Yellowknife#Events

{{Short description|Capital city of the Northwest Territories, Canada}}

{{about|the city in Canada}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}

{{use Canadian English|date=March 2019}}

{{Infobox settlement

| name = Yellowknife

| official_name = City of Yellowknife

| settlement_type = City

| native_name = {{native name|dgr|Sǫǫ̀mbak'è}}

| nickname = "YK", "The Knife"

| motto = "Multum In Parvo"

| image_skyline = {{photomontage|size = 250

| spacing = 2

| color = white

| color_border = white

| photo1a = Downtown Yellowknife 2 second version.jpg

| photo2a = Old town and Dettah.JPG

| photo2b = Aurora at Yellowknife, Canada 2014.jpg

| photo3a = Late April on Yellowknife Bay, NWT, Canada..JPG}}

| image_caption = From top left: Downtown Yellowknife, Great Slave Lake from Old Town, Aurora borealis over Yellowknife, houseboats on Yellowknife Bay in winter

| image_flag = Flag of Yellowknife, NWT.svg

| flag_size = 110px

| image_shield = City of Yellowknife CoA.svg

| shield_size = 80

| image_blank_emblem = YellowknifeNWTLogo.svg

| blank_emblem_type = Logo

| pushpin_map = Canada Northwest Territories#Canada

| pushpin_map_caption = Location in the Northwest Territories##Location in Canada

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = Canada

| subdivision_type1 = Territory

| subdivision_name1 = {{nowrap|Northwest Territories}}

| subdivision_type2 = Region

| subdivision_name2 = North Slave Region

| subdivision_type3 = Constituencies

| subdivision_name3 = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|Districts}}|bullets=y|Frame Lake|Great Slave|Kam Lake|Range Lake|Yellowknife Centre|Yellowknife North|Yellowknife South}}

| subdivision_type4 = Census division

| subdivision_name4 = Region 6

| government_type = City council

| leader_title = Mayor

| leader_name = Ben Hendriksen

| leader_title1 = Administrator

| leader_name1 = Sheila Bassi-Kellett

| leader_title2 = MPs

| leader_name2 = Rebecca Alty

| leader_title3 = MLAs

| leader_name3 = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|List of MLAs}}|bullets=y|Caitlin Cleveland|Robert Hawkins|Shauna Morgan|Julian Morse|Kate Reid|Kieron Testart|Caroline Wawzonek}}

|leader_title4 = Senator

|leader_name4 = Margaret Dawn Anderson

| established_title = Established

| established_date = 1934

| established_title2 = Incorporation (municipality)

| established_date2 = 1953

| established_title3 = Capital city

| established_date3 = September 1967

| established_title4 = Incorporation (city)

| established_date4 = 1970

| area_footnotes =  (land only)

| area_total_km2 = 134.15

| area_land_km2 = 103.37

| area_water_km2 = 30.78

| area_blank1_title = Population centre

| area_blank1_km2 = 18.11

| population_as_of = 2021

| population_footnotes = {{cite web|url=https://census.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&SearchText=Yellowknife&DGUIDlist=2021S05101044&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0 |title=Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population Data table Yellowknife Northwest Territories [Population centre]|access-date=23 March 2022|date=30 January 2022}}

| population = 20,340

| population_density_km2 = 196.8

| population_blank1_title = Population Centre

| population_blank1 = 19,673

| population_density_blank1_km2 = 1,086.3

| population_demonym = Yellowknifer

| timezone = MST

| utc_offset = −07:00

| coordinates = {{coord|62|27|13|N|114|22|12|W|type:city_scale:50000_region:CA-NT|notes={{cite cgndb|LBAMG|Yellowknife}}|display=inline,title}}

| elevation_m = 206

| postal_code_type = Forward sortation area

| postal_code = X1A

| area_code = 867

| website = {{URL|https://yellowknife.ca}}

| blank2_name = Prices

| blank3_name = – Living cost (2018)

| blank3_info = 122.5{{ref|A|A}}

| footnotes = Sources:

  1. Department of Municipal and Community Affairs{{MACANT|yellowknife|Yellowknife|2017-10-29}}
  2. Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre{{cite web |url= http://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/#4/65.98/-119.97 |title= Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide |website= Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre |publisher= Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories |location= Yellowknife |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160113110003/http://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/ |archive-date= 13 January 2016 |url-status= live |access-date= 13 January 2016 }}
  3. Yellowknife profile at the Legislative Assembly{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/mapyellowknife.aspx |title=Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife profile |publisher=Assembly.gov.nt.ca |access-date=2 March 2011 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110102152655/http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/mapYellowknife.aspx |archive-date=2 January 2011|df=dmy-all}}
  4. Canada Flight Supplement
  5. {{note|A|A}}2018 figure based on Edmonton = 100

}}

Yellowknife{{efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|j|ɛ|l|oʊ|n|aɪ|f|}}; Dogrib: {{lang|dgr|Sǫǫ̀mbak’è}}){{Cite book|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48982522 |title=Tłįchǫ yatiì Enįhtł'è = a Dogrib dictionary.|date=1996|publisher=Dogrib Divisional Board of Education|last1=Saxon|first1=Leslie|last2=Siemens|first2=Mary|others=Dogrib Divisional Board of Education|isbn=1-896790-00-3|location=Rae-Edzo, NWT|oclc=48982522}}}} is the capital, largest community, and the only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about {{cvt|400|km}} south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River.

Yellowknife and its surrounding water bodies were named after a local Dene tribe, who were known as the "Copper Indians" or "Yellowknife Indians", today incorporated as the Yellowknives Dene First Nation. They traded tools made from copper deposits near the Arctic Coast. Modern Yellowknives members can be found in city and in the adjoining, primarily Indigenous communities of Ndilǫ and Dettah.

The city's population was 20,340 per the 2021 Canadian census. Of the eleven official languages of the Northwest Territories, five are spoken in significant numbers in Yellowknife: Dene Suline, Dogrib, South and North Slavey, English, and French. In the Dogrib language, the city is known as Sǫǫ̀mbak’è ({{IPA|ath|sõːᵐbakʼe}}, "where the money is").{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/Ykguide/ykvisA_05.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928044426/http://www.nnsl.com/Ykguide/ykvisA_05.pdf |archive-date=28 September 2007|title=Yellowknife Visitors Guide|publisher=Yellowknifer|access-date=25 March 2009|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.pwnhc.ca/cultural-places/geographic-names/community-names/|title=Northwest Territories Official Community Names and Pronunciation Guide|publisher=Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=1 January 2016|df=dmy-all}}

The Yellowknife settlement is considered to have been founded in 1934,{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/about-yellowknife.asp|title=About Yellowknife|website=www.yellowknife.ca|access-date=28 August 2015|archive-date=29 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529091646/https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/about-yellowknife.asp|url-status=dead}} after gold was found in the area, although commercial activity in the present-day waterfront area did not begin until 1936. Yellowknife quickly became the centre of economic activity in the NWT, and was named the capital of the Northwest Territories in 1967. As gold production began to wane, Yellowknife shifted from being a mining town to a centre of government services in the 1980s. However, with the discovery of diamonds north of the city in 1991,{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Visitors/About_Yellowknife.html |title=About Yellowknife|work=City of Yellowknife|access-date=25 August 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090226224508/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Visitors/About_Yellowknife.html |archive-date=26 February 2009|df=dmy-all}} this shift began to reverse. In recent years, tourism, transportation, and communications have also emerged as significant Yellowknife industries.{{cite web|url=https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/about-yellowknife.asp|title=About Yellowknife|website=www.yellowknife.ca|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=9 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809104604/https://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/about-yellowknife.asp|url-status=dead}}

History

{{Further|Timeline of Yellowknife history}}

The area around the community is the historic and traditional home of the Yellowknives Dene, the land's First Nations residents. Dettah was the first formal settlement in the area, which was founded by the Yellowknives in the 1930s and located on a point of land on the east side of Yellowknife Bay.{{cite web|url=http://www.atns.net.au/agreement.asp?EntityID=2323|title=Agreements, Treaties, and Negotiated Settlements Project|publisher=Indigenous Studies Program, The University of Melbourne|access-date=22 February 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=12 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180512100246/http://atns.net.au/agreement.asp?EntityID=2323 |url-status=dead}} The name Dettah means Burnt Point and refers to a traditional fishing camp that the Dene used for hundreds of years. The current municipal area of Yellowknife was first occupied by prospectors who ventured into the region in the mid-1930s.{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Planning+and+Lands/Old+Town+Heritage+Walking+Tour+of+Yellowknife.pdf|title=Old Town|publisher=City of Yellowknife|access-date=22 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213415/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Planning%2Band%2BLands/Old%2BTown%2BHeritage%2BWalking%2BTour%2Bof%2BYellowknife.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011|df=dmy-all}}

A Klondike-bound prospector, E.A. Blakeney, made the first discovery of gold in the Yellowknife Bay area in 1898. The discovery was viewed as unimportant in those days because of the Klondike Gold Rush and because Great Slave Lake was too far away to attract attention.Price, Ray. Yellowknife, Peter Martin Associates, Toronto, 1967. Page 22.

In the late 1920s, aircraft were first used to explore Canada's Arctic regions. Samples of uranium and silver were uncovered at Great Bear Lake in the early 1930s, and prospectors began fanning out to find additional metals.Watt, Frederick B. Great Bear: A Journey Remembered, Outcrop, Yellowknife, 1980. {{ISBN|0-919315-00-3}}. In 1933 two prospectors, Herb Dixon and Johnny Baker, canoed down the Yellowknife River from Great Bear Lake to survey for possible mineral deposits. They found gold samples at Quyta Lake, about {{cvt|30|km}} up the Yellowknife River, and some additional samples at Homer Lake.{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1934_YellowknifeJohnny.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831153743/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1934_YellowknifeJohnny.htm|url-status=dead |archive-date=31 August 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – "Yellowknife Johnny" Baker|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}

File:Yellowknife, 1932 - N-1986-015-0013.jpg.]]

