City, Yellowknives Dene in talks on Jolliffe Island heritage park

The City of Yellowknife and the Yellowknives Dene are working on a deal that could see the First Nation remove Jolliffe island from their selected lands in order to allow the city to turn it into a heritage park.

The island is a focal point for houseboats in Yellowknife Bay.

"We proposed that we go in partnership with the city," said Edward Sangris, Yellowknives Dene Chief (Dettah).

"Them to promote tourism and us Yellowknives Dene to promote our culture and our heritage and our traditions on Jolliffe Island."

If the deal goes through, the Yellowknives would relinquish the island, which had been identified as part of their land claim under the Akaitcho process, and instead select other lands within Yellowknife city limits. The Yellowknives and the city would then enter into a heritage trust agreement that would ensure there is no housing or commercial development on the island.

"If we can jointly agree that it is protected in perpetuity, it may not need to become part of withdrawal and part of the quantum of the First Nations," said Jeff Humble, the city's director of planning and development.

The city's harbour plan calls for the island to be turned into a heritage park, possibly with an art space and a new name — Big Spruce Island. That's the English translation for the Yellowknives' traditional name for the island.

"Until we can kind of get this matter resolved, the much bigger question around the houseboat community and getting a water lot system will be on hold," Humble said.

"From our discussion with the chiefs and the council, I think they as well want to see resolution around the houseboat community, because as they move forward with their land claim and their interest on the eastern shoreline, they want to see some clarity on these issues."

Humble said the city has not yet decided what will become of the number of unauthorized homes on the island. Some people have been living there for many years.

Regulating houseboats

Both the city and the Yellowknives Dene say an agreement would be the first step toward regulating houseboats.

"There are 40 lots on the island that are titled to the city," Humble said. "But for us to get the jurisdictional aspects of the waterfront under control we really need to get into an understanding with the YKDFN so we can establish a water lot system along the shoreline of Jolliffe Island."

Many of the houseboats are located on those proposed water lots.

Sangris said the federal government has said it will go along with whatever the First Nation and the city decide.

"It's something we need to do to protect our future generations, maybe 50 or 100 years down the road," he said. "We don't want Yellowknives Dene and city fighting over the island and creating some kind of Oka-like situation."

Jolliffe Island, Sangris said, was once a gathering place for Yellowknives Dene, who would camp there and paddle over to Baker Creek to pick berries.

The island was named for Dr. Fred Jolliffe, who oversaw a survey in the area in 1935 for the Geological Survey of Canada.