Yellowknife hospital builders planning 250-person worker camp in Kam Lake
Companies say they can't get enough rooms for construction workers at city's hotels, apartments
The companies building the new Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife want to house up to 250 construction workers in a temporary camp in the city's Kam Lake area starting as early as this summer.
General contractors Clark Builders and Bird Construction are asking city councillors to rezone part of a lot measuring over three hectares (roughly the size of three sports fields) at 3 Coronation Drive.
School buses would shuttle workers staying at the camp to the site of the $300-million new hospital at around 6 a.m. every work day.
While the hospital builders say they are leasing 12 two-bedroom units and 40 rooms inside one hotel, that's all they've been able to secure for the mammoth crew of tradespeople needed to build the hospital in the coming years, according to a memo city councillors received this week.
"Hotel operators cannot provide reduced nightly rates for periods that extend through their peak season, and most apartment building operators lease units on a monthly or yearly basis and generally cannot commit a large block in advance," reads the memo.
The companies want to set up an initial 100-person camp starting in June, with the full camp built by September.
The camp could be there for up to two years.
The companies will need to post a security bond to help cover, among other things, the cost of properly removing the camp.
Hey, neighbours
The city began mailing out letters to people and businesses in the neighbourhood on Tuesday. The area is home to several businesses including Sandvik Construction and J.S.L. Mechanical.
City councillors will debate the memo on Tuesday at city hall at 12 p.m. That discussion is open to the public.
According to the city's timeline, the development permit — which will include design details — could be finalized by late June. After that, people will have two weeks to appeal the permit.
