Rover's New Address: Yellowknife, Mars". Space.com. 2012-08-08. Retrieved 2012-08-14.
  100. 1 2 3 The Power of Cities in International Relations

Further reading

  • Bastedo, Jamie (2007). Yellowknife Outdoors - Best Places for Hiking, Biking, Paddling, and Camping. Calgary: Red Deer Press. ISBN 0-88995-388-0. 
  • Eber, Dorothy (1997). Images of Justice A Legal History of the Northwest Territories As Traced Through the Yellowknife Courthouse Collection of Inuit Sculpture. McGill-Queen's native and northern series. 28. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press. ISBN 0-7735-1675-1. 
  • Lewis, C. P.; Rode, A.; Theriault, A. (1981). "Report on the Yellowknife Laboratory at Yellowknife, N.W.T. Working Draft". Ottawa: Northern Social Research Division, Indian and Northern Affairs. 
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