City council OKs temporary work camp near Yellowknife fieldhouse

Yellowknife city council has approved a bylaw amendment allowing for a temporary work camp to be built near the city's fieldhouse.

The builders of the new hospital, Bird/Clark Joint Venture, pitched the idea of a smaller, closer camp after councillors summarily dismissed the idea of a 250-person camp near a residential neighbourhood in Kam Lake in late May. 

Councillors passed first, second and third reading to the bylaw amendment today without fanfare, sandwiching discussion and voting around a sparsely attended public hearing.

Only one person — a board member at Det'on Cho Corporation, which was hoping the camp would be established near Dettah — spoke in opposition to the project, saying she was concerned about the camp's impact on parking at the nearby fieldhouse and Multiplex arena.

Rod Carson, representing the joint venture, said they have arranged for busses to drive employees between the camp and hospital work site, and that they would advise their subtenants to keep the number of vehicles parked at the camp to a minimum.

'We need to be really careful'

Before the bylaw amendment passed, councillor Shauna Morgan added an additional amendment to the motion, directing the camp builders to minimize blasting, the camp's footprint and its impact on vegetation in the area.

Morgan said she felt compelled to add the amendment after visiting the site, noticing a nearby trail that leads to Kam Lake.

"We need to be really careful with what we do to this area... because it is a really valuable asset to the city," said Morgan, suggesting it could be used in the future as part of nature trails or as a residential area.

"I think we need to do this carefully. Because if we blast out that rock, that's forever. You can't put it back in two years. It's gone."

Council approved the amendment, with some councillors saying they felt as if it may not be necessary due to the current plans of the builders.

"I feel as if the builder has a financial incentive to do this, as well," said Mayor Mark Heyck, as Clark Builders' Carson nodded in the gallery.

Councillor Rebecca Alty pointed out that the recommendation from the city suggested lease fees be waived for the site in exchange for the builders preparing it for development. She attempted to introduce a motion pushing the decision to the next Municipal Services Committee meeting, saying that she wanted time to research previous instances where lease fees were withheld before making a decision.

That motion failed due to the lack of a seconder, and the bylaw amendment — with Morgan's amendment — passed, with only Alty voting against. Councillors Rommel Silverio and Niels Konge were not present at the meeting.

The camp, which will house 150 tradespeople working on the new Stanton hospital, will be in place for up to two years. Installation of the camp is expected to begin in mid-August.