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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Recommendations to relocate the fish plant, barges and private docks between Tin Can Hill and the ski club, and develop public docks along Morrison Drive, are contained in stage one of a draft harbour plan revealed by the city after more than two years of consultations.

The document, a combination of text, photos and infographics, outlines an ambitious, long-term plan to revamp the Yellowknife Bay area.

The "Draft" Yellowknife Harbour Plan describes the vision for the Yellowknife Bay Harbour as well as establishing frameworks and recommendations for the implementation of a Harbour Management Strategy.

Mayor Gord Van Tighem said the plan, far from being finalized, will evolve over time, similar to the city's waterfront management plan put forward 12 years ago. Recommendations include restricting leases for private use of public waterfront land.

"A clear message in the study was that public land should have unrestricted public access," states the report. "Public lands in the core area of the harbour - between Tin Can Hill and the ski club - should be used for truly public use and access. This includes relocating uses that currently inhibit access to public land, including the fish plant, barges and private docks."

Latham Island property owners along Morrison Drive whose private docks lie on public land may also see the land around their homes transformed.

"Develop a docking area along the public lands adjacent to Morrison Drive for recreational float planes and boats," reads one of the recommendations for harbour uses. "A public walkway and amenities such as seating should be incorporated along the docking area."

Other recommendations include exploring opportunities for a water taxi service between Old Town and Jolliffe Island, renaming Jolliffe Island "Big Spruce Island" to reflect its history with the Yellowknives Dene, implementing a moratorium on all new float homes, constructing a marina that accommodates about 200 boats, and establishing a "strategy for the evolution of informal settlements."

The report calls the issue of informal settlements - the shacks in the Woodyard, namely - complex. "Similar to the float homes, these 'squatters' are tolerated because for many they hold some sense of legitimacy as a distinctive aspect of Yellowknife culture and history," notes the report. "There is an extremely unusual situation with a private developer placing private shacks on public property and renting them." The term "float homes" refers to houseboats in Yellowknife Bay.

In a before-and-after comparison, the report shows a photo of Snowking Anthony Foliot's small green dock house and a rickety-looking wooden pathway and dock. In the city's harbour trail Woodyard dock walk concept photos, the shack is gone, replaced by what appears to be a row of kiosks. There is also a wide, lit boardwalk complete with benches and signage.

The city's winter image depicts the snow castle some hundred metres due south of its current location. Van Tighem said the photos are only meant to stimulate discussion. Public safety considerations for residents and visitors of informal settlements like the Woodyard and houseboats are the primary concern, he said.

The city has been unable to exercise authority over the harbour because of its lack of jurisdiction. It established a 17-member harbour planning committee with representatives from all levels of government, the Yellowknives Dene and members of various groups and the public.

A team of consultants led by a private firm, The Planning Partnership, formulated the draft plan after extensive meetings with the harbour planning committee and other affected parties, said Van Tighem. The three-stage project will ultimately create an overseeing authority to regulate development with the ultimate purpose "to develop a vision and implementation strategy for a well-managed and better-regulated Yellowknife Harbour."

The plan is divided into immediate, short-term and medium or long-term actions and initiatives, though Van Tighem said implementation will be contingent on finding funding.

In the meantime, members of the public have until Feb. 9 to make their views known via the city website's public feedback forum.

If the plan is adopted by city council, the planning department will start to put things in place, said Van Tighem, "and then of course each of those would be part of a budget approval and then, you know, they're still under scrutiny as you move forward."

Immediate actions would include hiring senior level staff to direct a city-led harbour agency. Within five years, the city hopes to establish jurisdiction over the harbour, in co-ordination with the GNWT and Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada.

A preliminary estimate of key capital and administrative more than puts the price of the project at more than $10 million.

"That's to show that it's all great to have a lot of good ideas but then at a certain stage you have to determine which ones you can afford and which ones you can't," said Van Tighem.

A more precise accounting will be part of the second and third stages of the process, according to the document.

Go to NNSL.com to see the draft harbour plan.

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