With Yellowknife’s municipal election just days away, candidates for mayor and city council were invited to share their positions on issues that directly affect the Franco-Ténois community.

Collège Nordique joined the Fédération franco-ténoise (FFT), the Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife (AFCY), the Conseil de développement économique des TNO (CDÉTNO) and the Commission scolaire francophone des TNO (CSFTNO) in developing a questionnaire for the 23 candidates running in Yellowknife’s municipal election.

A total of 11 candidates responded. Their answers give residents an opportunity to better understand their positions on the place of French in municipal services, education, infrastructure and relations between the City and the Franco-Ténois community ahead of the October 19 election.

Four issues that extend beyond the election

Candidates were invited to share their positions on four key issues:

• municipal services and communications in French
• fairness in the distribution of school taxes
• school and community infrastructure
• consultation and collaboration with the Franco-Ténois community

These questions are part of a broader reality. Living, studying and working in French in a minority-language setting depends on a network of services, institutions and spaces that allow the language to remain present in everyday life.

For Collège Nordique, this reality is particularly tangible. As the only accredited French-language post-secondary institution north of the 60th parallel, the Collège has been providing opportunities to learn in French in the North and supporting the vitality of Francophone communities since 2011.

Access to French-language education extends beyond the classroom. It is closely connected to a community’s ability to welcome and retain families, develop a skilled workforce, provide services and create spaces where French can be used in everyday life.

French-language education as a pillar of community vitality

Delivering French-language education and training in the North comes with unique realities. Populations are smaller and spread across a vast territory, while the costs associated with developing and delivering programs remain high.

These challenges have become even more significant over the past year. In fall 2025, a substantial reduction in federal funding led Collège Nordique to review its operations and priorities, despite growing demand for French-language education and training.

In 2024–2025, the Collège recorded a record number of registrations. This growth reflects a genuine need for accessible French-language learning opportunities adapted to northern realities.

In this context, the long-term sustainability of Francophone institutions depends on several factors. Funding from different levels of government is one of them, but collaboration with public institutions, community organizations and elected officials also plays a role in creating an environment where the Francophone community can continue to grow.

This is one of the reasons why questions surrounding school and community infrastructure, consultation with the Franco-Ténois community and the place of French in public services are particularly important.

A Francophone community that contributes to life in Yellowknife

French-language municipal services and communications were also addressed in the questionnaire.

Unlike the federal and territorial governments, the municipality does not have the same obligations regarding the provision of services in French. However, the responses received show an openness among several candidates to improving access to certain municipal communications and services in French.

This conversation goes beyond translating information. For a minority-language community, being able to use its language in different areas of everyday life contributes to its visibility and vitality.

Collaboration with Franco-Ténois organizations can also help the City better understand the needs of a diverse and evolving Francophone population.

For Collège Nordique, this collaboration is essential. Education and training needs are directly connected to labour market realities, immigration, early childhood development, economic development and the ability of northern communities to attract and retain Francophones and Francophiles.

Building on a long-standing relationship

For Collège Nordique, dialogue with the City of Yellowknife does not begin with this election. Over the years, the City and its representatives have supported and participated in various Collège initiatives, including under former mayor Rebecca Alty’s administration. Alty regularly attended activities held by the institution.

This relationship is expected to continue with the members of the next city council.

“I am pleased to see the openness candidates have demonstrated toward issues affecting the Franco-Ténois community. Collège Nordique has long maintained a positive relationship with the City of Yellowknife, and we look forward to continuing this collaboration with the next city council to advance these important priorities,” says Patrick Arsenault, Executive Director of Collège Nordique.

Eleven candidates responded

The 11 candidates who participated in the initiative are:

• Roberta Marie Campbell
• Rob Waburton
• Melissa Syer
• Skye Plowman
• Nazim Awan
• Keneisha Buddoo
• Donna Lee Demarcke
• Andy Young
• Yanik D’Aigle
• Ryan Fequet
• Rob Foote

Responses vary depending on the issue and the candidate. The initiative is not intended to endorse one candidate over another, but rather to make their positions accessible to the public.

The complete responses provide a closer look at how participating candidates approach French-language municipal services, school taxes, infrastructure needs and mechanisms that could foster ongoing collaboration between the City and the Franco-Ténois community.

Making Francophone realities heard

Collège Nordique’s participation in this initiative is part of its broader commitment to the future of education and the Francophone community in the North.

In recent years, the Collège and its partners have continued working to develop educational opportunities that are better adapted to northern realities. This work is now expanding across all three territories through the development of a pan-territorial French-language post-secondary structure that envisions campuses in Yellowknife, Whitehorse and Iqaluit.

At a time when Francophone institutions must work with limited resources while responding to growing needs, dialogue with elected officials and all levels of government remains important.

Municipal decisions alone do not determine the future of French-language education. They do, however, help shape the city in which Francophone students, families, organizations, businesses and institutions live, learn and work.

Learning about the candidates’ positions therefore gives voters an opportunity to consider the place they want the Francophone community to have in Yellowknife’s future.

Yellowknife’s municipal election will take place on October 19, 2026. Voters will elect one mayor and eight city councillors.

Discover the responses from all 11 candidates and their positions on each of the four issues by consulting the complete results published by the Fédération franco-ténoise.