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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Residents of Old Town say they are concerned about the city's harbour plan, roller coaster-like roads, the high cost of living and a lack of sensible planning by city hall.

Darlene England, who has lived in Old Town for more than 25 years, said she is against the city's proposal to develop public docks on Latham Island. England is concerned the plan will open her backyard to unsavory characters and disrupt her family's privacy.

The draft of the Yellowknife Harbour Plan, which was released earlier this year, also recommended restricting leases for private use of public waterfront land between Tin Can Hill and the ski club and implementing a moratorium on all new houseboats, among other things. The project is expected to cost more than $10 million.

Resident Travis Mercredi, said he too has concerns about the plan.

"I think they should just leave Old Town alone," Mercredi said.

"There are other problems ... we are better off developing in other directions because there is a lot of apprehension here."

Mercredi said he thinks the city should be focusing more on ways to encourage affordable housing development. High housing costs are driving people away and making it difficult for young people starting out in the workforce to stay afloat, he said.

"It's just not really fair to people who are coming up in the workforce now who are going to start having families, that they are coming into a housing market that is so tight that people are paying double what a home should actually cost," Mercredi said.

"It's definitely stifling growth (in the city) ... If there is even one hiccup in their income then they've got to go."

Old Town residents also expressed concern about the state of the roads in the area. Debbie Doody said it may be costly but something needs to be done about the issue.

"They fixed the stretch along (McDonald Drive) but they need to go beyond that," Doody said.

"It's like a major roller coaster coming along the lake there."

However, before they deal with any of these issues Latham Island resident Ray Weber said city councillors need to educate themselves about the past so that don't make the same mistakes. A lot of the time, he said, they have a knee-jerk reaction to issues and don't see "the reason why things were done and (ignore) them now. The reasons are still there."

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