The City of Yellowknife strongly supports welcoming a university presence in our community.
A university presence in Yellowknife will yield economic benefits, as well as positive academic and social impacts, for Yellowknife and for residents across the NWT. The benefits and spin-offs associated with developing Yellowknife into a world-renowned knowledge centre are considerable, including the ability to attract students, academics and researchers from the rest of Canada, as well as internationally.
Hear more why others support a Yellowknife university:
Growing our Knowledge Economy - Dr. Stephanie Iribacher-Fox, PhD
"The NWT's Knowledge Economy – Which includes post-secondary training, research programs, and generally producing knowledge and innovation - has long been stifled by the lack of a college or university positioned to grow this important economic sector.
The organization that I am building and leading — Htii ts'eeda, a connection and support centre for health research and programs — is an example of how our knowledge economy can be grown, for the benefit of all NWT residents. Created through a partnership of NWT Indigenous governments and the GNWT Department of Health and Social Services, and hosted by the Tlicho Government, Hotii ts'eeda received over $8M in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and another matching $12M of in-kind contributions from the partnership, creating jobs across the territory while increasing future capacity and economic opportunities, including helping individuals and organizations to access new research funding, thereby amplifying Hotti ts'eeda's economic impact.
If done right, a Yellowknife campus will grow the economy of the NTW in many ways, including the economies of other communities. There is an opportunity to build a polytechnic that will draw on the strengths of all NWT regions – including Yellowknife. It's time to move past fear of what might be risked, by fostering courage of vision, inspired by the benefits that a polytechnic with campuses in Yellowknife, Fort Smith, Inuvik — and possibly other communities — will bring."
Dr. Stephanie Iribacher-Fox, PhD
Executive and Scientific Director
Hotii ts'eeda
Strengthening Indigenous Culture - Catherine Lafferty
"As the Yellowknives Dene representative on the Yellowknife Post-Secondary Advisory Committee, my main message is that a really well-rounded university here needs to have strong partnerships with Indigenous governments across the region. That collaboration and support need to be there.
The big fear is that a Yellowknife-centred university will take away from the communities, but people need to realize that there will still be centres in the communities. And a strong central base means stronger community centres offering more opportunities, and that will be key to educating people within their communities. Again, that's where the collaboration with Indigenous governments comes in, because improving education is one of their main priorities right now."
Catherine Lafferty
Yellowknives Dene
Growing the Northern Economy - Nick Lawson, B.Sc.
"Establishing a strong post-secondary institute in Yellowknife will be an excellent boost to the Northern economy and will improve Northerners' quality of life. Even a moderately sized post-secondary institution could provide the territory with a range of direct and indirect employment and business opportunities, supporting programs as they develop and expand, and enhancing our ability to attract and retain residents. It could be an important spark to diversify and grow our economy at a time when we are looking for ways to do that."
Nick Lawson, B.Sc.
Principal
Stantec Consulting