The City of Yellowknife is updating its Community Plan, and community input is at the heart of Let’s Talk YK 2050, the plan’s comprehensive update. This update is crucial to ensuring the plan aligns with Yellowknife’s current needs while preparing for long-term growth and development. By shaping land use, infrastructure, housing, and community services, the updated plan will help create a sustainable, resilient, and thriving Yellowknife.
| What is a Community Plan? |
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The City of Yellowknife's Community Plan is a long-term policy document guiding the city's growth and development. It establishes a direction for the future, ensuring land use, infrastructure, housing, and services evolve to meet community needs. As a decision-making roadmap, it shapes a sustainable and prosperous Yellowknife. It provides a comprehensive policy framework that guides the future growth and development of the city, by supporting adequate supply of housing for all, efficient use of land and infrastructure, retention and growth of businesses and industries, adaptation and mitigation of climate change, protection of environment and public safety. The community plan is developed through consultation, background research, and policy writing, and then adopted by the City Council with the approval of Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA), Government of Northwest Territories. Once adopted, it becomes the guiding policy framework for all planning and development decisions. |
| Primary Goals of the Community Plan |
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The Community Plan helps shape Yellowknife’s future by finding the right balance between growth, environmental protection, and a strong economy.
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| Let’s Talk YK 2050: Community Plan Update |
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In January 2025, the City of Yellowknife began a comprehensive update of the Community Plan. The current Community Plan provides direction and general goals that reflect the aspirations of our residents. As we move forward with updates, we are committed to refining and expanding this plan for the next 25 years. Our approach Residents, businesses, and Indigenous governments will play a key role in building a shared vision for Yellowknife’s future development. As part of the update process, the City of Yellowknife will set up a series of engagements with the community, including information and public input sessions, surveys, and discussions. We’ll be reaching out to gather your input on how you envision the future of the city over the next 25 years. Your voices will support the creation of a more detailed and future-focused vision. Our focus The Community plan update will focus on the City’s future growth, with a strong emphasis on expanding housing supply and improving affordability through focused intensification and revitalization of key areas. The plan will encourage the creation of diverse housing options and support complete, inclusive communities. It will stimulate economic development by fostering business growth, supporting local industries, and creating new employment opportunities. Strategic planning for infrastructure will ensure its effective use and support sustainable growth. Environmental protection, climate adaptation, and mitigation will be prioritized through the preservation of green spaces, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, and the integration of resilient design. Public safety will be at the forefront, ensuring a secure environment for all residents while building a city that is adaptable to future challenges. |
| Project Timeline |
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Phase 1: Project Initiation & Visioning (Spring-Summer, 2025) • Public outreach and branding of the Community Plan update • Interest holder engagement and development of the vision statement Phase 2: Background Research & Working Reports (Summer–Autumn, 2025) • Research on demographics, land use, housing, employment, and infrastructure • Environment, climate adaptation and mitigation studies • Work camp and transportation analysis Phase 3: Policy Development & Mapping (Autumn 2025–Winter, 2026) • Creation of thematic maps • Development of detailed policy frameworks Phase 4: Draft Plan for Public Consultation (Spring–Summer, 2026) • Release of the first draft of the Community Plan • Public hearings and feedback collection Phase 5: Plan Approval & Implementation (Summer–Autumn, 2026) • Council readings and approval process • Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) review and plan adoption |
| Public Engagement |
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During each project phase leading up to the approval and implementation of the updated Community Plan, the public will be invited to share their input. The City will hold a series of in-person and virtual information and public input sessions, surveys, and discussions, during which time residents can share their thoughts on how they envision the future of Yellowknife. Additionally, residents will be able to share their feedback on their own time through PlaceSpeak, an online consultation platform. Between May and June 2025, the first in-person public discussion session will be held and the PlaceSpeak engagement will launch. More information on these engagements will be shared on this page, as well as on our Facebook page, as it becomes available. |
| Updates and Resources |
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Stay informed on the progress of the Community Plan update by subscribing to this page and by following the City of Yellowknife’s Facebook page. As we enter each phase of the project, details will be posted on the upcoming public engagements and the project status. As the project moves forward, important links and documents will be added to this section. |