We have been busy training up volunteers who will help with the YK Healthy Urban Policy Team's Modular Build for the Parklet project! And what better place to learn than at our local Yellowknife Makerspace! We spent two evenings working with Cat McGurk - City of Yellowknife Councillor and Red Seal Carpenter extraordinaire. From table saws and planers to bandsaws and sanders, we got hands-on with the tools and safety practices that will help us bring the parklet design to life.
Thank-you to Aileen Ling and the team at Makerspace for helping us to realize this exciting project and for sharing such a welcoming, creative space with the community. Yellowknife Makerspace is a hub where anyone can learn, create, and build. They offer workshops and equipment for woodworking, digital fabrication, sewing, and more. It’s a place that brings people together to share skills, spark ideas, and turn imagination into something real.
And a big thanks to my fellow volunteers - Adam Denley, James Murray Thomas, Benjamin Norman Mujuni, and Thomsen D'Hont - for joining me in the shop and diving into some skill-building together!
October 25, 2025 marks the last day for community submissions on parklet ideas!
In just a few days, we’ll be convening to review all of the ideas and begin shaping the final parklet design.
It’s inspiring to see what happens when people come together: stepping in, sharing skills, and connecting around a common vision. That’s the kind of energy that builds a stronger, more connected community.

The YK Healthy Urban Policy Team is a community-led and independent initiative. Our volunteer group shares a vision: to help shape a healthier, more inclusive Yellowknife, where public spaces support movement, safety, and belonging: in every season, for every resident.

In early 2025, our team was selected as one of four Canadian groups to receive a Planning Grant through the Healthy Cities Research Initiative (HCRI). This initiative was created by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and 8 80 Cities to support real-world projects that bring researchers and communities together to improve health, equity, and quality of life in cities. 

An additional team member joined the Yellowknife group to travel north to Vaasa and Oulu — two Finnish cities recognized for their exceptional multi-modal transportation systems and innovative winter maintenance policies. These visits deepened our understanding of how northern cities can support safe, active transportation year-round through thoughtful infrastructure, prioritization, and policy alignment — lessons that resonate strongly with Yellowknife’s own climate and mobility challenges.

We came home energized and inspired, not with a blueprint to copy, but with real lessons we can apply in our own northern context. This report shares what we learned — and how this journey is already sparking new conversations and possibilities for Yellowknife.
If you'd like a copy of the report or to reach out through our online form, please see below: