Question 1 - Yellowknife is entering a significant economic transition as the NWT's diamond mining industry changes, with two mines now moving through closure while many of the major projects expected to create new economic opportunities are still several years from full construction. What should Yellowknife be doing now to navigate this transition and position the community for long-term economic success?

I keep coming back to something. We can build roads, expand the airport and welcome billions in defence investment, but who will be here to do the work? And who will still be here twenty years from now? We relied on diamonds tooth and nail, and what did we learn? Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. We cannot treat the next economy the way we treated the last one. Yes,diamonds brought enormous opportunity to the North, but we all also watched people fly in, make their money and fly to their respective homes with money earned from here.

We need to be much more deliberate this time about what stays here. For months, I've said been publicly saying that mining, defence and tourism are the branches. Connectivity is the trunk. People, goods, flights, information and supply chains. Get those connections right and tourism will grow. Defence will grow. Mining will grow. At the core of it is we need people.

I want the City partnering with the Chamber, not just consulting with them, to build a curated workforce. We start with some form of an inventory of what our employers need and not just today's vacancies, but the trades, technical skills and services we'll need as mining changes and defence projects take shape. Then we work backwards. Which jobs can we train Northerners for here? How do we keep experienced workers from leaving as the mines close? I'd like the Chamber, industry, Indigenous governments, Aurora College and the GNWT working from the same workforce template. Where we genuinely cannot fill those positions, we pursue targeted immigration and recruit people who want to settle here, not only work here. This "we are a transient city" narrative? It's time to change it and a simple psychology is we actually stop saying it. And the City's home work? Giddy up!

We're preparing for a new economy with processes that belong to the last century. I want the whole system reviewed, from the first application to the final approval. Keep the standards that matter, absolutely. Now, get rid of the unnecessary hurdles, repeated paperwork and endless handoffs. We say Yellowknife is open for business, then we need to act like it.

Question 2 - Crime and public safety concerns are also creating direct costs for Yellowknife businesses through theft, property damage and increased spending on security and other measures to protect their employees and property. As a member of City Council, how would you address the impact these issues are having on the business community?

I'm sure my colleagues here will speak about more policing, ambassador programs, better lighting, homelessness, addictions and mental health. Absolutely. All important. You don't need to here it maybe for the 21st time.

So pivot with me for a moment. I've been talking about a small RCMP kiosk in our downtown core. Not another counter with commissionaires behind a glass pane. I mean actual trauma-informed officers, people business owners can walk up to, speak with and recognize. Officers who are also out on foot and bike patrols, including our alleyways. Now, about those alleyways! Other cities have turned theirs into outdoor galleries, little markets, spaces with lighting, murals, music and businesses spilling out onto the street. Why not Yellowknife? Imagine one of our neglected downtown alleys becoming a Northern art walk, with Indigenous artists, youth murals, winter lights and little pop-up shops. Give people a reason to walk through it rather than avoid it. And those same officers? They're walking those spaces, talking to shopkeepers, getting to know the people who actually use downtown.

That's community policing I'd like to see more of. I'd want the City and Chamber to identify one alleyway to pilot, work with the surrounding businesses and property owners, and make it happen without another five-year study. Of course, we still need to address repeat offenders, treatment gaps and the very real costs businesses are carrying. I'm not suggesting a pop-up shop will automatically stop a break-in. But if we're serious about public safety, let's also reclaim the places we've practically surrendered.

Question 3 - Yellowknife needs more development to support housing, economic growth and the long-term needs of the community, but development can involve difficult trade-offs and face barriers that prevent projects from moving forward. As a member of City Council, how would you approach growth and development in Yellowknife?

I touched on this earlier, but I cannot say it enough. The City needs to get out of the City's way. Imagine you're a developer. You submit an application, spend thousands on drawings, engineering and paperwork, and months into the process you discover you need a variance. More paperwork, more money, more waiting. Then an appeal, and eventually, it goes well, an approval.

That was not a hypothetical. That was Findlay Point. Now take Mrdjenovich His company held land in Kam Lake for roughly 15 years, explored ten development proposals and dealt with three City administrations. Council eventually supported a planning change in 2025, but fifteen years is a mighty long time to be figuring out what can be built on a piece of land. And, I'm not suggesting the City caused every delay. But we need to examine how our system operates.

Are we actively trying to force our developers out-of-town? I want the Chamber and local developers involved in overhauling the approval process, not simply commenting on it afterwards. Flag zoning issues and potential variances before a developer spends thousands on an application. We already assign City planners to projects, so let's make sure they can coordinate the process from beginning to end, not just pass files between departments. Set timelines we can actually measure, make delays public and hold someone accountable when things stall. And where the zoning already allows a development, let's stop adding unnecessary hoops. Now, I'm pro-development, but not necessarily putting every building on top of my head! We need housing, including family-sized homes and missing-middle options, but residents also deserve their trails, green spaces, parks and safe neighbourhoods. Let's factor those in from the first drawing, not fight about them when the bulldozers arrive. Unnecessary bureaucracy is not good planning and we cannot keep begging for development with one hand and holding it up with the other.

Question 4 - The major projects expected in the North will require a larger and more diverse workforce in the years ahead. How should Yellowknife prepare its residents and businesses to participate in and benefit from those opportunities?

I spoke earlier about a curated workforce. The good this is, we're not entirely starting from scratch. We just need to let the systems talk to each other. We have Industry Days, Aurora College, Indigenous training programs and GNWT workforce funding. Let's connect them. And we can start with our young people.

At École St. Patrick High School, where I teach, we're revamping our career and technical programming through KCTC, students have access to SNAP apprenticeships, and there's an aviation pilot program. Kudos to the educators across Yellowknife already doing this work! Now, can we get more Chamber members into our schools, offering apprenticeships, mentorship and actual employment pathways? Can we identify which skills our major projects will need before students graduate? Then there is our experienced diamond mine workers. We should be matching their skills to upcoming opportunities now, before they and their families leave.

The City's own economic development plan called for an inventory of upcoming projects. Where is that today? Our local businesses should be able to readily access it in order to prepare for what's coming next. I'm not asking City Hall to run our schools or workforce programs. That's way out of our mandate. I'm asking it to work with the Chamber, industry and training partners to connect what's already happening. We've got plenty of moving parts, so let's row in the same direction, together.