The following year, Johnny Baker returned as part of a larger crew to develop the previous gold finds and search for more. Gold was found on the east side of Yellowknife Bay in 1934 and the short-lived Burwash Mine was developed. When government geologists uncovered gold in more favourable geology on the west side of Yellowknife Bay in the fall of 1935, a small staking rush occurred.{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1935_Jolliffe.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018033321/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1935_Jolliffe.htm|url-status=dead |archive-date=18 October 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – Dr. Alfred Joliffe, Geological Survey of Canada|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}} From 1935 to 1937, one prospector and trapper named Winslow C. Ranney staked in the area between David Lake and Rater Lake with few commercial results. The nearby hill known as Ranney Hill is his namesake and a popular hiking destination today. Con Mine was the most impressive gold deposit and its development created the excitement that led to the first settlement of Yellowknife in 1936–1937. Some of the first businesses were Corona Inn, Weaver & Devore Trading, Yellowknife Supplies and post office, and The Wildcat Cafe. Con Mine entered production on 5 September 1938. Yellowknife boomed in the summer of 1938 and many new businesses were established, including the Canadian Bank of Commerce, Hudson's Bay Company, Vic Ingraham's first hotel, Sutherland's Drug Store, and a pool hall.

The population of Yellowknife quickly grew to 1,000 by 1940, and by 1942, five gold mines were in production in the Yellowknife region. However, by 1944, gold production had ground to a halt as men were needed for the war effort. An exploration program at the Giant Mine property on the north end of town had suggested a sizable gold deposit in 1944. This new find resulted in a massive post-war staking rush to Yellowknife.Decoursey, Duke. The Yellowknife Years, Parkview Publishing, Squamish, BC. p. 112. It also resulted in new discoveries at the Con Mine, greatly extending the life of the mine. The Yellowknife townsite expanded from the Old Town waterfront, and the new townsite was established during 1945–1946. The Discovery Mine, with its own townsite, operated {{cvt|81|km}} to the north-northeast of Yellowknife from 1950 to 1969.{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1944_NormByrne.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061018143923/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1925/1944_NormByrne.htm|url-status=dead |archive-date=18 October 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – Discovery Mine|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}

File:Yellowknife in 40s-50s.jpg

Between 1939 and 1953, Yellowknife Administration district was controlled by the Northern Affairs department (now Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada) of the Government of Canada. A small council, partially elected and partially appointed, made decisions. By 1953, Yellowknife had grown so much that it was made a municipality, with its own council and town hall. The first mayor of Yellowknife was Jock McNiven. In September 1967, Yellowknife officially became the capital of the Northwest Territories. This important new status sparked what has been called the third boom in Yellowknife. New sub-divisions were established to house an influx of government workers.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/yellowknife-nwt |archive-url=https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20080908132411mp_/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm%3DTCE%2526%3Bamp%3BParams%3DA1ARTA0006189|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 September 2008|title=Yellowknife (NWT)-Government|publisher=Historica Foundation of Canada|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}

In 1978 the Soviet nuclear-powered satellite Kosmos 954 crashed to Earth near Yellowknife. There were no known casualties, although a small quantity of radioactive nuclear fuel was released into the environment, and Operation Morning Light—an attempt to retrieve it—was only partially successful.{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/1978_Cosmos.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061016215832/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/1978_Cosmos.htm|url-status=dead |archive-date=16 October 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – Cosmos 954 and Operation Morning Light|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}

A new mining rush and fourth building boom in Yellowknife began with the discovery of diamonds {{cvt|300|km}} north of the city in 1991.{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/Diamonds_1991.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061017184906/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/Diamonds_1991.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 October 2006 |title=Northwest Territories Timeline – Discovery of Diamonds in the NWT|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}} The Giant Mine was the subject of a bombing during a labour dispute in 1992 that resulted in one of the deadliest mass murders in Canada with 9 deaths.{{cite web|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/giant-mine-murders|title=Giant Mine Murders|website=The Canadian Encyclopedia|publisher=Historica Canada|last=Foot|first=Richard|date=July 5, 2016}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/newsinteractives/features/giant-mine-explosion|title=A city divided|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|website=CBC News|date=September 14, 2022|first=Rachel |last=Zelniker}} The last of the gold mines in Yellowknife closed in 2004. Today, Yellowknife is primarily a government town and a service centre for the diamond mines. On 1 April 1999, its purview as capital of the NWT was reduced when the territory of Nunavut was split from the NWT. As a result, jurisdiction for that region of Canada was transferred to the new capital city of Iqaluit. Consequently, Yellowknife lost its standing as the Canadian capital city with the smallest population.{{cite web|url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/Nunavut_1991.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019003507/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/timeline/1975/Nunavut_1991.html|url-status=dead |archive-date=19 October 2006|title=Northwest Territories Timeline – The Division of the NWT and Nunavut|publisher=Prince of Whales Northern Heritage Centre|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}

=2023 wildfire=

{{Main|2023 Canadian wildfires#Northwest Territories}}

On 16 August 2023, the territorial government began evacuating Yellowknife as wildfires approached the city,{{Cite web|url=https://www.gov.nt.ca/sites/flagship/files/resources/evacuation_order_yellowknife_and_area_august_16_2023.pdf|title=Evacuation Order for Yellowknife, N'dilo, Dettah, and Ingraham Trail|publisher=Government of Northwest Territories|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822105952/https://www.gov.nt.ca/sites/flagship/files/resources/evacuation_order_yellowknife_and_area_august_16_2023.pdf|archive-date=2023-08-22}} fearing that the Yellowknife Highway (Highway 3)—the main road leading into Yellowknife—would soon be inaccessible.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-wildfire-emergency-update-august-16-1.6938756|title=Yellowknife begins evacuation as wildfires approach|last=Minogue|first=Sara|publisher=CBC News|date=16 August 2023|access-date=17 August 2023}} The government also worked with homeless residents to assist them in evacuating.{{Cite web |title=City of Yellowknife ordered to evacuate due to nearby N.W.T. wildfires {{!}} Globalnews.ca |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9901527/yellowknife-evacuation-order-wildfires/ |access-date=2023-08-17 |website=Global News |language=en-US}}

Air Canada and WestJet were initially criticized for high prices and unwaived cancellation fees for flights to and from Yellowknife, but they have since changed policies to alleviate financial burden for evacuees. Both carriers also increased the number of flights to Yellowknife.{{Cite news |last=Harris |first=Sophia |date=August 17, 2023 |title=WestJet, Air Canada face criticism over Yellowknife flights as wildfires rage |work=CBC.ca |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/westjet-air-canada-wildfire-yellowknife-1.6939525 |access-date=August 17, 2023}}

The smoke from the 236 active wildfires in the Northwest Territories spread quickly across Canada due to powerful winds and was compared by news sources to the 2023 Hawaii wildfires, which similarly started in a dry and windy environment. {{As of|2023|8|17}}, the fire was {{cvt|162,936|ha}} in size, at {{cvt|16|km}} distance from the city.{{Cite web |title=Wildfire Update |url=https://www.gov.nt.ca/ecc/en/services/wildfire-update |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817170435/https://www.gov.nt.ca/ecc/en/services/wildfire-update |archive-date=2023-08-17 |access-date=2023-08-17 |website=www.gov.nt.ca |publisher=Environment and Climate Change Canada |language=en}}

On 19 August 2023, 87 percent of the city was evacuated as of 6:58 am (ET), with only 2,600 of the original 20,000 remaining, 1,000 of whom were essential workers.{{Cite web |last=Graveland |first=Bill |title='Most of the people are now gone': Yellowknife nearly emptied as fire fight continues |url=https://www.cp24.com/news/most-of-the-people-are-now-gone-yellowknife-nearly-emptied-as-fire-fight-continues-1.6526012 |access-date=2023-08-19 |website=cp24 |language=en}} NWT Premier Caroline Cochrane announced that she had evacuated to Alberta to avoid taking up a space on one of the last planes to leave.{{Cite news |last=Carroll |first=Luke |date=August 19, 2023 |title=Patient dies during evacuation of Yellowknife hospital |work=CBC.ca |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/nwt-wildfire-update-1.6941729 |access-date=August 20, 2023}}

The evacuation order was rescinded 6 September and Yellowknife residents began to return later that day.{{cite web|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-thousands-begin-journey-home-as-yellowknife-evacuation-order-scheduled/ |title=Evacuation order lifted for Yellowknife after three weeks of wildfire danger|date=6 September 2023|access-date=9 September 2023|publisher=The Globe and Mail}} An estimated 1,000 people had been flown home by September 8.{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/thousands-of-residents-return-to-yellowknife-but-many-still-out-in-other-communities/article_aacb7bb7-7793-52b0-bb15-9d8786a2c0a5.html |title=Thousands of residents return to Yellowknife, but many still out in other communities|date=7 September 2023|access-date=9 September 2023|publisher=Toronto Star}}

Geography

File:Old Town and N'Dilo.JPG, making the landscape very rocky, and slightly rolling, with many small lakes.]]

Yellowknife is on the Canadian Shield, which was scoured down to rock during the last ice age. The surrounding landscape is very rocky and slightly rolling, with many small lakes in addition to the larger Great Slave Lake.{{cite web|url=http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/northern/content?pg=ex03-1|title=The Northern Eco-System|first=Curt |last=McManus|publisher=University of Saskatchewan|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}} Trees such as spruce and birch are abundant in the area, as are smaller bushes, but there are also many areas of relatively bare rock with lichen.{{cite web|url=http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/northern/content?pg=ex11-1|title=The Plants and Animals of Northern Canada|publisher=University of Saskatchewan|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}} Yellowknife's high latitude causes a large variation between day and night. Daylight hours range from five hours of daylight in December to 20 hours in June. Civil Twilight lasts all night from late May to mid-July.{{cite web|url=http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/canada/yellowknife|title=Sunrise and sunset for Yellowknife|publisher=Time and Date.com|access-date=18 January 2016}}

= Climate =

Yellowknife has a subarctic climate (Köppen: Dfc, Trewartha Ecld). Although winter is predominantly polar, rapid heat waves emerge at the summit of summer due to the immense path south.{{cite web|title=The High Subarctic Forest-Tundra of Northwestern Canada: Position, Width, and Vegetation Gradients in Relation to Climate|publisher=University of Calgary|first1=K.P.|last1=Timoney|first2=G.H.|last2=la Roi|first3=S.C.|last3=Zoltai|first4=A.L.|last4=Robinson|url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic45-1-1.pdf|year=1991|access-date=2 March 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=3 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003195826/http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic45-1-1.pdf|url-status=dead}} The city averages less than {{cvt|300|mm}} of precipitation annually, as it lies in the rain shadow of mountain ranges to the west. Due to its location on Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife has a frost-free growing season that averages slightly over 100 days.{{cite web|url=http://www.cen.ulaval.ca/paleo/publications/Articles/Pienitz.1997b.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409145807/http://www.cen.ulaval.ca/paleo/publications/Articles/Pienitz.1997b.pdf |archive-date=9 April 2008|title=Physical and chemical limnology|publisher=University of Laval|access-date=2 March 2008|df=dmy-all}} In an occasional year, the first fall frost does not come until October.{{Cite web|url=https://climate.weather.gc.ca/climate_data/daily_data_e.html?hlyRange=1953-01-01%7C2013-01-17&dlyRange=1942-07-01%7C2013-01-16&mlyRange=1942-01-01%7C2007-11-01&StationID=1706&Prov=NT&urlExtension=_e.html&searchType=stnName&optLimit=specDate&StartYear=1840&EndYear=2019&selRowPerPage=25&Line=0&searchMethod=contains&Month=9&Day=25&txtStationName=yellowknife&timeframe=2&Year=2012|title=Daily Data Report for September 2012 - Climate - Environment and Climate Change Canada|website=climate.weather.gc.ca}} Most of the limited precipitation falls between June and October, with April being the driest month of the year and August having the most rainfall. Snow that falls in winter accumulates on the ground until the spring thaw.

File:Ice Fog in Yellowknife.jpg can develop on the coldest winter mornings]]

Yellowknife experiences very cold winters and mild to warm summers. The average temperature in January is around {{cvt|-26|C}} and {{cvt|17|C}} in July. According to Environment and Climate Change Canada, Yellowknife has the sunniest summer in the country, averaging 1,034 hours from June to August.{{cite web|url=http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/winners/categorydata_e.html?SelectedCategory=43&submit=Submit |archive-url=https://archive.today/20121216035648/http://www.climate.weatheroffice.gc.ca/winners/categorydata_e.html?SelectedCategory=43&submit=Submit |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 December 2012 |title=Sunniest Summer |work=Weather Winners |publisher=Environment Canada |access-date=15 May 2013 }} The lowest temperature ever recorded in Yellowknife was {{cvt|-51.2|C}} on 31 January 1947, and the highest was {{cvt|32.6|C}} on 2 August 2021. Yellowknife averages 2256.5 hours of bright sunshine per year or 43.5% of possible daylight hours, ranging from a low of 15.4% in December to a high of 63.0% in June. Due to its warm summer temperatures, Yellowknife is well below the Arctic tree line in stark contrast to areas farther east in Canada on similar parallels.

In 2014, Environment Canada ranked Yellowknife as having the coldest winter and longest snow cover season, along with the sunniest spring and summer, of any city in Canada.{{cite web|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-the-coldest-sunniest-city-in-canada-1.2499278|title=Yellowknife the coldest, sunniest city in Canada|publisher=CBC News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230822225358/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-the-coldest-sunniest-city-in-canada-1.2499278

|archive-date=2023-08-22}}

{{Yellowknife weatherbox}}

= Arsenic contamination =

The area has elevated levels of arsenic due to the region's geology and past mining operations. The bedrock contains arsenopyrite, a naturally occurring mineral that contains arsenic, iron, and sulfur. Gold mining in the 20th century released large amounts of arsenic into the environment. The roasting process used to extract gold from arsenopyrite ores created arsenic trioxide as a byproduct, which was often released directly into the environment.

The Giant Mine, which operated from 1948 to 2004, left behind 237,000 tonnes of arsenic trioxide waste on site. The mine is located 4 km north of Yellowknife's city limits. The Government of the Northwest Territories is working with researchers to monitor and study arsenic levels in the area. The Giant Mine Remediation Project is a billion-dollar cleanup effort that will take about 10 years to complete. There are several ongoing programs to monitor residents for elevated levels of arsenic.{{Cite web | title=Yellowknife's toxic history through the eyes of the Betsina family - North - CBC News | url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/canada-150-betsina-family-nwt-1.4180681 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628165119/http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/canada-150-betsina-family-nwt-1.4180681 | access-date=2025-05-24 | archive-date=2017-06-28}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.hss.gov.nt.ca/en/newsroom/arsenic-lake-water-around-yellowknife|title=Arsenic in Lake Water Around Yellowknife|first=Health and Social|last=Services|website=www.hss.gov.nt.ca}}

Cityscape

File:Downtown Yellowknife 2.jpg

Yellowknife, like most other urban centres, has distinct commercial, industrial, and residential areas. Frame Lake, Niven Lake, Range Lake, and Old Town are the residential sectors, with some of the population living in high-rises in the downtown core. Niven Lake is the only area under active development and expansion.{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2008-02/feb22_08niv.html|title=Contractor cries foul|publisher=Northern News Services|access-date=2 March 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060101/http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2008-02/feb22_08niv.html|url-status=dead}} Downtown Yellowknife is home to most of the city's commercial activity, though some retail does exist in Range Lake. Industrial activity is limited to the Kam Lake and airport subdivisions.{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Planning+and+Lands/Smarth+Growth+Redevelopment+Plan+Terms+of+Reference.pdf |title=Yellowknife Smart Growth Redevelopment Plan |publisher=City of Yellowknife |access-date=2 March 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213822/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Planning%2Band%2BLands/Smarth%2BGrowth%2BRedevelopment%2BPlan%2BTerms%2Bof%2BReference.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}

= Houseboats =

Jolliffe Island sits in Yellowknife Bay and is public land under the jurisdiction of the City of Yellowknife after a land purchase when Imperial Oil vacated the site.{{cite web|title=Old Town Heritage Walking Tour of Yellowknife|url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/resources/old-town-heritage-walking-tour-of-yellowknife.pdf|website=Yellowknife.ca|publisher=City of Yellowknife|access-date=19 December 2014|archive-date=19 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219073642/http://www.yellowknife.ca/en/discovering-yellowknife/resources/old-town-heritage-walking-tour-of-yellowknife.pdf|url-status=dead}} The island is surrounded by a community of houseboats, where people have been living off the grid since 1978.{{cite web|last1=Rendell|first1=Mark|title=Who Was the First Houseboater on Yellowknife Bay|work=EDGE |date=6 October 2014 |url=http://edgeyk.com/article/who-was-the-first-houseboater-on-yk-bay/|publisher=EdgeYK |access-date=19 December 2014}} Their relationship with the city is complex and often strained as the houseboats are popular with sightseers, but at the same time their residents live outside of the city's tax jurisdiction while still using city services, leading to lawsuits and tensions with the City of Yellowknife.{{cite web|last1=Rendell|first1=Mark|title=Council Briefs|url=http://edgeyk.com/article/council-briefs-nov-10-licensing-latham-island-floatplane-docks/|publisher=EdgeYK |access-date=19 December 2014|archive-date=19 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219080939/http://edgeyk.com/article/council-briefs-nov-10-licensing-latham-island-floatplane-docks/|url-status=dead}}

Government

File:Yellowknife, NT, city hall.jpg

Yellowknife has a municipal government system and is governed by the Yellowknife City Council, which consists of an elected mayor and eight councillors.{{cite web|url=http://yellowknife.ca/City_Hall/City_Council.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308202630/http://www.yellowknife.ca/City_Hall/City_Council.html |archive-date=8 March 2008|title=City Council|publisher=City of Yellowknife|access-date=23 February 2008|df=dmy-all}} The Government of the Northwest Territories delegates powers to the municipality through legislative acts and regulations. Council meetings are held in the Council Chambers at City Hall on the second and fourth Monday of each month, and are open to the public. Municipal elections are held every three years.{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic+Development/Community+Profile+2006.pdf |title=Yellowknife Community Profile 2006 |publisher=City of Yellowknife |date=17 August 2006 |access-date=9 May 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090127002046/http://yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic%2BDevelopment/Community%2BProfile%2B2006.pdf |archive-date=27 January 2009 |df=dmy-all}} The current mayor of Yellowknife is Ben Hendriksen, former deputy and acting mayor who was appointed to succeeded Rebecca Alty. Alty, who ran for the Liberal Party, was the successful candidate in Northwest Territories electorial district at the 2025 Canadian federal election.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/ben-hendriksen-appointed-yellowknife-mayor-1.7526330 |title=Ben Hendriksen appointed Yellowknife mayor for remaining 1.5-year term |date=5 May 2025 |access-date=14 May 2025 | publisher=CBC News}}

Yellowknife is represented in the territorial government by seven of the 19 members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories. These members, referred to as MLAs, are elected every four years and sit in the Northwest Territories Legislative Building, located in Yellowknife. The MLAs elect the Speaker of the House as well as six cabinet ministers and a premier, which forms the Executive Council of the Northwest Territories, also known as the cabinet.{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/publicinformationfactsheets.aspx|title=Consensus Government|publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=2 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071225102109/http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/wpPages/publicinformationfactsheets.aspx |archive-date=25 December 2007|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} In addition, a Commissioner is appointed by the Federal Government to fulfil a similar role to that of the Lieutenant Governor.{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/visitors/what-consensus/differences-provincial-governments|title=Differences from Provincial Governments|date=28 November 2012 |publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=30 January 2014|df=dmy-all}} The Northwest Territories is one of only two federal, provincial or territorial jurisdictions in Canada that operate under a consensus system of government.

The Northwest Territories is in the federal electoral riding of the Northwest Territories and has one Member of Parliament, Rebecca Alty, and one Senator, Margaret Dawn Anderson.{{cite web|url=http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/membersofparliament/ProfileConstituency.aspx?Key=572&Language=E |title=Constituency Profile - Western Arctic |publisher=Government of Canada |access-date=23 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080113035038/http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/ProfileConstituency.aspx?Key=572&Language=E |archive-date=13 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://sen.parl.gc.ca/nsibbeston/|title=Senator for the Northwest Territories|publisher=Government of Canada|access-date=23 February 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=27 March 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080327013238/http://sen.parl.gc.ca/nsibbeston/|url-status=dead}} Yellowknife is home to seven of the 19 electoral districts in the Northwest Territories, the Frame Lake, Great Slave, Kam Lake, Range Lake, Yellowknife Centre, Yellowknife North and Yellowknife South ridings.{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsnwt.ca/english/constituency_maps.html |title=Constituency Maps |publisher=Elections NWT |access-date=2 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071215234639/http://www.electionsnwt.ca/english/constituency_maps.html |archive-date=15 December 2007 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all}}

Economy

File:Snap Lake Diamond Mine Processing Plant.jpg, located {{cvt|220|km}} northeast of Yellowknife. Yellowknife's economy recovered in the 1990s due to a number of diamond mines located outside the city.]]

As the largest city in the Northwest Territories, Yellowknife is the hub for mining, industry, transportation, communications, education, health, tourism, commerce, and government activity in the territory.{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/yellowknife-nwt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226213837/http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/en/article/yellowknife-nwt/ |url-status=live |archive-date=26 February 2014 |title=Yellowknife (NWT) - Economy |encyclopedia=The Canadian Encyclopedia |access-date=23 February 2008|df=dmy-all}} Historically, Yellowknife's economic growth came from gold mining, and later government; however, because of falling gold prices and increased operating costs, the final gold mine closed in 2004, marking a turning point for Yellowknife's economy.{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic+Development/New+Paradigm+for+Economic+Growth.pdf |title=A New Paradigm for Economic Growth |publisher=City of Yellowknife |access-date=23 February 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213549/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic%2BDevelopment/New%2BParadigm%2Bfor%2BEconomic%2BGrowth.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}

After a downturn in the 1990s during the closure of the gold mines and the downsizing of the government workforce in 1999, Yellowknife's economy has recovered, largely because of the diamond boom; the Ekati Diamond Mine, owned and operated by BHP Billiton (sold to Dominion Diamond Corporation in 2013), opened in 1998.{{cite web|url=http://ekati.bhpbilliton.com/about_ekati/history.asp|title=History|publisher=BHP Billiton|access-date=23 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080321102903/http://ekati.bhpbilliton.com/about_ekati/history.asp |archive-date=21 March 2008|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} A second mine, Diavik Diamond Mine, began production in 2003.{{cite web|url=http://www.diavik.ca/history.htm|publisher=Diavik Diamond Mines|title=History|access-date=23 February 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=20 August 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820024408/http://www.diavik.ca/history.htm|url-status=dead}} Production from the two operating mines in 2004 was {{cvt|12618000|carat|kg lb|lk=in}}, valued at over {{CAD|2.1}} billion. This ranked Canada third in world diamond production by value, and sixth by weight. A third mine, the De Beers owned Snap Lake Diamond Mine, received final approval and funding in 2005 and went into production in 2007.{{cite web|url=http://www.debeerscanada.com/files_2/snap_lake/snap_schedule.html |title=Snap Lake: Project Schedule |publisher=De Beers|access-date=2 February 2008 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204231625/http://www.debeerscanada.com/files_2/snap_lake/snap_schedule.html |archive-date=4 February 2008 |df=dmy-all}} De Beers also applied in 2005 for a permit to open the Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project on the property formerly known as Kennady Lake. The mine was officially opened on 20 September 2016, and began commercial production in March 2017.{{cite web

|url=http://www.mveirb.nt.ca/upload/project_document/Draft%20Workplan%20Gahcho%20Kue.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409145809/http://www.mveirb.nt.ca/upload/project_document/Draft%20Workplan%20Gahcho%20Kue.pdf|url-status=dead |archive-date=9 April 2008|title=De Beers Gahcho Kue Diamond Project|publisher=Mackenzie Valley Environmental Impact Review Board|access-date=2 February 2008|df=dmy-all}} As well, growth and expansion in natural gas development and exploration sectors has contributed to this growth. Economic growth in the Northwest Territories was 10.6% in 2003.{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.nt.ca/Statinfo/Generalstats/Scan/Scan_2006.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004103359/http://www.stats.gov.nt.ca/Statinfo/Generalstats/Scan/Scan_2006.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2006 |title=2006 NWT Socio-Economic Scan|publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=12 May 2007|df=dmy-all}}

File:Dept National Defense Yellowknife Northwest Territories Canada 02.jpg building in Yellowknife. The federal government is among the largest employers in Yellowknife.]]

The major employers in Yellowknife include the Territorial Government, the Federal Government, Diavik Diamond Mines, Dominion Diamonds, DeBeers Canada, First Air, NorthwesTel, RTL Robinson Trucking, and the City of Yellowknife. Government employment accounts for 7,644 jobs, a large percentage of those in Yellowknife.{{cite web|url=http://www.stats.gov.nt.ca/Statinfo/PublicSector/employ.otp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070627131416/http://www.stats.gov.nt.ca/Statinfo/PublicSector/employ.otp |archive-date=27 June 2007 |title=Public Sector Employment|publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=12 May 2007|df=dmy-all}}

During winter, the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road is opened for semi-trailer truck traffic to take supplies from Yellowknife north to various mines located in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. This ice road is usually open from the end of January through late March or early April, and Yellowknife becomes the dispatch point for the large number of truck drivers that come north to drive on the ice roads. During the 2007 ice road season, several drivers were featured on the History Channel TV series Ice Road Truckers.

Tourism is the largest renewable industry in the NWT and Yellowknife is the main entry point for visitors. Many tourists come to experience the Northern climate and traditional lifestyle, as well as to see the aurora. In 2004–2005, visitors to the territory spent {{CAD|100.5}} million.

File:Yellow Knife , NWT , Canada - panoramio (16).jpg over Yellowknife]]

The City of Yellowknife raises 50% of its operating revenue through property taxation. Both Yellowknife Education District No. 1 and Yellowknife Catholic School Board also raise a portion of their operating revenue through property taxation. Property taxes in Yellowknife are calculated through property assessment and the municipal and education mill rates. Mill rates in 2005 were 13.84 (residential) and 19.87 (commercial).

Canadian North, a regional airline, was headquartered in Yellowknife,"[https://web.archive.org/web/20071107112248/http://www.canadiannorth.ca/Contact_Us/Administration.asp contact us: administration]" () Canadian North. Retrieved on 17 September 2009. " Head Office – Yellowknife 300, 5201 50 Ave. Yellowknife, NT X1A 3S9 Canada" in the Northwest Tower in downtown. The airline announced that when its lease was to expire in the end of August 2013, the airline will vacate the office and move it and 20 employees out of Yellowknife.Vela, Thandiwe. "[http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2013-04/apr24_13air.html Airline moving jobs south]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20140321065512/http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2013-04/apr24_13air.html Archive]) Northern News Services. Retrieved on 21 March 2014. The airline is now headquartered in Calgary."[http://www.canadiannorth.com/contact/administration Administration]" ([https://web.archive.org/web/20130823223032/http://www.canadiannorth.com/contact/administration Archive]). Canadian North. Retrieved on 21 March 2014. "Head Office – Calgary 200, 580 Palmer Road N.E. Calgary, AB T2E 7R3 Canada" and "Regional Head Office – Iqaluit P.O. Box 70 Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 Canada" and "Regional Office – Yellowknife 202 Nunasi Building, 5109 48th St. Yellowknife, NT X1A 1N5 Canada" and "Operations Office – Edmonton 101 – 3731 52 Avenue East Edmonton AB T9E 0V4 Canada"

= Former regional mines =

File:Collapse of Con Mine.jpg at Con Mine in 2016. The gold mine, just south of the city limits, was in operation from 1938 to 2003. The headframe was the tallest building in the NWT until October 2016.]]

Yellowknife was originally established as a supply centre for numerous gold mines operating in the region in the late 1930s and early 1940s. The following is a list of the major mines, all of which are now closed. There were also tungsten, tantalum and uranium mines in the vicinity. Most mines in the Yellowknife area are within the Kam Group, a part of the Yellowknife greenstone belt.{{cite web|url=http://pubs.aina.ucalgary.ca/arctic/Arctic44-S-102.pdf|title=Satellite Geological Mapping of the Yellowknife Volcanic Belt|publisher=University of Calgary|access-date=2 February 2008|df=dmy-all}}

class="wikitable sortable"

!Mine!!Years of operation!!Minerals mined

Con Mine (includes Rycon)1938–2003gold
Giant Mine1948–2004gold
Ptarmigan and Tom Mine1941–1942, 1985–1997gold
Negus Mine1939–1952gold
Burwash Mine1935gold
Thompson-Lundmark Mine1941–1943, 1947–1949gold
Discovery Mine1950–1969gold
Camlaren Mine1962–1963, 1980–1981gold
Beaulieu Mine1947–1948gold
Outpost Island Mine1941–1942, 1951–1952gold, copper, tungsten
Ruth Mine1942, 1959gold
Rayrock Mine1957–1959uranium
colspan="3" style="text-align:center"|References:Silke, Ryan. 2009. "The Operational History of Mines in the Northwest Territories, Canada". Self Published, November 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.pwnhc.ca/nwtminingcentre/goldinfo.htm|title=A Yellowknife Mining Chronology|publisher=NWT Mining Heritage Society|access-date=23 February 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20040822061239/http://www.pwnhc.ca/nwtminingcentre/goldinfo.htm|archive-date = 22 August 2004|df=dmy-all}}{{cite web|url=http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/miningoilgas/historyexploration.shtml|title=History of Exploration and Development|publisher=Industry, Tourism, and Investment, GNWT|access-date=23 February 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081201183734/http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/miningoilgas/historyexploration.shtml |archive-date=1 December 2008|df=dmy-all}}

Infrastructure

= Emergency services =

File:RCMP HQ Yellowknife.jpg (RCMP) G Division who provide policing in Yellowknife.]]

Policing in Yellowknife is provided by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP); Yellowknife is the headquarters for G Division, and houses more than 30 officers.

The City of Yellowknife Municipal Enforcement Division (MED) is responsible for municipal bylaw infractions and traffic infractions (within city limits). The Yellowknife Fire Department handles the city's fire, ambulance, rescue, and hazardous materials responses.{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic+Development/Community+Profile+2007-2008.pdf |title=Yellowknife Community Profile 2007 |publisher=City of Yellowknife |access-date=23 January 2008|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212032125/http://yellowknife.ca/Assets/Economic%2BDevelopment/Community%2BProfile%2B2007-2008.pdf |archive-date=12 February 2011 |df=dmy-all}} A point of debate has been the implementation of 911 services in Yellowknife (as of 2019, 911 was enabled in the city).{{Cite web|url=https://nnsl.com/yellowknifer/a-history-of-unknowns-nwt-911-system-goes-live/|title=A history of unknowns: NWT 911 system goes live|last=Pearce|first=Nick|date=4 November 2019|website=Northern News Services|language=en-CA|access-date=7 January 2020}} Through a partnership with five other Northwest Territories communities; the cost of installation is currently estimated at around $1 million a year. There have been a number of incidents where emergency services have been either misdirected, or improperly dispatched.{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-12/dec7_07em.html|title=911 might finally come|publisher=Northern News Services|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-date=4 February 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204162124/http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-12/dec7_07em.html|url-status=dead}} Health services are provided through the local Stanton Territorial Hospital. The Yellowknife Primary Care Centre has a broad range of practitioners including physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, counsellors, dieticians and more. Services provided at the Yellowknife Primary Care Centre include mental health, diabetes education, diagnostic imaging, psychiatry and some home care services.{{cite web|url=http://www.yhssa.hss.gov.nt.ca/health/clinics-and-health-centres/yellowknife/yellowknife-primary-care-centre|title=Yellowknife Primary Care Centre|website=www.yhssa.hss.gov.nt.ca|access-date=5 September 2014|archive-date=6 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906000228/http://www.yhssa.hss.gov.nt.ca/health/clinics-and-health-centres/yellowknife/yellowknife-primary-care-centre|url-status=dead}}

= Utilities and services =

== Communications ==

Yellowknife's telephone services were established in 1947 by the independent Yellowknife Telephone Company, owned by investors mostly within the community. The system was sold at the end of 1963 to Canadian National Telecommunications, now Northwestel. Northwestel also provides manual mobile telephone service on VHF frequencies, and by the 1990s also provided cellular services that were later transferred to Bell Mobility. In 2008, northern-based company Ice Wireless entered the market in Yellowknife, providing digital cellular products and services.

Yellowknife's television services, in addition to over-the-air transmission begun in 1967, included the Mackenzie Media cable television system placed in service 1 September 1972, which was sold to Northwestel in late 1995.

== Electricity ==

File:Jackfish Lake generating station 02.JPG.]]

Electricity is provided to Yellowknife by Northland Utilities, serving 6,350 residential and 800 commercial customers. Yellowknife operates almost entirely on hydroelectricity from the Snare-Bluefish systems,{{cite web|url=http://www.iti.gov.nt.ca/publications/2009/energy/FShistoryofelectricityNWT.pdf|title=Energy Generation|publisher=Government of the Northwest Territories|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}} provided by the Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC). NTPC's local production capacity is 67.9 megawatts, 30.89 MW from 10 generators at the Jackfish Diesel Plant, 28.8 MW from Snare Lake, and 7.5 MW from Miramar Bluefish.{{cite web|url=http://www.ntpc.com/communities/powergeneration.html|title=NTPC Profile|publisher=Northwest Territories Power Corporation|access-date=23 January 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090321093108/http://www.ntpc.com/communities/powergeneration.html |archive-date=21 March 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

== Solid waste services ==

Residential garbage removal is through a user pay system, in which residents are allowed three {{cvt|77|L}} garbage bags per week; any additional bags must have a purchased tag. The City of Yellowknife Solid Waste Management Facility is located on the Ingraham Trail (Highway 4) {{cvt|2|km}} north of the city;{{cite web|url=http://www.cjeffery.com/images/City_Facilities_Map.pdf |title=City Facilities |access-date=2 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708161440/http://www.cjeffery.com/images/City_Facilities_Map.pdf |archive-date=8 July 2011|df=dmy-all}} salvaging is encouraged, and the dump is infamous for the number of still useful items often found in it.{{cite web|url=http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-09/sep19_07dm.html|title=Treasure hunting at the dump|publisher=Northern News Services|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080204161913/https://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2007-09/sep19_07dm.html|archive-date=4 February 2008}}

== Water and sewage treatment ==

The City of Yellowknife provides pressurized potable water throughout the majority of the city, and has a network of gravity-fed sewage lines; trucked water and sewage is provided in areas not serviced by piped infrastructure. Sewage, with the aid of lift stations, is pumped to a series of lakes, referred to as Fiddler's Lake Lagoon, where it is held and allowed to naturally decompose. Water is obtained from the Yellowknife River and is disinfected with chlorine and liquid fluoride is added, but is not otherwise filtered or treated.{{cite web|url=http://www.pws.gov.nt.ca/water/Communtiy_Desc/Yellowknife.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090404140419/http://www.pws.gov.nt.ca/water/Communtiy_Desc/Yellowknife.htm |archive-date=4 April 2009|title=Yellowknife Water Supply|publisher=Public Works & Services, GNWT|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}

Transportation

File:Snow removal in yellowknife.jpg

Yellowknife, while isolated geographically, has a modern transportation system.

= Air =

Yellowknife Airport is the busiest airport in northern Canada, having 70,699 aircraft movements in 2007 and handling over 400,000 passengers and 30,000 tonnes of cargo yearly.{{cite web|url=http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/51F0010PIE/2007000/part2.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307173924/http://www.statcan.ca/english/freepub/51F0010PIE/2007000/part2.htm |archive-date=7 March 2008|title=Aircraft Movement Statistics|publisher=Statistics Canada|access-date=23 January 2008|df=dmy-all}} It has two asphalt runways, one {{cvt|7500|ft}} strip and another of {{cvt|5000|ft}};{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/airports/airportProfile.aspx?AirportCode=YZF |title=Airport Profile |publisher=Department of Transportation, GNWT |access-date=23 January 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070227121630/http://www.dot.gov.nt.ca/_live/pages/airports/airportProfile.aspx?AirportCode=YZF |archive-date=27 February 2007|df=dmy-all}} while the Yellowknife Airport is classified as an airport of entry by Nav Canada and is staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency, it is certified for general aviation aircraft only. The Yellowknife airport is designated by the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) as a forward operating location for the CF-18 Hornet.{{CFS}}

= Transit =

YKTransit (formerly Yellowknife Transit) is the public transportation agency in the city, operating three regular services Monday-Saturday and one express route on weekdays. It is the only transit system in the Northwest Territories.{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/City+Clerks/Forms+And+Publications/TransitRouteAnalysisStudyFinalReportOctober2008.pdf |title=Transit Route Analysis Study Final Report |publisher=City of Yellowknife |access-date=26 March 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213754/http://www.yellowknife.ca/Assets/City%2BClerks/Forms%2BAnd%2BPublications/TransitRouteAnalysisStudyFinalReportOctober2008.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2011 |df=dmy-all}}{{Cite web |last=Holden |first=Robert |date=2024-04-10 |title=Yellowknife unveils new city buses, rebranding of transit fleet |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/new-city-yellowknife-buses-unveiled-1.7168880 |access-date=2024-11-15 |website=CBC}}

= Road =

Road construction in Yellowknife is often a challenge due to the presence of permafrost which requires that roads generally be regraded and resurfaced every 10 to 20 years. Most roads in Yellowknife are paved and road width varies from {{cvt|9|to|13.5|m}}. Winter snow removal is done on a regular schedule by the City of Yellowknife public works department. Speed limits are {{cvt|45|km/h}} on most roads, {{cvt|30|km/h}} in school zones, and {{cvt|70|to |100|km/h}} on highways. School zones and playground zones are in effect 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The highway system in the NWT is maintained by the Government of the Northwest Territories. Highway 4 (Ingraham Trail) and Highway 3 (Yellowknife Highway) both run through Yellowknife and are all-weather roads. One well-known, almost infamous, road in Yellowknife is Ragged Ass Road, after which Tom Cochrane named an album.

Until 2012, Yellowknife did not have a permanent road connection to the rest of Canada's highway network, as the Yellowknife Highway relied, depending on the season, on ferry service or an ice road to cross the Mackenzie River.{{cite news |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1295527--deh-cho-bridge-ends-north-s-reliance-on-ice-road |title=Deh Cho Bridge ends North's reliance on ice road |last=Green |first=Jeff |date=29 November 2012|newspaper=Toronto Star | access-date=30 November 2012|df=dmy-all}} With the completion of the Deh Cho Bridge, which officially opened on 30 November 2012, the city now has its first direct road connection to the rest of the country. One still-used ice road connects Yellowknife with the neighbouring community of Dettah, {{cvt|6.5|km}} to the southeast across an arm of Great Slave Lake; or a {{cvt|27|km}} drive via the Ingraham Trail.

Education

= Primary and secondary =

Yellowknife has three publicly funded school boards (districts) that provide kindergarten and grades 1–12:

The NWT Montessori Society offers the Montessori program up to Grade 5 at Yellowknife Education District No. 1's Macpherson School.{{cite web |title=YK1 Public Montessori Stream |url=http://ykmontessori.ca/programs/yk1-stream/ |publisher=NWT Montessori Society |access-date=16 June 2023}}

=Post-secondary=

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Yellowknife had a population of {{val|20340|fmt=commas}} living in {{val|7519|fmt=commas}} of its {{val|7975|fmt=commas}} total private dwellings, a change of {{percentage|{{#expr:20340-19569}}|19569|1}} from its 2016 population of {{val|19569|fmt=commas}}. With a land area of {{convert|103.37|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, it had a population density of {{Pop density|20340|103.37|km2|sqmi|prec=1}} in 2021.{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810000202&geocode=A000261 | title=Population and dwelling counts: Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), Northwest Territories | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=February 9, 2022 | accessdate=February 18, 2022}}

As of the 2016 Census, there were 19,569 people and 7,130 households in the city. The population density was {{cvt|185.5|PD/sqkm}}. The 2016 Census found that 22.7% of residents identified as Indigenous. In 2017, the Government of the Northwest Territories reported that the population was 20,834 with an average yearly growth rate of 0.6% from 2007.[https://www.statsnwt.ca/community-data/Profile-PDF/Yellowknife.pdf Yellowknife – Statistical Profile] at the GNWT

In Yellowknife, the population is slightly younger at 34.6 than the average age for the rest of the NWT which is 34.9. However, the population is slightly disproportionate in terms of age distribution compared to the national average of 41.0.{{cite web|url= https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Geo2=PR&Code2=61&Data=Count&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1 |title=Census Profile, 2016 Census Canada [Country] and Northwest Territories [Territory] |author=Statistics Canada |author-link=Statistics Canada|year=2006|access-date=1 September 2018|df=dmy-all}} As of the 2016 figures, 13.9% of residents were 9 or under, 6.0% were from 10 to 14 years old, 13.1% were from 15 to 24, 34.1.2% were from 25 to 44, 22.0% were from 45 to 59, and 10.9% were 60 or older.

In 2016, the average household size was 2.7 and the majority of the population with children had either one or two. In 2015, the average income in the city was {{CAD|73,500,}} and the average income for a family was {{CAD|160,394,}} with 7.9% of all families earning less than $30,000. Minimum wage in Yellowknife and the NWT is {{CAD|13.46}} (2018).{{cite web|url=http://srv116.services.gc.ca/dimt-wid/sm-mw/rpt1.aspx?lang=eng#ftb2-ref |title=Current And Forthcoming Minimum Hourly Wage Rates For Experienced Adult Workers in Canada |publisher=services.gc.ca |access-date=1 June 2012|df=dmy-all}} Average household expenditures were {{CAD|125,783}} in 2015.{{cite web|url=https://www.statsnwt.ca/prices-expenditures/household_expenditures|title=Household Expenditure – Results|publisher=NWT Bureau of Statistics|access-date=1 September 2018|df=dmy-all}} In 2016, the unemployment rate was at 5.9%; the employment rate for males was 80.1%, for females it was 75.2%.

The crime rate in Yellowknife for 2016 was 46.7 (per 1,000 persons) for violent crimes, and 167.2 (per 1,000 persons) for property crimes. There were 299 births and 62 deaths in 2014.

File:Yellowknife City Hall 4.jpg at Yellowknife City Hall. According to the 2021 Census, Indigenous peoples make up 24.2 percent of residents in Yellowknife.]]

{{Historical populations

| title = Federal census population history of Yellowknife

| type = Canada

| align = left

| cols = 2

| width =

| state =

| shading =

| percentages =

|1941|1410

|1951|2724

|1956|3100

|1961|3245

|1966|3741

|1971|6122

|1976|8256

|1981|9483

|1986|11753

|1991|15179

|1996|17275

|2001|16541

|2006|18736

|2011|19234

|2016|19569

|2021|20340

| footnote =

| source = Statistics Canada
{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table.cfm?Lang=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=86&O=A&RPP=9999&PR=61 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2016 and 2011 censuses – 100% data (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=8 February 2017 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}{{cite book | url= https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS98-1951M-7.pdf | title=Ninth Census of Canada, 1951 | publisher=Dominion Bureau of Statistics | volume=SP-7 (Population: Unincorporated villages and hamlets) | date=31 March 1954 | accessdate=2 February 2022}}{{cite book | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS92-539-1961.pdf | title=1961 Census of Canada | series=Series 1.1: Historical, 1901–1961 | volume=I: Population | publisher=Dominion Bureau of Statistics | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 6: Population by census subdivisions, 1901–1961 | date=8 March 1963 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}{{cite book | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS92-702-1971.pdf | title=1971 Census of Canada | series=Population | volume=Census Subdivisions (Historical) | publisher=Statistics Canada | location=Ottawa | chapter=Table 2: Population of Census Subdivisions, 1921–1971 | date=July 1973 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS92-805-1976.pdf | title=1976 Census of Canada: Population - Geographic Distributions | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=June 1977 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2017/statcan/CS94-905-1981.pdf | title=1981 Census of Canada: Census subdivisions in decreasing population order | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=May 1992 | accessdate=1 February 2021}}{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS92-101-1987.pdf | title=1986 Census: Population - Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=September 1987 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2013/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-304-1992.pdf | title=91 Census: Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions - Population and Dwelling Counts | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=April 1992 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2012/statcan/rh-hc/CS93-357-1997.pdf | title=96 Census: A National Overview - Population and Dwelling Counts | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=April 1997 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/popdwell/Table-CSD-P.cfm?T=1&SR=1&S=1&O=A&PR=61 | title=Population and Dwelling Counts, for Canada, Provinces and Territories, and Census Subdivisions (Municipalities), 2001 and 1996 Censuses - 100% Data (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=15 August 2012 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/corr/updatepages/cgen001-eng.cfm?lvl=H | title=2006 Census Corrections and updates | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=23 June 2009 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}{{cite web | url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/dp-pd/hlt-fst/pd-pl/Table-Tableau.cfm?LANG=Eng&T=302&SR=1&S=51&O=A&RPP=9999&CMA=0&PR=61 | title=Population and dwelling counts, for Canada, provinces and territories, and census subdivisions (municipalities), 2011 and 2006 censuses (Northwest Territories) | publisher=Statistics Canada | date=25 July 2021 | accessdate=1 February 2022}}

}}

{{Historical populations

|align=none

|cols=2

|title=Annual population estimates

|2001|17759

|2002|18402

|2003|19198

|2004|19621

|2005|19640

|2006|19519

|2007|19672

|2008|19846

|2009|19725

|2010|19792

|2011|20063

|2012|20141

|2013|20270

|2014|20325

|2015|20561

|2016|20849

|2017|21052

|2018|21154

|2019|21183

|footnote= Sources: NWT Bureau of Statistics (2008–2019), NWT Bureau of Statistics (2001–2007)[https://www.statsnwt.ca/population/population-estimates/commtotals_2001-2017.xlsx Population Estimates By Community] from the GNWT

}}

{{clear}}

= Immigration =

The 2021 census reported that immigrants (individuals born outside Canada) comprise 3,260 persons or 16.4% of the total population of Yellowknife. Of the total immigrant population, the top countries of origin were Philippines (965 persons or 29.6%), India (200 persons or 6.1%), United Kingdom (195 persons or 6.0%), Vietnam (160 persons or 4.9%), United States of America (110 persons or 3.4%), Germany (95 persons or 2.9%), Zimbabwe (75 persons or 2.3%), South Africa (75 persons or 2.3%), China (75 persons or 2.3%), Bangladesh (65 persons or 2.0%), Somalia (65 persons or 2.0%), and Pakistan (65 persons or 2.0%).

Yellowknife is home to 695 recent immigrants (arriving between 2011 and 2016) who now make up 3.7% of the population. Of the recent immigrants 70.5% came from Asia; 15.1% from Africa and 7.2% from both the Americas and Europe. Of the recent immigrants 40.0% came from the Philippines, while 10.8% came from several African countries,Countries not included in this figure are Algeria, Cameroon, Congo, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, Somalia, South Africa, and Tunisia. 5.8% each from India, the United Kingdom and Vietnam, 4.3% from each of Japan and South Korea and 2.2% from Israel.

= Ethnicity =

As of 2021, Yellowknife has a slight European majority with a population of 11,110 (55.8% of total). The total Indigenous peoples population is 4,810 representing 24.2% of the population (14.6% First Nations, 5.3% Métis, 3.5% Inuit, and 0.8% gave other Indigenous response). Other ethnic groups include Filipino with 1,375 residents (6.9% of total), Black with 875 residents (4.4% of total), and South Asian with 615 residents (3.1% of total) with a total visible minority population of 3,990 (20.0% of total).

class="wikitable collapsible sortable"

|+ Panethnic groups in the City of Yellowknife (2001−2021)

! rowspan="2" |Panethnic
group

! colspan="2" |2021

! colspan="2" |2016{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2021-10-27 |title= Census Profile, 2016 Census |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5935010&Geo2=CD&Code2=5935&SearchText=kelowna&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&TABID=1&type=0 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}

! colspan="2" |2011{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2015-11-27 |title= NHS Profile |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5935010&Data=Count&SearchText=kelowna&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=All&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}

! colspan="2" |2006{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-08-20 |title= 2006 Community Profiles |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5935010&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&SearchText=kelowna&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}

! colspan="2" |2001{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2019-07-02 |title= 2001 Community Profiles |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=CSD&Code1=5935010&Geo2=PR&Code2=59&Data=Count&SearchText=kelowna&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}

