The City of Yellowknife and the Town of Inuvik have teamed up to take advantage of the federal government’s “once in a generation commitment” to defence spending, as signalled in this week’s Budget 2025.

Yellowknife Mayor Ben Hendriksen and Inuvik Mayor Peter Clarkson on Thursday signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding to establish a collaborative framework to advocate for strategic military and defense investments in Canada’s Arctic.

The Liberal government has set aside an additional $81.8 billion over five years to re-arm the Canadian military, with more money for recruiting, training, new equipment, defence infrastructure and more in the fiscal plan, tabled Tuesday in the House of Commons.

Mayor Hendriksen told media in Yellowknife Council Chambers that, “it’s important to recognize that the federal budget, especially around defence spending, is sort of like a once-in-a-generation commitment to the North.”

He continued: “There’s a real opportunity for the North to have a role that we haven’t seen in many generations. So, making sure that the City of Yellowknife, the Town of Inuvik, are working together on this, and making sure that our communities — and then the communities within our regions as well — have the benefits that can come from this.”

The MOU aims to enhance Northern community partnerships, with specific focus on joint advocacy for Canadian Armed Forces and NORAD infrastructure, co-ordinated defence operations, and economic growth while respecting community values, the environment and traditional land use.

Both mayors highlighted the importance of shared infrastructure and the potential for broader regional collaboration, including with municipalities outside the NWT.

Said Mayor Clarkson: “The fact that we’re both Northern operational support hubs for the Department of National Defence — and the fact that we also represent a lot of the citizens of the Northwest Territories — whenever we can work together to benefit the people of the Northwest Territories and the Northwest Territories, I think that’s a great thing.”

Hendriksen said the signing is a statement about northern community partnerships, with Yellowknife and Inuvik collaborate in five key areas, each aimed at strengthening the North and “creating lasting, lasting value for residents of both of our communities.”

Ottawa’s Budget 2025 also proposes to provide $1 billion over four years to Transport Canada to create the Arctic Infrastructure Fund, which will invest in major transportation projects in the North with dual-use applications for civilian and military use, including airports, seaports, all-season roads, and highways.

Mayor Clarkson said a good example of “dual-use” federal infrastructure is the underway $230 million runway extension at the Inuvik Airport, to support the Department of National Defence’s Forward Operating Location.

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The project scope includes extending the runway by 3,000 feet to a total length of 9,000 feet, and modernizing the lighting, navigational and military aircraft landing system.

Clarkson said the runway extension will also be welcomed by civilian jets, such as the 737’s that land there every day.