Larga Kitikmeot applies to build new 75-room medical travel lodge in Yellowknife

Tamara Merritt · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 25, 2025 3:09 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

Larga Kitikmeot has applied to physique a caller four-storey, 75-room aesculapian question lodge successful Yellowknife. 

At metropolis council's governance and priorities gathering Tuesday, councillors heard that if approved, the caller question lodge would beryllium built connected 346 Borden Drive, adjacent to commercialized spaces similar Mary Brown's Chicken, arsenic good arsenic residential buildings. 

Larga gives radical from Nunavut's Kitikmeot portion a spot to stay, meals and a thrust to and from the airdrome arsenic good arsenic aesculapian appointments erstwhile they question to Yellowknife for wellness care.

It presently has a 28-room aesculapian lodge connected Franklin Ave., but Larga Kitikmeot president Casey Adlem said the installation nary longer has capable country for the magnitude of clients they are receiving. This has prompted them to look astatine a new, larger gathering arsenic a solution.  

Yet letters from assemblage members to the metropolis bespeak that determination are concerns astir the effect the aesculapian lodge would person connected the area. In a study to council, metropolis unit said they have received 13 letters from radical citing concerns including a emergence successful traffic, compatibility and the ocular interaction of the gathering connected the area.

Since proscription is provided for each clients astatine the lodge, a emergence successful postulation should not beryllium an issue, said Coun. Ryan Fequet, who added helium believes the lodge is "a large usage of the vacant land." 

City manager Stephen Van Dine said portion Yellowknife doesn't person plan guidelines, determination person been discussions astir creating buildings that acceptable into the neighbourhood and that builders are encouraged to "be arrogant of the portion that they're gathering and investing in."  

Larga Kitikmeot's existent aesculapian lodge successful Yellowknife has 24-hour information and quiescent hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day. These rules would transportation implicit to the caller gathering connected Borden Drive, said Adlem successful an interrogation with CBC. 

Many councillors who attended the committee gathering voiced their enactment for the project. 

"This is the benignant of installation that contributes to Yellowknife's quality to service arsenic a hub for our neighbours and it works towards greater sustainability," Fequet said. "While I empathize with the neighbours whose presumption volition undoubtedly change, I bash judge allowing this discretionary usage nether these circumstances is successful the champion involvement of the city."

Coun. Steve Payne echoed these sentiments. 

"I'm precise blessed to spot this travel forward," helium said. "I'm precise blessed to beryllium capable to unrecorded successful an country that's supporting radical from our closest neighbours successful their aesculapian adventures down here." 

The metropolis recommended that assembly o.k. the application. If approved, determination is inactive nary wide timeline connected erstwhile operation of the caller gathering would begin. 

The connection volition travel guardant to assembly astatine a aboriginal day for a vote.