New Northwest Territories Campground Won’t Open Until 2023

The initial phase of the new North Arm Territorial Park campground (Canada) is completed. However, Northwest Territories (NWT) campers may need to wait until 2023 to reserve a spot along the shores of the Great Slave Lake.

“I’m a big camper, so I’d love to see it open next summer,” said Kris Johnson, regional superintendent for the North Slave Region of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment.

“But we’re probably looking at the official opening in 2023.”

While an access road and loop around the 15-site campground have been completed in the fall, the park won’t be fully operational until a gatehouse equipped with an integrated shower structure is built.

The new campground on the Great Slave Lake‘s North Arm will be located close to the northeast of the existing day-use area that is in place, close to Highway 3, near the access road to Behchoko.

“One of the things that people wanted to see was that the day-use area was kept separate so they could access it for free,” said Johnson. 

“A lot of families spend a lot of time in that park every year,”

Johnson stated that plans are to provide power to these 15 camping sites. She suggested there might also be additional tent camping sites, kitchen shelter, playground, and nature trails in the near future.

“We definitely want to do some trails,” she said. “It’s pretty easy to put some trails between the existing day-use area and the new campground.”

Tłı̨chǫ Engineering & Environmental Services Ltd., a wholly-owned affiliate of Tłı̨chǫ Investment Corporation, did earthworks and engineering for the first stage of the project.

Mark Brajer, chief executive officer of the investment corporation, said that the early bird migration caused the construction delay. The federal Migratory Birds Convention Act bans any habitat destruction during nesting season.

“They were nesting in the park, so we had to wait,” Brajer said.

In the beginning, the crews had planned to begin clearing trees and brush for the access road and campsites as early as April, Brajer added.

“We ended up waiting until that migration was all done, which I think ended up being around July or even potentially early August, at that point,” Brajer said.

Johnson stated that Tłı̨chǫ Engineering & Environmental Services contract was among the first to be awarded under a new cooperation agreement signed under the N.W.T. and Tłı̨chǫ governments, which was signed in August 2020.

The agreement stipulates that the territorial government agreed to direct negotiations with Tłı̨chǫ companies for infrastructure projects that are built on Tłı̨chǫ land. The government also pledged to adhere to the minimum Tlicho employment and contracting standards in contracts where direct negotiations are not feasible.

All in all, Brajer said the first phase of the park employed more than 20 Tłı̨chǫ employees.

Johnson stated that the department is waiting for the final design approvals for the shower facility and the gatehouse before moving on to the next phase of the project.

“As soon as we get the final drawings back, then we will be approaching the Tlicho government to work on those projects as well,” she said.

Johnson stated that the North Arm Territorial Park campground would be a perfect complement to the opening of the latest highway, offering tourists a chance to camp and rest for a night or two during their visit to Tłı̨chǫ.

“Artisans can come in and sell arts and crafts or hold walking tours or rent out the kitchen shelter for events and that type of thing,” she said. “We’re hoping it will be an economic opportunity for the Tłı̨chǫ and the community of Behchoko.” Johnson ended.