Feds to fund engineering work for Yellowknife airport

Yellowknife councillors have approved a plan for federally-funded engineering work related to potential defence upgrades at the city’s airport.

At a special council meeting at City Hall on Wednesday, councillors unanimously voted in favour of authorizing the mayor and city manager to accept a contribution agreement for that work from the Department of National Defence.

Under the agreement, the federal government has committed to fully fund engineering design work to extend piped water and sewer services to the Yellowknife Airport.

City manager Stephen Van Dine told the CBC the work is estimated to cost around $15 million.

He told councillors it’s “implied” that once the engineering design work is complete, there will be a second stage of federal funding for construction.

While a vote on the contribution agreement was not originally on the city’s meeting agenda, Van Dyne said there is some urgency as the federal government’s fiscal year ends on March 31.

Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to invest $35 billion in defence and infrastructure in the North. Of that, $32 billion is earmarked for forward operating military bases in Yellowknife, Inuvik and Iqaluit as well as a deployed operating base in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador.

The federal government has said that cash will include investment in airfield upgrades, new or repurposed hangars, ammunition and fuel facilities, buildings and equipment for accommodations, warehousing, IT, and general support.

Expressing excitement about federal investment on Wednesday, councillor Ryan Fequet said he wanted to assure residents that the city is considering long-term operations and maintenance costs of infrastructure.

“We want to maximize these opportunities,” he said.

“We also don’t want to put future Yellowknife in a place where we can’t afford to operate all of the potential infrastructure opportunities that are in front of us.”

Chris Greencorn, the city’s director of public works and engineering, added the city is considering submitting a work package on a municipal operations impact study.

He said the study would analyze the possible impact of federal investments on existing municipal infrastructure and services such as the fire hall, city fleet, landfill and sewage lagoon.

“It might be minuscule in some areas and it might be more significant in others,” he said.

Also during the special council meeting on Wednesday, councillors unanimously agreed to declare Friday a half-day civic holiday to encourage people to attend the Yellowknives Dene First Nation Spring Carnival.

The carnival is set to take place from Friday to Sunday in Dettah with events including a hand games tournament, talent show, pond hockey, kiddie carnival, drum dance, community feast and traditional games such as tea boiling, log sawing and snow snake.