Encampments near the Prince of Wales Heritage Centre, Norseman Apartments and a 49 Street parking lot will be cleaned bi-weekly over the summer, the GNWT and City of Yellowknife say.
“These clean-ups are part of ongoing efforts to address health and safety concerns, remove waste and hazardous materials, and maintain safe and accessible public spaces,” the territory stated in a Friday news release.
The cleanups started on July 17 and will continue every second Friday for eight weeks.
James Tolley, Housing NWT’s homelessness director, said 12 clean-ups had been performed at Yellowknife encampments on an as-needed basis since October 2025. Moving to a bi-weekly schedule makes the clean-ups easier to coordinate and more effective, Tolley said in an emailed statement.
“A predictable clean-up schedule also provides more consistency for people living at these encampments, allowing residents an opportunity to identify their personal belongings prior to any removals,” said Tolley.
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Ahead of each clean-up, outreach teams will provide notice to each site, identify support for encampment residents and give people time to collect their personal belongings.
“The GNWT recognizes that encampments are often used by individuals seeking shelter and that these efforts to clean up the sites must be carried out with compassion, dignity and respect,” the news release stated.
Tolley said the GNWT and City of Yellowknife chose the three encampments because they are the largest and most active in Yellowknife, are on Commissioner’s land and “have an established outreach presence.”
“The sites were chosen based on need and where regular clean-up efforts can have the greatest impact on health, safety and environmental conditions,” he wrote.
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The GNWT said outreach teams are working with individuals to connect them with services and supports, and that overnight shelters have had at least 20 beds available every night since June 1, even on nights with high demand.
Yellowknife residents should not leave unsolicited donations at encampment sites, the GNWT said, because they can contribute to litter and environmental concerns.
“Encampments are not equipped to receive, sort or store donated goods, household items or discarded materials, and these items can create additional challenges for both site users and clean-up crews,” the GNWT said.
Instead, donations should be dropped off at local organizations who can distribute them “safely and appropriately.”