Population

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

!{{abbr|Pop.|Population}}

!{{Abbr|%|percentage}}

European{{efn|Statistic includes all persons that did not make up part of a visible minority or an indigenous identity.|name="euro"}}

| 11,110

| {{Percentage | 11110 | 19910 | 2 }}

| 11,595

| {{Percentage | 11595 | 19285 | 2 }}

| 11,830

| {{Percentage | 11830 | 18830 | 2 }}

| 12,575

| {{Percentage | 12575 | 18510 | 2 }}

| 11,570

| {{Percentage | 11570 | 16450 | 2 }}

Indigenous

| 4,810

| {{Percentage | 4810 | 19910 | 2 }}

| 4,460

| {{Percentage | 4460 | 19285 | 2 }}

| 4,780

| {{Percentage | 4780 | 18830 | 2 }}

| 4,105

| {{Percentage | 4105 | 18510 | 2 }}

| 3,640

| {{Percentage | 3640 | 16450 | 2 }}

Southeast Asian{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Filipino" and "Southeast Asian" under visible minority section on census.|name="SoutheastAsian"}}

| 1,645

| {{Percentage | 1645 | 19910 | 2 }}

| 1,290

| {{Percentage | 1290 | 19285 | 2 }}

| 950

| {{Percentage | 950 | 18830 | 2 }}

| 915

| {{Percentage | 915 | 18510 | 2 }}

| 555

| {{Percentage | 555 | 16450 | 2 }}

African

| 875

| {{Percentage | 875 | 19910 | 2 }}

| 610

| {{Percentage | 610 | 19285 | 2 }}

| 465

| {{Percentage | 465 | 18830 | 2 }}

| 310

| {{Percentage | 310 | 18510 | 2 }}

| 140

| {{Percentage | 140 | 16450 | 2 }}

South Asian

| 615

| {{Percentage | 615 | 19910 | 2 }}

| 510

| {{Percentage | 510 | 19285 | 2 }}

| 125

| {{Percentage | 125 | 18830 | 2 }}

| 135

| {{Percentage | 135 | 18510 | 2 }}

| 140

| {{Percentage | 140 | 16450 | 2 }}

East Asian{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Chinese", "Korean", and "Japanese" under visible minority section on census.|name="EastAsian"}}

| 385

| {{Percentage | 385 | 19910 | 2 }}

| 450

| {{Percentage | 450 | 19285 | 2 }}

| 375

| {{Percentage | 375 | 18830 | 2 }}

| 260

| {{Percentage | 260 | 18510 | 2 }}

| 250

| {{Percentage | 250 | 16450 | 2 }}

Middle Eastern{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "West Asian" and "Arab" under visible minority section on census.|name="MiddleEastern"}}

| 215

| {{Percentage | 215 | 19910 | 2 }}

| 110

| {{Percentage | 110 | 19285 | 2 }}

| 130

| {{Percentage | 130 | 18830 | 2 }}

| 80

| {{Percentage | 80 | 18510 | 2 }}

| 60

| {{Percentage | 60 | 16450 | 2 }}

Latin American

| 90

| {{Percentage | 90 | 19910 | 2 }}

| 110

| {{Percentage | 110 | 19285 | 2 }}

| 85

| {{Percentage | 85 | 18830 | 2 }}

| 70

| {{Percentage | 70 | 18510 | 2 }}

| 50

| {{Percentage | 50 | 16450 | 2 }}

Other{{efn|Statistic includes total responses of "Visible minority, {{abbr|n.i.e.|not included elsewhere}}" and "Multiple visible minorities" under visible minority section on census.|name="Other"}}

| 155

| {{Percentage | 155 | 19910 | 2 }}

| 165

| {{Percentage | 165 | 19285 | 2 }}

| 100

| {{Percentage | 100 | 18830 | 2 }}

| 60

| {{Percentage | 60 | 18510 | 2 }}

| 40

| {{Percentage | 40 | 16450 | 2 }}

Total responses

! 19,910

! {{Percentage | 19910 | 20340 | 2 }}

! 19,285

! {{Percentage | 19285 | 19569 | 2 }}

! 18,830

! {{Percentage | 18830 | 19234 | 2 }}

! 18,510

! {{Percentage | 18510 | 18700 | 2 }}

! 16,450

! {{Percentage | 16450 | 16541 | 2 }}

Total population

! 20,340

! {{Percentage | 20340 | 20340 | 2 }}

! 19,569

! {{Percentage | 19569 | 19569 | 2 }}

! 19,234

! {{Percentage | 19234 | 19234 | 2 }}

! 18,700

! {{Percentage | 18700 | 18700 | 2 }}

! 16,541

! {{Percentage | 16541 | 16541 | 2 }}

  • Note: Totals greater than 100% due to multiple origin responses.

= Language =

English was the mother tongue of 80.0% of residents and 3.2% spoke French. Of the nine official languages of the Northwest Territories 0.4% spoke Chipewyan (Dene); 0.1% spoke a Cree language; 0.1% spoke Gwich’in; 0.4% spoke Inuktitut; 0.1% spoke Inuinnaqtun or Inuvialuktun; 0.6% spoke North or South Slavey and 1.2% spoke Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib). In total 3.0% of the population said that an Indigenous language was their mother tongue.[http://www.nwtlanguagescommissioner.ca/nwt-official-languages/ Northwest Territories Official Languages Act, 1988] (as amended 1988, 1991–1992, 2003)

Not including the 11 official languages there are over 70 different languages that Yellowknifers stated were their mother tongue. These include Indo-European languages (4.2%); Austronesian languages (3.9%); Indo-Iranian languages and Germanic languages (1.1% each); Sino-Tibetan languages and Chinese languages and Indo-Aryan languages (1.0% each). The five main individual languages are Tagalog (3.2%); Vietnamese (0.8%); German (0.6%); Cantonese and Spanish (0.5% each).

= Religion =

According to the 2021 census, religious groups in Yellowknife included:{{Cite web |last=Government of Canada |first=Statistics Canada |date=2022-10-26 |title= Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&GENDERlist=1,2,3&STATISTIClist=1&HEADERlist=0&DGUIDlist=2021A00056106023&SearchText=yellowknife |access-date=2022-11-11 |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca}}

In the 2001 Census, almost 73% of residents identified as Christian while 24% said they had no religious affiliation. For specific denominations, Statistics Canada found that 36% of residents identified as Roman Catholic, 11% as Anglican, 10% for the United Church, about 2% each as Baptists, Lutheran, and Pentecostal, and more than 1% for The Salvation Army.{{cite web |title = Yellowknife |work = Religion (95A), Age Groups (7A) and Sex (3) for Population, for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas 1 and Census Agglomerations, 1991 and 2001 Censuses – 20% Sample Data |publisher = Statistics Canada |date = 1 March 2007 |url = https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=2&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=55822&PRID=0&PTYPE=55430,53293,55440,55496,71090&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2001&THEME=56&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |access-date = 2 September 2018|df=dmy-all}} There were also 135 Buddhists, 125 Muslims, and 15 Jews.

Culture

= Events =

File:Snowking Ice Castle Courtyard.jpg's castle. The festival is an annual festival that is centred around a snow castle on the Great Slave Lake.]]

  • Folk on the Rocks is a local music festival that has been an annual occurrence since 1980. The event features a wide variety of musical acts; it is not limited to only Folk. In the past, it has drawn acts such as Buffy Sainte-Marie, the Trailer Park Boys, The Weakerthans, African Guitar Summit, Corb Lund, Fred Penner, Stan Rogers, Gord Downie, Tanya Tagaq, Dan Mangan, Sam Roberts Band, Sloan, The Strumbellas, Joel Plaskett, Ron Sexsmith and Hawksley Workman.{{cite web|url=http://www.folkontherocks.com/archives.php|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070708205606/http://www.folkontherocks.com/archives.php |archive-date=8 July 2007|title=Performer Archives|publisher=Folk on the Rocks Music Festival|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}
  • The Midnight Sun Golf Tournament, with games played through the city's well-lit summer nights, is also a significant cultural event.{{cite web|url=http://www.yellowknifegolf.com/Home/tabid/36/Default.aspx|title=Home|publisher=The Yellowknife Golf Club|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}
  • During the winter, there is the Snowking Winter Festival, featuring a snow castle on Great Slave Lake which hosts a month of cultural activities{{cite web|url=http://www.snowking.ca|title=13th Annual Winter Festival|publisher=The Snowking|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}
  • The Long John Jamboree,{{cite web|url=http://www.longjohnjamboree.ca/|title=Long John Jamboree|website=Long John Jamboree}} a new winter festival, took place 23–25 March 2012 on the frozen Yellowknife Bay next to the Snowking castle, in Yellowknife's Old Town neighbourhood. Events include an ice sculpture contest sponsored by De Beers Canada, cultural events like Dene hand games, games, live music, a beer garden, food vendors, skating rink, artist's market, and much more.
  • Yellowknife hosted the inaugural 1970 Arctic Winter Games, and has since hosted athletes and artists from circumpolar regions at the biennial multi-sport and multi-cultural event in 1984, 1990, 1998, and 2008 Arctic Winter Games.
  • The Old Town Ramble & Ride Festival started in 2006 and happens every summer for three days on the August long weekend. This free outdoor festival promotes local art, culture, music, artisans, dance, storytelling, workshops, tours, children's area and more.
  • The Yellowknife International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in the city.Emily Blake, [https://cabinradio.ca/47895/news/arts/watch-the-yellowknife-international-film-festival-from-your-sofa/ "Watch the Yellowknife International Film Festival from your sofa"]. Cabin Radio, 23 October 2020. The Dead North Film Festival, a genre film festival for horror, fantasy and science fiction films, was also staged from 2012 to 2020, but is currently on hiatus.[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/dead-north-film-festival-done-1.5723976 "Yellowknife's Dead North Film Festival dead ... for now"]. CBC North, 14 September 2020.
  • Yellowknife Farmers Market is a seasonal farmers market in Yellowknife, held every Tuesday from June to September at Somba K'e Civic Plaza.{{cite web |url=http://yellowknifefarmersmarket.ca/ |website=Yellowknife Farmers Market |title=Yellowknife Farmers Market |access-date=4 March 2023 |language=en}}

= Attractions =

{{multiple image

| direction = vertical

| width = 220

| image1 = The Gold Range.jpg

| caption1 = The Gold Range is a prominent hotel and bar located in Yellowknife.

| image2 = Yellowknife Wildcat Cafe (angle).JPG

| caption2 = First opened in 1937, Wildcat Cafe is the oldest restaurant in Yellowknife.

| image3 = Elon Muskox.jpg

| caption3 = Elon Muskox, a muskox sculpture at the front of Yellowknife City Hall (summer).

