Community Plan Comprehensive Update

Fast-forward to 2050, what would make you proud to call Yellowknife home?

The City of Yellowknife is updating its Community Plan, our roadmap for how the city grows, moves, and thrives into the future. But we can’t do it without you.

Whether it’s the kind of housing we build, the way we move around, or how we care for our environment, we want to hear your ideas. What should stay the same? What needs to change? What would make life better for you, your family, and future generations?

Your voice will shape the Plan that guides how Yellowknife develops between now and 2050.

This is your city. Let’s build our future, together.

What is a Community Plan?

Think of a Community Plan as a shared vision and a roadmap that guides how our city grows and evolves. It helps us answer big questions like:

Where should new housing be located?
Where do we need parks, schools, and services?
How can we move around safely and efficiently?
How do we protect the land, water, and environment we rely on?
Where to grow and retain businesses and industries for our thriving economy?

A strong Community Plan means we’re planning for the future, not just reacting to change. In Yellowknife, our Plan helps guide decisions about:

Housing – including intensification (making better use of land) and work camps
Resilience – preparing for climate change and protecting the natural environment
Well-being – ensuring services and infrastructure support people’s everyday needs
Safety – designing a city where everyone feels secure and connected

Our vision

We’re looking ahead to the year 2050. A lot can change in 25 years, and we want to make sure Yellowknife is ready. This updated Community Plan will help us:

Grow Together, Sustainably - Use land, housing, and infrastructure wisely so we can welcome new residents, strengthen communities, and avoid stretching our services too thin.

Care for the Environment - Protect the land, water, and natural spaces we love. Tackle climate change with thoughtful, responsible choices.

Build a Strong, Resilient Economy - Support local businesses, create good jobs, and grow key sectors like tourism and mining so everyone benefits from a thriving economy.

What we've done so far

Preliminary Research: Population & Economy

In spring 2025, Stantec Consulting Ltd. was hired to prepare projections of how our population and jobs might change over time. The anticipated growth and projected scenarios help us understand the impact on homes, services, and amenities, both now and in the future.

The report includes:

An overview of the factors that could affect population growth in Yellowknife.
Population projections to 2051, with low, medium, and high growth scenarios
Employment projections to see how jobs may change.
An estimate of land needed for homes, businesses, and industry through 2051.

This research has been completed and the Yellowknife Population Projections Report is now available.

Phase 1 of Public Engagement: Project Initiation & Visioning

Between July and August 2025, we have:

Established a Community Advisory Table to guide engagement efforts and help round out the consulting team’s findings and local understanding.
Established a small team of community animators to support community engagement efforts.
Hosted a series of pop-up events in the community, asking participants to reflect on two guiding questions:
- Present day: “I am Yellowknife! What do you treasure most about me today?”
- Future vision: “My YK in 2050… What would you like to see, feel, or experience?”
- 210 unique responses were collected through the pop-ups held at:
  - Farmer’s Market – July 8, 2025
  - Lakeshore Co-op – July 9, 2025
  - Aquatic Centre – July 9 & July 10, 2025
  - Canadian Tire – July 10, 2025
Distributed and collected comment cards, providing an analog opportunity for the community to share their perspectives on present-day Yellowknife and their vision for the future of the City. We received a total of 16 responses.
Hosted an online questionnaire on PlaceSpeak, providing an accessible, online opportunity for residents to share their vision for Yellowknife’s future and respond to a range of mixed questions with multiple-choice and open-ended response options. 74 responses were submitted.

The City has now completed Phase 1 of the Public Engagement as part of the Community Plan Update. The What We Heard report can be found here.

Phase 2 of Public Engagement: Background Research & Working Reports

Starting in September 2025, the team is working with a few focus groups as part of Phase 2 of Public Engagement.

Focus groups will discuss detailed policy directions related to:

Land use and intensification
Housing and work camps
Environment and climate
Infrastructure and transportation

If you’re interested in participating in a focus group, e-mail us at letstalkYK2050@yellowknife.ca.

What's next

Phase 3: Policy Development & Mapping

During this phase, we will focus on refining the draft Plan with the community. The team will test key directions through engagement activities such as a public engagement event shaped by the Community Advisory Table, in addition to online tools and community discussions, ensuring the Plan reflects shared priorities before it moves to the Governance and Priorities Committee for consideration.

Timeline overview

Phase 1: Project Initiation & Visioning (Spring-Summer, 2025)

Community outreach and branding
Engagement with stakeholders to develop a vision and goals

Phase 2: Background Research & Working Reports (Summer–Autumn, 2025)

Research on demographics, economic growth, and land needs
Policy development in key areas (land use, housing, work camp, infrastructure, transportation, environment, climate change, economic development & tourism and public safety)
Stakeholder engagement in each policy area

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 draft Community Plan
Public hearings and feedback collection

Phase 5: Plan Approval (Summer–Autumn, 2026)

Council review and approval
Decision by the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA) and final adoption

Initial Findings

Report 1: Population - Economic Projection and Land Need Assessment

To plan for Yellowknife’s growth, the City needs thoughtful projections of how our population and jobs might change. The anticipated growth and projected scenarios help us understand the impact on homes, services, and amenities, both now and in the future.

In spring 2025, Stantec Consulting Ltd. was hired to prepare these projections. The report includes:

An overview of the factors that could affect population growth in Yellowknife.
Population projections to 2051, with low, medium, and high growth scenarios
Employment projections to see how jobs may change.
An estimate of land needed for homes, businesses, and industry through 2051.

The full report on Population - Economic Projection and Land Need Assessment can be found here.

Report 2: What We Heard Report: Phase 1 of Public Engagement

The City has now also completed Phase 1 of a three-phased Community Engagement as part of the comprehensive Community Plan Update, which is providing opportunities for residents, businesses, and community organizations to share perspectives about what they want for the city now, and what they see for the city looking ahead to the next 25 years.

The objective of Phase 1 Community Engagement is to inform a shared vision for the future of Yellowknife and identify thematic goals for the Community Plan Update that can be directly connected to strategic policies and help in the city’s sustainable growth for decades to come.

The full report on What We Heard: Phase 1 of Public Engagement can be found here.

Get in touch

For general inquiries about "Let’s Talk YK 2050 - Community Plan Update", email at letstalkYK2050@yellowknife.ca.