Mayor Ben Hendrickson delivered his first State of the City Address in Yellowknife today. The mayor’s speech focused on the economic challenges and opportunities facing Yellowknifers. A question-and-answer period opened the discussion further on key priorities, challenges, and opportunities for economic direction, development plans, and ongoing projects shaping the city’s future. Indigenous land rights, environmental stewardship and the role of the North as a homespace and meeting space ran as a connecting thread circling through the dialogue.
The ticketed event was attended by a crowd of over 100 people, including business leaders, government officials and area residents, held in partnership with the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce.
The mayor’s address invited the public to engage and examine new opportunities opening up in the North, as well as the challenges for housing, business development, and ways of creating a better life for the people of the North.
Mayor Hendrickson told True North FM the address was about balancing all these moving pieces while also taking a look at what is going on in city hall to make it happen.
In an announcement ahead of the event, he emphasized that the meeting would help open a dialogue between the past and present to create the space for the city’s future.
“As we look to the future, let’s work together with creativity to build a Yellowknife that works for everyone, while also honouring the stories and history that made us who we are,” said Mayor Ben Hendriksen.
In his speech, the city leader emphasized relationships and relationship building as foundational to the future of the city, the N.W.T. and the North.
During the course of discussions, attention circled back to the prime minister’s announcement yesterday, making direct reference to the Arctic Security Corridor as a potential nation-building project.
The closure and planned closure of area mines were a point of focus as the mining industry has made a mark on ways of life in the territory. Mining has been a major source of employment and revenue since the first city area mine opened in 1935. Community members and business owners have expressed uncertainty around what will happen when many of the large mines close over the course of the coming years.
“That’s exactly the challenge side of the equation. And so what are those opportunities are that Arctic Security Corridor and the Slave Geological Province and making sure that it is seen by the federal government clearly as a potential opportunity for National interest projects. And so it’s our job as Yellowknifers as northerners to make sure that that isn’t lost and that we’re making it as easy as possible, while still respecting the rights of Indigenous people and making sure they’re part of any decision-making at the forefront, but also from an environmental perspective that we respect the land that we live on. So it’s balancing all those different pieces but seeing the opportunity in it,” said Hendrickson.
From the beginning of his speech, the mayor spoke of the city’s work with other governments, the chambers of commerce, the mines and the military in recent history.
“Last December, the city also passed another resolution highlighting Yellowknife as a reliable and welcoming community to Canada’s Armed Forces. To this end, Council directed our administration to reach out to the Armed Forces, the Department of National Defence as well as the GNWT and the Yellowknife airport to facilitate potential investments, identify lands of interest and to prioritize capital project plans,” he said.
The mayor said Yellowknife is to serve as “more than a city,” as a “meeting place.”
“The most central aspect of our vision is recognizing that Yellowknife serves not just as a city, but as a capital, and meeting point for all residents and regions. This responsibility as the capital extends beyond our municipal boundaries, it calls on us to create meaningful partnerships with the GNWT, Indigenous governments and other municipalities. We’re actively building stronger working relationships with indigenous governments and partners, including the YKDFN and Tłı̨chǫ government in particular with Behchokǫ̀ and the North Slave Metis Alliance.”
The mayor asserted that collective prosperity depends on working together, sharing knowledge, and respecting the deep connections to the land, that have existed since time immemorial.
“We are taking a position that allows us to support the leadership of Indigenous governments as economic drivers of our territory, supporting them to take this lead role while giving them the support to succeed when we are asked,” he said.
The work to settle land claims was acknowledged as “foundational work” to build the future of the territory, critical to next steps.
