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November 18, 2025
News
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Newcomers seeking a new start in Canada’s North are singing its praises — some even calling it a life-changing experience.
“My dreams came true here in Yellowknife! I don’t regret moving,” Evalyn Santos says.
Evalyn is the owner of Sizzling Filipino Restaurant. She immigrated to Canada in 2014 from the Philippines. She lived in Calgary for nine years, before looking to the Northwest Territories for new opportunities.
In Calgary, there are a lot of Filipino stores and restaurants,” she points out.
“But I found out that there was no Filipino restaurant in Yellowknife so I came up with the idea that it would be good to have a restaurant here.”
It certainly has been good. Despite some challenges finding employees, her business has taken off, and Evalyn says she has found a new community.
“The people here. They’re nice. They welcome us.”
Despite the warm welcome, Canada’s cold North can be a tough sell for many immigrants.
2021 census numbers show 4,145 immigrants lived in the NWT, accounting for 10.3 per cent of the total population.
That number has fluctuated over the years, but overall population growth is still stagnant.
“Historically we know that immigrants tend to stay in big cities where they know someone. It’s human nature,” Katerina Palova points out.
Palova is the Director of Research & Immigrant Wellbeing at TIES Centre for Immigrant Research (TCIR).
TCIR has launched TAIGA RISE, a project funded by the federal government. It will look at ways to attract, integrate and retain immigrants to the NWT and Northern Alberta.
“We’re interested in talking to two groups (of immigrants),” Palova says. “Those who came and stayed and those who came and left.”
“What motivated them to stay? What motivated them to leave?”
Marites is one of those who has stayed — for 17 years and counting!
Also from the Philippines, she was convinced to come to Yellowknife by extended family who had relocated there in the 1990’s.
“For the first two years I encountered a lot,” she says. “The weather is very cold here, but now I get used to it. When I go home to the Philippines, it’s hard for me because it’s too hot there!”
Marites admits life in Yellowknife can be hard, largely due to the high cost of living.
“I have two full-time jobs and one part-time job. We have to pay for mortgage. We have to pay for money to send home.”
But she adds if you work hard, it can be worth it.
“We bought our own house in 2014. That’s my first investment here in Canada!”
One of her three jobs is as a salesperson at NWT Diamond and Jewellery Centre.. A gem of a job in what she now calls a gem of a city.
“We love to stay here, maybe forever. We have a good life here in Yellowknife.”
Sabna isn’t sure how long she’ll stay. The young mom, originally from India, came to Yellowknife via Brampton, Ontario two years ago.
She immigrated to Canada in 2021 to study social work. She moved North to get any work experience needed to qualify for permanent residency.
“It’s a small city and I love that,” she says. “There is no noise. I’m not worried about the traffic. Everything I can get in five minutes.”
Overall, she says the move has paid off but admits there have been trade-offs.
“I’m missing my family, my mother especially,” she says. “Also, the hangout with my friends. Sometimes I feel isolation because I have my son and husband only here, not my relatives. Not even my friends.”
“The isolation may be the main reason that I prefer to go back to Brampton in a few years.”
Newton Grey understands all of these feelings. Born in Jamaica, he moved to Ontario before heading north to Inuvik and now Yellowknife.
“If you’re born in paradise, then the next option is to be close to heaven. So, you go as far north as possible.”
Aside from the heavenly views, Grey also moved here for work. A decision, he says, was met with negativity.
“I was living in Ontario when I got an offer to work in NWT. I asked people, ‘What do you think of this opportunity?’ People would tell me, ‘Don’t go there.’”
Grey says he asked those people if they had ever been North, but no one had.
“But here they were telling me passionately not to come here. This misinformation — we need to fix.”
Grey followed his heart and like many others, he’s been extremely successful.
Not only is he the Regional General Manager for Capital Suites Hotels, he’s also the president of the NWT Chamber of Commerce.
“There are tons and tons of opportunities here,” he says.” To do business, to work. There is a great work-life balance. So it’s good for mental health.”
He advises newcomers to look beyond the negativity and into all benefits available to them.
Above all, he encourages them to connect with other immigrants and get involved.
“Anywhere in life you get out as much as you put in,” he points out. “If you’re coming here, sitting down, and waiting for things to happen — it might not happen.”
“If you’re coming here spending the time looking for what is wrong — you’re going to find everything that is wrong. But all of the great things that are right — will miss you.”
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Yellowknife’s mayor Ben Hendrikson echoes that advice. He’s not an immigrant but his wife is from Dublin, Ireland.
“For myself, it’s a great thing to see people from across the world wanting to be part of your community.”
He too sees the pros of bringing newcomers into his city.
“New people into Canada, into our community, bring new ideas. They bring new investment opportunities. They bring new passion for the place.”
As for the challenges — lack of housing and supports, as well as brewing conflicts between those who call the area home — he believes they can be overcome.
“There are always people who are afraid of the other, and that comes from all directions,” he points out.
“I think it’s a matter of where we can create those spaces where people can meet and greet and engage with each other. That’s a positive thing.”
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TIES (The Immigrant Education Society) researchers will be focusing on both the positives and the negatives of Northern life over the next three years.
Although the research is only in the data collection phase, it’s already proving to be promising.
“I think there is a high chance of more people going to remote areas,” Palova says.
“The opportunities for career growth, for jobs, for diverse job skills, for skilled immigrants in many professions are much greater in the NWT than in bigger cities. You’re competing with fewer people. You’re also growing fast.”
The team acknowledges that some things will likely need to change, including federal and other governmental/territorial policies, but they add everyone will benefit from those changes.
“They (the North) need immigrants to revive, to make the economic or even the social fabric more colourful,” TCIR Manager Kreisha Hilario points out.
“Everyone I talked to, whether it has been 17 years, 20 years, or two years – they’re all so happy.”
“In general, I think the NWT is great because it’s huge. A lot of space to develop,” TIES President and CEO Sally Zhao says.
“The space is huge, but the community is small. People are closer with each other. I think it is easier to find the welcoming, the sense of belonging there.”
“The Ultimate goal is for newcomers to see Canadian north. To see it as an option,” Palova adds.
“To see it as a place where they can move their families and take advantage of the opportunities that they may not be able to see somewhere else.”
Our coverage of TIES voyage to the North will continue in the coming weeks with videos from our amazing trip.
https://www.immigrant-education.ca/ties-news/canadas-north-welcomes-immigration-if-done-right
TAIGA RISE (Tailored Attraction, Integration and Retention Strategies for Northern Ecosystem) started in the Spring of 2025 and is expected to continue until the Spring of 2028.
It is funded by the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada).
Media RSVP, Interviews & Inquiries:
Tomasia DaSilva
Media and Relationship Strategist
Email: tomasiadasilva@immigrant-education.ca
Phone: 403-291-0002
Get involved with TIES on our social media platforms.
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