Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Oct 13/00) - It was the perfect final question to end the public forums for mayoral and council candidates.

Candidates were asked what their vision is for the City of Yellowknife 20 years from now and what steps they would take to ensure that vision becomes a reality.

The big day There are 9,050 voters registered for Monday's municipal election. Individuals can cast their ballots between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. There are seven polling stations and each voter can contact city hall or check their weekly flyer to find out where to vote. Due to construction at St. Pat's high school , those scheduled to vote there should vote at Weledeh Catholic School instead. Voters are being asked to use the 46th Street access. Ratepayers will also vote on two long-term borrowing bylaw during Monday's election. The city is seeking approval to borrow $252,000 for financing the 2001 New Paving Program and $602,000 for the 2001 Road Rehabilitation and Re-paving Program. Ratepayers can vote either 'yes' or 'no' on each of the bylaws.

The answers varied, but all were confident that Yellowknife would see substantial growth and prosperity in the future.

Wayne Bryant said he sees Yellowknife as "a national mecca for tourism" with a population of more than 32,000.

"I feel that in 20 years Yellowknife will be a major hub of activity demonstrating how different cultures can live and work together," he said.

If elected, he said he would propose that council take on new initiatives to enhance the tourism industry and establish a long-term plan to reduce the cost of purchasing and developing land.

Ben McDonald said he would like to see all Yellowknifers have a "real sense of caring for each other."

"We have to take more responsibility for the way we live ... the footprint, I guess, that we leave on the world ..." he said.

McDonald proposed the city should ensure the economy develops further by purchasing products and services locally and taking a closer look at the way we live.

Wendy Bisaro said she sees the city growing to twice its size and a reviving of the community spirit of the past.

She said the tourism industry should be thriving, the downtown would be vibrant, the waterfront would be developed and Yellowknife would be a leader for other communities in the North.

"The city needs to do a strategic planning visioning process and get input from every segment of the community ... it's a long and tedious process but it's also a very exciting process," she said, adding action plans should then be developed and implemented following that process.

Robert Hawkins said he would like to be realistic, stating "I don't know where we will be in 20 years, but I do have some options and some crazy ideas that might be what we really need."

He re-minded citizens that diamonds are a non-renewable resource and the mining industry should not be focused on as the only means of ensuring Yellowknife prospers in the future.

"I don't believe I have all the answers ... but the city needs to take a lead role in partnerships and that will ensure our long-term stability for growth in the future," he said, adding the tourism industry and secondary diamond industries should be enhanced.

Bruce Coomber said in 20 years he sees Yellowknife as a "vibrant, modern city with all the facilities we could dream of," with a population of more than 30,000.

He said council needs to work towards diversifying the economy, promoting tourism and looking at the secondary diamond industry.

"Those sorts of things are what we need to look at to be able to survive and thrive in the future, that's where I see us in 20 years."

Kevin O'Reilly said he would like Yellowknife to be a place where his children want to stay for the rest of their lives.

"We've got a real diversity of cultures here and we should try to foster that and our relationship with the natural environment ..." he said.

To get there, O'Reilly said economic diversification and building on the natural attributes of the community are some of the keys.

Travis Armour envisioned Yellowknife as an affordable place to get to and an affordable place to live that is clean with plenty of public trails along the waterfront.

"If we have a community planning vision on record it would be really difficult for councils down the road to betray it," he said.

Dave McCann said he hopes the city will be more attractive, physically and socially, and that it will be an affordable place to live that is competitive with other Canadian cities.

"More particularly I would like to see Yellowknife closer to the balance of what I call a private and public sector mix that we see in mainstream Canada," he said.

To get there, McCann said the city needs much more management, which can be driven by performance measurement comparisons.

Alan Woytuik said he sees Yellowknife as a bustling modern city, but also a frontier community which "maintains a small town atmosphere."

"I see our economy much more diversified, I see increased secondary diamond presence ... and I see a more expanded tourism industry," he said.

Woytuik said to work towards that vision, the city needs to look at partnerships with the private sector as well as public organizations and ensure there is affordable land available for development.

John Murray said he sees Yellowknife as a tourist destination with a cleaner environment, a more representative city hall with more democracy, decent highways and a diversified economy.

"In order to do this I would favour cutting a lot of the city's waste, rolling taxes ... and encouraging more affordable housing," said Murray, adding public consultation is also important.

Blake Lyons said he will be "sitting here ... on city council ... and I'll make all your dreams come true."

He said Highway 3 will become a four-lane highway, there will be an increased presence of national and international mining companies and the natural beauty and resources of Yellowknife will be recognized all over the world.

"We will have a diversified economy ... this Yellowknife has got a brilliant future ..." he said.

Dave Ramsay said in 20 years the Yellowknife region could very well be producing 40 to 50 per cent of the world's total production of diamonds, which will bring plenty of national and international recognition.

"I believe it will be a growing and prosperous city with a real college campus ... excellent schools, a paved highway, clean streets and first rate facilities," he said.

To get to that point, Ramsay said the first step is proper long-term planning followed by economic diversification, such as promoting the tourism industry.

The following evening, the four mayoral candidates shared their visions for the future.

Dave Lovell said in 20 years said Yellowknife will still be the diamond capital of North America with a high standard education system and a population of 50,000.

"We've got to now set up public land ... we've got to rationalize our parks system, we've got to prepare for the future and that's how you obtain the vision -- you know where you're going, you know what you want to see and then as the opportunities rise, we do what we have to do ..." he said.

Bob Brooks said he sees a mature diamond industry in Yellowknife, an oil and gas industry, the closure of Con gold mine which the city should be prepared for, and a stronger tourism industry.

To get there, he said the city needs implementation plans.

"That implementation plan goes with the waterfront plan, the downtown plan ... our population will probably be around the 40 (thousand) or 50 (thousand) mark and that means we have to do another long-range plan that might plan for 75,000 or 100,000 people.

"It's mostly in regards to planning and implementation when we're talking about how do we get there," said Brooks.

Gord Van Tighem said he sees preparations for an integrated long-plan beginning this year which will be implemented as it evolves.

"I see this as a vibrant business centre supplying the North that is responsible in areas of minerals and oil and gas, I see it as an education centre of excellence, a centre for a major hub in the information and transportation highway sought out as a destination for tourism with an accessible lake, a model community to live in and raise a family, and a good place for seniors to retire," he said.

Cheryl Best said she believes the population will reach 50,000, Yellowknife will be the headquarters for oil and gas and the business, educational and recreational centre of the NWT.

"We all have all of these great dreams of where we're going, but unless we change our path now and start supporting business and promoting what Yellowknife has to offer and becoming ambassadors for the growth of this city, we're not going to get there," she said.