'It's really a great city': Yellowknife lauded during 3rd annual welcoming event for newcomers

Like many others, Akinlolu Agboola moved to Yellowknife for work.

"It's been fantastic. It's a little bit smaller than what I'm used to but it's okay," said Agboola, who is originally from Nigeria and who moved to Yellowknife from Calgary about a year ago. 

"I like the small-town feel. It's great. It's like everybody's your friend and family." 

Agboola attended the Fédération Franco-Ténoise's third annual Welcoming Day for Newcomers at the Legislative Assembly on Saturday. 

Everyone who attended the bilingual event got a welcome certificate and a goodie bag complete with a map of Yellowknife, a toque, a neck warmer, and some information from the Yellowknife visitors centre. There were also several speeches.

Events continued later at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, where service providers who help newcomers had information booths set up, and guides were ready to give tours of the museum. 

Nominee program expected to re-open

Steve St. Pierre, the director of labour development and standards at the N.W.T. government, delivered a speech in which he said the N.W.T. government was expecting to re-open the territory's nominee program within the month. 

The nominee program helps skilled immigrants move to the N.W.T. to work for local employers and gives them a path to become permanent residents. Its re-opening was put on pause in January after the federal government said it would reduce the number of spots for the N.W.T. by half – from 300 down to 150.

Mwangala Wamuwi, who is from Namibia and who came to Canada for work more than two years ago, was glad to hear the territory was working to re-open the program. He'd been hoping to use the program to get permanent residency. 

"You just hope for the best," he said.

Wamuwi has lived in Ottawa, Montreal, and the small town of  Kindersley, Sask. He came to Yellowknife two months ago after hearing good things about it from people he knew.

"It's really a great city," he said. "People are friendly, even though the weather is a little bit, you know, it's very very cold here." 

The cold was a common theme for some. Agboola also said it's very cold in Yellowknife, but that he likes his new home – despite the brutal winters. 

Go to free events, recommends one attendee

Not everyone who attended the event was new to Yellowknife.

Katy Ng has lived in the city for over five years, but decided to come to the event anyways. 

"I thought, why not," she said.

Ng grew up in Hong Kong, and was originally only planning to stay in Yellowknife for a few months as part of a working holiday in Canada. But after meeting her partner here and falling in love with the nature, she decided to stay for good.

She said that when she first moved to Yellowknife, she attended English classes at Collège Nordique, and it helped her meet people and find events happening around the city. 

She and her co-workers would also check Coffee Break News every week to find free events. She recommends other newcomers go to as many free events as possible.

"They always have some free event in Yellowknife happening. Just go," she said. "Don't be afraid … people here are just so friendly," 

Ng, too, acknowledged the cold. But now, she said, winter is one of her favourite parts of the year.

"It's so beautiful. I still feel like I'm in a fairytale story with all the trees frosted with ice."