The latest plan to build a daycare in downtown Yellowknife is, in the nicest possible sense, a giant facade.
The YWCA NWT has filed plans with the City of Yellowknife to build a 56-space daycare next to Boston Pizza on 48 Street.
Drawings submitted as part of the proposal show a large street-facing facade on which big, colourful letters pick out the name YWCA and the word “daycare.”
Behind the facade, the facility itself wouldn’t really be that tall.
YWCA NWT president Julie Green said the proposed location is in an area of the city that has a minimum two-storey height requirement for new buildings, but the YWCA is making use of smaller modular buildings donated by the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.
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“The modulars are one storey and they’re not stackable, so this brightly coloured facade is the workaround that will bring it up to almost two storeys,” said Green.
This is the YWCA’s second attempt in the past six months to open a daycare in Yellowknife, where some organizations report waitlists of hundreds of children for spaces.
In November last year, the City of Yellowknife rejected the group’s application to open a daycare in the Niven neighbourhood.
The charity had applied to turn 101 Haener Drive into a daycare with room for around 30 children. The city said no, citing “significant traffic and parking challenges” among other concerns.
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This time around, the YWCA is holding an open house to present its plan to residents and answer questions. That meeting is on Monday, May 26 at 6pm at the main YWCA building across from Aurora College on 54 Street.
“There is a significant need for daycare spaces in Yellowknife and we have looked at a couple of ways to fill that need,” said Green on Friday.
When the Haener Drive plan failed, she said, plan B involved looking for somewhere to place five ECE modulars that once served as makeshift classrooms and a bathroom block at William McDonald School.
The YWCA found space next to Boston Pizza and is set to own that land from June 20 this year. ECE has offered to move the modulars there at no charge, though the overall project is still expected to cost the YWCA around $1.2 million once improvements to the lot are factored in, Green said.
“When people think modulars, they might not have a positive image. These will be a very attractive-looking set of buildings that will have a natural finish,” she told Cabin Radio.
“We expect to be able to accommodate up to 56 spaces for children aged birth to five, and we expect the building to be fully accessible to accommodate children and staff with different kinds of needs.”
If all goes to plan, Green thinks the daycare could open by early 2026. But she wants to navigate the issue of the local height requirement first.
“We really welcome the support of the community, knowing that daycare is such a huge need,” she said.
“Sending an email to the council would be very helpful to move this project along and assure council that even though we don’t meet the height requirement, we are presenting something that is going to enhance the streetscape and, most of all, provide services that are sorely needed.”
