The NWT’s main tourism body says it is trying to help the City of Yellowknife launch a downtown ambassador program that would bring a “positive presence” to the city.
Speaking at a northern aviation conference in Yellowknife late last month, NWT Tourism’s Donna Lee Demarcke said her organization was “actively involved in those conversations.”
Earlier this year, the City of Yellowknife and the city’s chamber of commerce said they were trying to advance an ambassador program – potentially similar to a program in Calgary – that had been suggested at a 2025 session with businesses about public safety.
In February, Kerry Thistle – the city’s director of economic opportunities and investment – said the city, chamber and NWT Tourism had developed a framework and budget for a pilot project in Yellowknife and would now “have to find a champion” to lead the project, as well as search for funding.
Providing an update as part of a broader presentation on NWT Tourism’s work, Demarcke said there was a “need for positive presence” in the territory’s communities.
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“As visitors come into Yellowknife, they may be a little worried about their safety or their experience because we have a few people on our streets that they maybe don’t feel safe around,” she said.
“We’re actively working with the city on an ambassador program to try to see if we can have a positive presence in the downtown as well.
“I bring that up because I think it may be important for your businesses to know that the wellbeing of the territory, of our cities and our towns – we’re very invested in and interested in that as well.”
Demarcke said she was also advocating for improved housing supply to help employers such as airlines and tour operators to house their employees in the city.
In Calgary, downtown ambassadors walk the streets in teams of two, checking in on community members, helping people navigate the downtown, “building ties” with local businesses and “being a resource to vulnerable people by connecting them to services and supports.”
The extent to which a Yellowknife program would follow the same model is not yet clear. So far, there is no firm budget or timeline for such a project to roll out.
