Cost of living, closure of the mines topics at Yellowknife council candidates forum

Revitalizing downtown and providing additional social programs for the homeless population were subjects discussed at a business forum for city council candidates on Friday. 

All 16 candidates attended the event hosted by the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce at the Explorer Hotel Friday evening.  

The state of downtown was discussed after candidates were asked how they would make the area more attractive for business investment and how they view the intersection between homelessness and public safety. 

Candidate Cat McGurk took issue with the framing of the question. 

"If we are taking the conversation of downtown revitalization seriously, we need to also understand our contribution to the social fabric," McGurk said. 

Steve Payne, an incumbent, said one solution could be taking advantage of federal funding available for additional programs. 

Rommel Silverio, another incumbent, said the issue is "not easy" to solve. He said when he first ran for council, he was ideological, but has come to realize how difficult issues like homelessness are. 

Life after the mines

With the impending closures of the Diavik Diamond Mine and Ekati Diamond mine, candidates were asked which other sectors of Yellowknife's economy they saw as the most promising.

Garett Cochrane said mining can't be replaced but smaller projects can help. He said there should be worker camps established so the construction industry can grow. 

McGurk said some low-hanging fruit would include the fishing industry which can be developed with the harbour strategy. McGurk said the art economy is another area that can grow. 

Dwayne Simmons said tourism is a big opportunity, and one way this can be advanced is with an accommodation levy — a small fee added to the cost to stay at a hotel or Airbnb that goes to the city. 

"This specific hotel levy is something that the city should prioritize," Simmons said. 

Ryan Fequet said the Polytechnic University would also open up additional sectors in the city. 

Industrial lots for housing, retail

Candidates were also asked what could be done to get more industrial lots to market to develop into retail or housing.

Rob Warburton said the city is doing what it can right now as there is very limited land to develop within the city. He said the city's decision to sell the 50/50 lot downtown for $1 to be developed was a good one, as developers risk a lot when taking on projects like that one and the need for housing is great.

Warburton said the land transfers from the territorial government would benefit the city as a whole.

This is public land owned by the territorial government that will be transferred to the city, making it easier for development. But Warburton said it takes a long time to go through and should be a priority for the next council. 

"This needs to get some fire under it," Warburton said. "We need dirt and we need it soon." 

Devon Hodder said the city needs to get more land to market and reduce costs for development. 

"It's very expensive to build here, it's expensive to live here, it's expensive to do everything here. It's something this council should definitely work on," he said. 

Labour shortage

The final question was on the labour shortage facing nearly all employers within the city. 

Stacie Arden Smith, an incumbent councillor and the owner of Flowers North, said she uses training and education opportunities to help retain young workers.  

Another solution several candidates, including Tom McLennan, discussed was making the city more affordable and attracting more residents to grow the workforce. 

"I brag to my friends down south all the time about how awesome it is to live here, I think we all need to do that and I think the city needs to do that to get more people up," McLennan said.