Representatives with the Department of National Defence say investments in Yellowknife could range anywhere from $5 billion to $8 billion. While construction could start as early as 2028, the specifics of what that could look like remains “in the early stages.”
Representatives with the department told city council on Monday that consultations with Indigenous governments and local community stakeholders would be ongoing. The April 20 meeting was the first public session “to get the ball rolling” for a week of community engagement sessions happening in the territory.
The public meeting took place at city hall and was livestreamed through the city’s website. The special governance and priorities meeting offered an overview of proposed dual-use infrastructure investments, while town halls on Tuesday (in Inuvik) and Thursday (in Yellowknife) will allow for folks to ask questions.
Last month, Yellowknife city council voted in favour of entering into an agreement with the federal government for engineering design planning to potentially extend water and sewer infrastructure out to the airport area.
In March, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced over $30 billion going to military hubs located across the North, from Yellowknife to Inuvik, Iqaluit and Goose Bay along with related major projects for the N.W.T. These included the Mackenzie Valley Highway Project, the Arctic Economic and Security Corridor and the Talston Hydro Expansion project approved by the major projects office. PM Carney also committed nearly $3 billion in funding for two new Northern Operational Support Hubs and two new Northern Operational Support nodes located in Nunavut and the Yukon.
George Siket, who is the NORAD Northern Basing Infrastructure Project Director, told council that the Yellowknife area will see an estimated $5 to $8 billion in Infrastructure funding over the next 14 years into 2040.
This would include the building of facilities large enough to house large aircrafts like the CC-177 Globemaster and the CC-330 Husky along with an extended runway at the current Forward Operating Locations built in Yellowknife back in 1985. Infrastructure upgrades are also planned for taxiways, aprons, access roads, NavAids, lighting, security and the power grid.
Siket reported that the facility can no longer support existing and future NORAD operations or Canadian Armed Forces domestic operations, including large-scale exercises and new Royal Canadian Air Force fleets.
Draft plans presented to council also included a new operations centre, warehousing facilities and Mobile support equipment. Sisket added that the draft plans are still in the planning stages and are “subject to change.”
Aircraft Infrastructure plans include multi-platform hangars, operations facilities and “Quick Reaction Alert” areas.
The hanger for the F35s will be on the south side and behind that will be a munitions storeage area, said Sisket.
Siket reported that expanding operations will require a new accomodations building with its own medical facilities to house 500 personnel.
Siket said that the construction and operations would have “dual-use” but would require resources like water and fuel, along with land and energy. While Sisket emphasized that the army plans to do this in such as way as to not impede on community needs.
“We cannot be a burden on the community,” said Siket, who added added that the particulars of how that could work are still to be determined. Sisket said that one way the military aims to do that is by working in collaboration with city leaders and with Indigenous governments and organizations on how to do things like support power grid infrastructure.
NORAD Northern Basing Infrastructure Project Manager Carolyn Telewiak said they are working on site specific studies looking at archaeology and environmental risks, Species at Risk, topographic survey and geotechnical Studies as well as threat risk assessments.
“We are very early in the delivery of this project,” said Telewiak, who said the main contractor will be publicly tendered this fall
Defence Construction Canada will be conducting the procurement.
Business to business events are scheduled for Inuvik the week of the Arcitc Expo in June and scheduled to head to Yellownife this fall.
“We are going to support that construction by providing funding to the airport to build those extensions and those taxi ways. The same thing goes for utility extensions and upgrades. We’ve already engaged with the city and we’’ll be engaging with the power corporations,” said Siket.
“The capital assistance program is a financial contribution from the Department of National Defence that can potentially fund offsite capital projects related to military operations in Canada,” added Siket.
Councillor Rob Warburton said the contracts for the multi-use facility by the airport did not see much local contracts.
Councillor Warburton asked how they plan to involve community contracting to local businesses this time around
Lieutenant Colonel Vos said the team is in the process of learning from lessons of previous projects.
“Making sure that we’re planning holistically, with regards to our market analysis and Indigenous participation plans and how we write our statement of work,” said Vos.
“We are still in that very early stage, “ added Vos.
Councillor Tom McLennan inquired about operational cost impacts down the road 20 to 30 years and inquired about utility expansion, like water and sewer infrastructure.
Siket said discussions are underway with the city.
City Manager Stephen Van Dine said lots of calculations and planning happening now.
“We do have an arrangement with the government of the N.W.T. for works and expansions at the airport for grants in lieu of taxes. We also thought the federal government outside of DND but includes DND is payment lieu of taxes for any improvements. So we’ll be doing the math to determine what revenue we might be able to recover through those primary tools as we build out.”
Van Dine added that if there is additional community development and growth, the city would be monitoring that the demand for services is balanced with their ability to pay for that.
Councillor McLennan also raised questions about how the demand for fuel and de-icing agents at the airport would be balanced between the military’s and the community’s needs.
Siket said that these are part of ongoing assessments.
“It is our full intention to be able to sustain ourselves and to support the community as we move forward.”
In response to questions from Councillor Garett Cochrane on the Indigenous participation plan’s potential socio economic benefits and levels of procurement, Telewiak reported that this was still in the “conceptual” stages.
Telewiak said that this would include three elements of “training, employment, subcontracting.” Televiak said the details on what each of those sections will look like will be developed over the next year and a half.
“How it’s going to be laid out is right now very conceptual.”
Siket said the new forward operating location would be activated as needed, but it would be used for NORAD purposes mainly.
City councillors including Councillor Ryan Fequet and Councillor Cochrane asked questions around procurement opportunities for Indigenous organizations and local organizations.
Lieutenant Colonel Caytlin Vos responded that ongoing meetings are taking place with Indigenous leadership.
Councillor Stacie Arden-Smith said she felt hopeful regarding Indigenous governments and organization involvement.
“I do want to point out though that it is up to the Indigenous governments and Indigenous corporations to actually employ their own people to do these jobs so I do have hope for that,” said Councillor Arden-Smith.
Councillor Arden-Smith said larger military presnce in the North could potentially open increased opportunities for youth.
Deputy Director Chief of Staff, NORAD Northern Basing Infrastructure Project Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Baxter said while there are some opportunities for youth currently available, most are in the south.
City councillors inquired about the potential impacts of land use and personnel accommodations on housing.
Mayor Ben Hendriksen asked how the plans related to the GNWT’s plans for a future passenger terminal. In response, Siket said “back and forth discussions” with the GNWT and with the airport authority have led to “a good place” regarding potential land acquisition.
Lieutenant Colonel Baxter said that there is currently no estimate on how many personnel would be heading North in response to a question from Councillor StevePayne.
Councilor Councillor Warburton said accommodations made in previous years for other projects have had impacts on housing availability.
Note: Story was updated on April 24 with updated imagery provided by the communications team at DND. The story was also updated to reflect George Siket’s main role in the project.