}}

Some notable places to visit in Yellowknife include:

  • The Wildcat Cafe, which first opened in 1937. The popular restaurant still operates in its original building during the summer, which was moved to its current location after being saved from demolition in the late 1970s. The Wildcat Cafe was renovated from 2011 to 2013. The City hosted a grand opening of the new Wildcat Cafe on 16 June 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.civilization.ca/hist/phase2/mod11e.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123234805/http://www.civilization.ca/hist/phase2/mod11e.html|archive-date=23 January 2008|title=North of 60° – Visions of the New North|publisher=Canadian Museum of Civilization|access-date=2 February 2008|df=dmy-all}}
  • The Gold Range Bar (also known as The Strange Range and listed in the circa 1989 phonebook as such), one of the oldest and most colourful drinking establishments in the Northwest Territories and featured in Elizabeth Hay's novel "Late Nights On Air" and Mordecai Richler's novel Solomon Gursky Was Here.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JzxbAAAAMAAJ |title=Solomon Gursky Was Here|access-date=30 June 2008|isbn=978-0-670-82526-4|last=Richler |first=Mordecai|year=1989|publisher=Viking }}
  • Downtown contains the Capital Area Park, a short but pleasant stroll by City Hall,{{cite web |url=http://www.yellowknife.ca/home.html |title=City of Yellowknife |publisher=Yellowknife.ca |date=3 January 2011 |access-date=2 March 2011|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706213842/http://www.yellowknife.ca/home.html |archive-date=6 July 2011|df=dmy-all}} the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre,{{cite web |url=http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/ |title=Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre |publisher=Pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca |access-date=2 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511100202/http://pwnhc.learnnet.nt.ca/ |archive-date=11 May 2011 |df=dmy-all}} the Legislature.{{cite web|url=http://www.assembly.gov.nt.ca/ |title=Northwest Territories Legislative Building |publisher=Assembly.gov.nt.ca |date=2 February 2011 |access-date=2 March 2011|df=dmy-all}}
  • The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre is a museum containing exhibits of the history and culture of Inuit, Inuvialuit, Dene, Métis and non-aboriginal peoples of the NWT. It is found just north of downtown on an attractive location overlooking Frame Lake.
  • Near the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, the Northwest Territories Legislative Building houses the territory's legislative assembly.
  • The Northern Arts and Cultural Centre, which is located in Sir John Franklin High School and is the city's largest indoor stage for theatre and musical presentations.{{cite web|url=http://www.naccnt.ca/|title=Welcome to the Northern Arts and Cultural Centre|publisher=Northern Arts and Cultural Centre|access-date=15 April 2008|df=dmy-all}}
  • Elon the Muskox (Elon Muskox), a mosaiculture horticultural living sculpture of a muskox exhibited in front of City Hall.{{cite news |url= https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/yellowknife-muskox-name-1.4955290 |title= Meet Elon Muskox, the Yellowknife sculpture named after Tesla CEO |date= 21 December 2018 |work= CBC News |publisher= Canadian Broadcasting Corporation }}{{cite news |url= https://nationalpost.com/news/meet-elon-muskox-yellowknifes-grassy-haired-attraction |title= Meet Elon Muskox – Yellowknife's newest grassy-haired attraction, named after the Tesla CEO |author= Tyler Dawson |date= 21 December 2018 |newspaper= National Post }}
  • Centre Square Mall: Northwest Territories' largest shopping mall and the tallest building in Northern Canada. Centre Square Mall contains many shops, the Yellowknife Public Library, and the Yellowknife Visitor Centre.{{cite web |title=Check out Centre Square Mall's Store Directory in Yellowknife |url=https://www.ykcentresquaremall.com/ |website=Centre Square Mall |access-date=15 October 2022 |archive-date=15 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015204014/https://www.ykcentresquaremall.com/ |url-status=dead }}

Other notable attractions include the Ingraham Trail, local fishing lodges, bush plane tours, the unique architecture of Old Town with the Bush Pilots monument, and any of the numerous lakes surrounding Yellowknife, many of which include beaches.

== Historical sites ==

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

{{div end}}

Media

= Print =

The Yellowknifer, published by Northern News Services, is the major newspaper serving Yellowknife, published twice weekly on Wednesday and Friday. Northern News Services also publishes Northwest Territories News/North every Monday, which serves the entire NWT. As well, there is L'Aquilon, a French language newspaper published weekly. Up Here magazine is based in Yellowknife, offering northern-related news and lifestyle articles. Edge Magazine, which began in 2011, was also based in Yellowknife and it covered arts, events, people, culture and economy around the city.

= Radio =

class="wikitable sortable"

!Frequency!!Call sign!!Branding!!Format!!Owner!!Notes

FM 95.3

|CBNY-FM

|CBC Music

|Assorted music, public radio

|Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

|Rebroadcaster of CBU-FM (Vancouver)

FM 98.9

|CFYK-FM

|CBC Radio One

|Talk radio, public radio

|Canadian Broadcasting Corporation

|Part of CBC North

FM 100.1

|CJCD-FM

|100.1 True North FM

|Adult contemporary

|Vista Broadcast Group

|

FM 101.9

|CKLB-FM

|CKLB Radio: The Voice of Denendeh

|Community radio

|Native Communications Society of the Northwest Territories

|First Nations community radio

FM 103.5

|CIVR-FM

|Radio Taïga

|Community radio

|Société Radio Taïga

|French language community radio

Cabin Radio, an internet radio service, was launched in 2017.Nick Dunne, [https://thehub.ca/2024/02/23/nick-dunne-on-cabin-radio/ "The Northwest Territories’ Cabin Radio: A part of Canada’s North"]. The Hub, February 23, 2024. It applied in 2019 for a CRTC license to launch as a community radio station, but its application was denied.Natalie Pressman, [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cabin-radio-yellowknife-options-narrow-1.7007032 "Cabin Radio's 'fiercely loyal' fans show support for Yellowknife station as it fights for FM licence"]. CBC North, October 25, 2023. A new application was heard by the CRTC in 2025.Jocelyn Shepel, [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/cabin-radio-vista-radio-fm-licence-1.7456699 "Cabin Radio, Vista Radio each seek new FM licence at CRTC hearing in Yellowknife"]. CBC North, February 12, 2025.

= Television =

{{More citations needed|1=section|date=November 2024}}

{{outdated|French-language transmitters|date=November 2024}}

class="wikitable sortable"

!OTA channel!!Call sign!!Network!!Notes

8 (VHF)

|CFYK-DT

|CBC Television

|Flagship television station for CBC North

11 (VHF)

|CHTY-TV

|Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

|Flagship television station for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network

13 (VHF){{cn|date=November 2024}}

|CH4127

|Ici Radio-Canada Télé

|Community-owned rebroadcaster of CBFT-DT (Montreal). Status after 2010 is unknown; Ici Grand Nord{{cite web|url=https://www.clo-ocol.gc.ca/sites/default/files/2023-12/nwt-pres8.pdf|title=The French Presence in the Northwest Territories|date=December 2023|accessdate=28 November 2024|publisher=Government of Canada Publications}} and Unis TV{{cite web|url=https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2019/clo-ocol/SF31-141-12-2018-fra.pdf|title=Le fait français dans les Territories du Nord-Ouest|accessdate=28 November 2024|lang=fr-ca|publisher=Government of Canada Publications|date=December 2018}} were instead known to be broadcast on cable as of December 2023.

17 (UHF){{cn|date=November 2024}}

|CHNP-TV{{cn|date=November 2024}}

|Independent station

|Branded on air as “Isuma Local Media”

35 (UHF){{cn|date=November 2024}}

|CHUT-TV{{cn|date=November 2024}}

|Legislative Assembly of Nunavut and the Northwest Territories{{cn|date=November 2024}}

|Branded on-air as “Legislative Assembly Television”{{cn|date=November 2024}}

44 (UHF){{cn|date=November 2024}}

|CKLT-TV{{cn|date=November 2024}}

|Uvagut TV

|

No part of the Northwest Territories is designated as a mandatory market for digital television conversion; only CFYK-DT converted its main transmitter in Yellowknife to digital.

On 10 August 2012, NASA announced that the section of Mars where the Curiosity of the Mars Science Laboratory mission landed would be renamed Yellowknife, in recognition of the city of Yellowknife. Yellowknife is usually where scientists start geological mapping expeditions when researching the oldest known rocks in North America.{{cite news|url=http://www.space.com/17060-mars-rover-curiosity-landing-site-yellowknife.html |title=Curiosity Rover's New Address: Yellowknife, Mars |work=Space.com |date=8 August 2012 |access-date=14 August 2012|df=dmy-all}}

Notable people

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

{{div end}}

See also

Notes

{{notelist}}

References

{{reflist}}

Further reading

{{refbegin}}

  • {{cite book |last=Bastedo |first=Jamie |title=Yellowknife Outdoors: Best Places for Hiking, Biking, Paddling, and Camping |year=2007 |publisher=Red Deer Press |location=Calgary |isbn=978-0-88995-388-8}}
  • {{cite book |last=Eber |first=Dorothy |title=Images of Justice: A Legal History of the Northwest Territories As Traced Through the Yellowknife Courthouse Collection of Inuit Sculpture |year=1997 |series=McGill-Queen's Native and Northern Series |volume=28 |publisher=McGill-Queen's University Press |location=Montreal |isbn=0-7735-1675-1}}
  • {{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=C. P. |last2=Rode |first2=A. |last3=Theriault |first3=A. |title=Reports on the Yellowknife Laboratory and the Ikaluit Research Laboratory : working draft |year=1981 |publisher=Northern Social Research Division, Indian and Northern Affairs |location=Ottawa }}

{{refend}}