IMMIGRATE TO YELLOWKNIFE, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Yellowknife
Yellowknife is the capital of Canada's Northwest Territories, with a population of approximately 18,700 as of 2006. Located on the north shore of Great Slave Lake on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River, Yellowknife and its surrounding waterbodies were named after the local Yellowknives tribe, who made tools from regional copper deposits.
In the Dogrib language, the city is called Somba K'e ("where the money is").
Geography and Climate
Yellowknife has a semi-arid subarctic climate and averages less than 300 millimeters (12 in) of precipitation annually, as the city lies in the rain shadow of mountain ranges to the west. Thanks to its location on Great Slave Lake, Yellowknife has a frost-free growing season that averages slightly over 100 days. Most of the limited precipitation falls between June and October, with April being the driest month of the year. Snow that falls in winter accumulates on the ground until the spring thaw.
Yellowknife is located on the Canadian Shield, which was scoured down to rock during the last ice age. The surrounding landscape is very rocky and slightly rolling, with many small lakes in addition to Great Slave Lake. Trees such as pine and birch are abundant in the area as are smaller bushes, but there are also many areas of relatively bare rock with lichen.
Yellowknife Immigration Profile
The current population of Yellowknife is ethnically mixed. The majority of the 510 recent Canadian immigrants to settle in Yellowknife were from Asia and the Middle East (63.7%), Africa (22.5%) and the Philippines (36.3%).
The regions of birth for recent (2001 to 2006) Canadian immigrants in Yellowknife according to the 2006 Census are represented in this chart.
Economy and Job Opportunities for Immigrants
People originally immigrated to Yellowknife for gold, it was originally established as a supply center for numerous gold mines operating in the region. Today Yellowknife is primarily a government town and a service centre for the diamond mines.
The Ekati Diamond Mine opened in 1998. A second mine, Diavik Diamond Mine, began production in 2003. Production from the two operating mines in 2004 was 12,618,000 carats (2,500 kg) valued at over C$2.1 billion. This ranked Canada third in world in diamond production by value, and sixth by weight. A third mine, De Beers' "Snap Lake" project, received final approval and funding in 2005, with plans for production in 2007. This will create a need for skilled workers in Yellowknife, an excellent opportunity for skilled immigrant workers.
Arts and Culture
Yellowknife, like other frontier mining towns, has a colourful culture and society. Raven Mad Daze is a street festival celebrated every year as part of the Solstice Festival, by the residents of Yellowknife, and across the north. New immigrants can look forward to street concerts, events, games for the youths, and monster bingo for the adults. Canadian bands Three Days Grace, Nickelback, and Billy Talent are said to perform this year.
If you choose to immigrate to Yellowknife you will also enjoy events such as the Float Plane Fly-In, Folk On the Rocks, Raven Mad Daze and the Midnight Sun Golf Tournament, Snowking Winter Festival, and Caribou Carnival.
