City to consult with Indigenous peoples on an arbour for Yellowknife

The City of Yellowknife is planning a consultation with Indigenous organizations on the prospect of constructing an arbour in the community.

A request for proposals issued by the city last month seeks an Indigenous contractor to lead a public consultation that would involve the Yellowknives Dene First Nation and North Slave Métis Alliance among others.

Indigenous groups will be asked for input on “the preliminary design and development of an arbour within Yellowknife,” the city’s request for proposals states.

The city has budgeted $50,000 for the preparatory work, which will also produce design concepts and possible locations for the arbour if the consultation determines that one should be built.

“Many communities throughout the NWT and elsewhere have community arbours that provide gathering places for First Nations, governments, organizations and people to meet, learn, share and celebrate,” the request for proposals states.

“The city supports this as a way to indigenize space within our community and seek to honour and respect traditional ways of being.

“An arbour in Yellowknife would provide a space that will be enjoyed by all residents and visitors and which can host gatherings, meetings and events, as well as being a public space to be experienced and enjoyed.”

The consultation is expected to be complete by mid-December.

The city just held a public meeting to discuss how reconciliation should move forward in Yellowknife. Creating an arbour is already part of the city’s reconciliation action plan.