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Shelagh Montgomery, chair of the harbour planning committee, thinks the city has learned from the mistakes it made when trying to implement the waterfront management plan in the early 2000s. And she expects the latest harbour plan will see success. - Miranda Scotland/NNSL photo

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A decade ago, city plans to overhaul Yellowknife's waterfront crumbled because of pressure from a select group of residents. But Yellowknifers who don't live on the water are hoping that won't happen with the latest harbour plan.

"Open it up," said downtown dweller Robert Anderson. "There is all that area down there and it should be done up ... It shouldn't be private."

The city needs to regain control of the waterfront, agreed Old Town resident Hal Logsdon. Over the years, he said, the city has allowed the area to be surrounded by private property and left the public with very few opportunities to access the area and enjoy it.

"How you get that back after you've let it go is the hundred-million-dollar question as far as I'm concerned," Logsdon said, adding the latest harbour plan has the right principles. "It's a pretty broad ranging plan. I don't agree with all of it but I agree with parts of it ... I think the conceptuals of some of the Old Town stuff are a little bit inappropriate. It seems to be down south for me."

The 60-page plan, complete with photographs and diagrams, was adopted this summer following two years of planning and community consultations. A number of aspects are outlined, although the city is choosing to focus on five measures in the short term. It's looking into:

• potentially creating a marina at Giant Mine, School Draw or Mosher Island
• establishing a harbour authority, which would require consultations with the GNWT and federal government.
• taking over tenure of the Department of Fisheries' parking lot
• providing a shallow draft boat launch and storage place
• creating a float plane marina

However, efforts to get the ball rolling haven't gained much momentum.

In April, council supported a proposal to install a floatplane dock and small boat marina on Back Bay. Yet, after months of acrimonious discussion with area residents about where the structure should go, council members decided not to go ahead. Instead, it looks like council will reserve its decision until next year, following the October municipal election.

The situation is somewhat reminiscent of the past.

In the early 2000s, efforts to carry out the waterfront management plan, which was supposed to give residents greater waterfront access, fell apart after council voted against a boardwalk proposed for Back Bay following an outcry from area residents.

Had the plan gone ahead, Yellowknifers would have seen paths and trails from Negus Point, across Tin Can Hill, along the School Draw Avenue waterfront to Rotary Park, through Willow Flats to the Woodyard, and then north to the west shore of Latham Island. It was set to be completed in 2010.

Shelagh Montgomery, chair of the harbour planning committee, said she doesn't expect the city's latest plan to face a similar fate. She thinks the plan can work if it's done bit by bit and with the public's input.

It's not an overnight job, it's going to take time, she said.

"People see (the plan) and they think that the city is going to try and do all these things in the next two or three years, which is clearly not feasible because we don't have the funding to begin with," Montgomery said.

"So it's important to realize it's a long-term plan, particularly any of the potential larger capital projects. So in the shorter term I think it's about improving on what we already have and just giving people a little more access to some of the waterfront potential."

Uptown resident Jan Fullerton said the city has a lot of work ahead of it with this plan and she is worried it has bitten off more than it can chew.

"The concern I have with the plan right now is I think it's very broad and very ambitious. And the broader something is, the more ambitious something is, I think that that creates an environment where it's less likely to be achieved," Fullerton said. "I think even the short list is a fairly ambitious short list."

Fullerton said she thinks the city needs to break the proposal down into even more manageable chunks and be smart about which projects are done first.

"I think there has to be a strong economic approach to is as well as looking at sort of quality of living and services offered to Yellowknifers," she said. "There may be aspects of the plan that would have potential for revenue generation that could then be rolled into other phases, or there are maybe smaller projects that would have a bigger impact."

Still, no matter how the harbour plan is carried out, the city is sure to face opposition.

Residents living along the waterfront have already taken the "not in my backyard" stance, while Yellowknifers who have taken advantage of the lack of regulation on the waterfront are looking to protect what they have.

Members of the houseboat community have expressed concerns that the city's intentions to create a harbour authority could mean the end to their independent, free-spirited existence on Yellowknife Bay.

Currently, the plan proposes that the city place a moratorium on all new float homes and designate a houseboat zone. It also puts forward the idea of developing a marina-based houseboats community in the future.

Meanwhile, residents living in the Woodyard may have concerns about suggestions for the government to handle the "complex issue" of informal settlements. It proposes the city solve the situation by introducing more affordable housing. By doing so, the plan suggests the shacks in the Woodyard will start to disappear.

Also, there could be an issue for Yellowknifers who are illegally storing their motor vehicles, boats and materials on the government dock, if jurisdiction over the area is transferred to the city from the Department of Fisheries.

Nonetheless, Montgomery said the city is prepared to face the naysayers and work with them to move ahead with plans.

It is clear this isn't going to be an easy job, she said.

"I mean, there is public land in Old Town that's being used privately, and so that creates a level of contention amongst the people who are using it and amongst the people who aren't able to access it," she said. "The main message is there is a lot of work to be done and a lot of public input that is obviously still going to be required if some of the suggestions in the plan are to move forward."

The next step for the city will be to start an implementation committee.

What is proposed
Here are some of the projects proposed in the city's harbour plan:

• enhance programming of festivals and events year-round while also strengthening the identity of cultural centres
• provide deep and shallow boat launches
• install canoe and kayak storage spaces
• enhance the streetscapes in Old Town
• improve existing parks along the waterfront as well as develop new ones
• restrict leases for private use of public waterfront land between Tin Can Hill and the ski club
• develop three primary trails - mine to mine trail, harbour trail and Yellowknife Bay trail
• explore the potential for a small-scale ferry or water-taxi service between Old Town and Jolliffe Island

Top concerns
Here are the top three concerns and comments residents have made about the city's harbour plan:

• Old Town will be made to look like harbours in southern Canada, such as Vancouver's Granville Island, and the unique northern qualities of the area will be lost.
• The city should focus on taking care of its existing parks and amenities before creating more areas.
• The city needs to look at ways to ensure residents' safety when using trails. Perhaps the city could get information regarding reduced crime guidelines and landscape designs.

Source: Public feedback collected by the city on the draft harbour plan

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