The Dogrib Birchbark Canoe Project, begun in the spring of 1996, was a collaborative effort to build a birchbark canoe in the style of the traditional Tlicho (Dogrib) canoes. The Canoe Project was an extension of a larger effort to complete heritage resource inventories for two Tlicho traditional canoe routes. During the course of the trail inventories, the remains of 30 birchbark canoes were located and recorded, providing an indication of the important role the birchbark canoe played in traversing the Tlicho region. Stakeholders in the project included the Dogrib Treaty 11 Council, the Dogrib Divisional Board of Education, the elders of Gameti (Rae Lakes) and Behchoko (Rae), the Rae/Edzo Friendship Centre and the Archaeology Section of the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. The canoe's design was based on a similar birchbark canoe built by Chief Jimmy Bruneau in the late 1960's. All efforts were made to document the process involved, whether on video, audiocassette or on paper. The project involved six elders (Joe and Julie Mackenzie, Paul and Elizabeth Rabesca, Nick and Annie Black) from Behchoko (Rae). Six students from Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Behchoko (Edzo) participated as well. Tom Andrews, Subarctic Archaeologist at the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre, coordinated the project from Yellowknife. Don Gardner, a professional canoe builder from Calgary assisted with the project. With the help of the "Canada-Northwest Territories Co-operation Agreement for Aboriginal and Official Languages Program" administered by Parks Canada, broadcast-quality videocassettes of the first feature-length birchbark canoe production were completed in early 1997.
Henry "Hank" Koenen owned and operated Koenen's Air Service Ltd. from about 1949 to 1975. In 1960, there was a suggestion that he was considering selling Koenen's Air Service to Ken Stockall (one of his pilots), but the deal didn't go ahead. Another opportunity for sale arose in 1961, but again, the deal did not go ahead.
Koenen's Air Service provided charter services to places all over the Northwest Territories and a few outside, including Fort Simpson, Lac La Martre (Whati), Snowdrift (Lutselk'e), Fort Reliance, Fort Rae (Behchoko), Fort Norman (Tulita), Fort Good Hope, Fort Resolution , Trout Lake, Fort Providence, Thelon River, Rocher River, Fort Liard, Nahanni Butte, Fort Smith, Fort Franklin (Deline), Norman Wells, Jean Marie River, Pine Point, Coppermine (Kugluktuk), Athabasca, Lake Athabasca, Uranium City,and many small lakes, islands, and camps. Several planes were used by the business over the years, including CF-MFY Champion, CF-IYU Cessna, CF-HCQ Stinson, CF-HBL Cessna, and CF-EPP Cessna, among others. Several pilots, besides Hank Koenen, flew for Koenen's Air Service throughout its history, including: Bud Morceau, D. McKay, Keith Silvester, Ernie Boffa, Maurice Lynn, T. McCluny, Wolfgang Poepperl, Jim McAvoy, Ken Stockall, Kenneth Gordon Hornby, some of whom went on to found their own charter services.
Hank Koenen stops appearing the in Yellowknife telephone directory in 1963, although he reputedly remained in Yellowknife until the mid-1970s. Koenen's Air Service disappears from the directory in 1963, but reappears in 1964. Hank Koenen retired to Edmonton, selling Koenen's Air Service to Trevor Burroughs in the 1970s.
Trevor Burroughs appears to have operated Koenen's Air Service Limited in Yellowknife until about 1985, although it remained a federal corporation until 1995, when it was dissolved for non-compliance.
The Department of Infrastructure was established April 1, 2017 with the amalgamation of the Department of Public Works and Services and the Department of Transportation. Infrastructure is responsible for strategic planning of public transportation infrastructure (including roads, bridges, ferries, and airports) and energy production and distribution systems; the disposal of surplus government property and goods; environmental impact assessment/regulatory review and approval; information management and technology; Marine Transportation Services; mechanical/electrical regulatory services; motor and vehicle services; planning, design, construction, acquisition, operation and maintenance of public buildings and transportation infrastructure and systems; energy conservation and efficiency programs; property management; and remediation of public infrastructure.
Construction of the Mackenzie Highway system began in 1946. Work on the highway from the Alberta boundary to Hay River was completed in 1948.
Edmonton entrepreneur, Cy Becker, established the Northern Transportation Company Limited (NTCL) in 1931. In 1936, the company was purchased by Charles and Gilbert Labine who in turn sold it to Eldorado Mining for $87,500. In 1942, Eldorado became a crown corporation. In 1976, NTCL ceased to be part of Eldorado Mining and became an independent entity, although still a crown corporation. NTCL had a profound effect on the development of the western arctic. Although purchased to supply Elorado mining, it always acted as a general carrier. In 1948, the NTCL was dominant in the arctic transportation industry in the Northwest Territories and in 1960, NTCL received the contract to supply DEW line sites and began operating on the Arctic Ocean. The Company's operations are divided into two main geographic sections: the Mackenzie/Western Arctic (including the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut and Alaska) and the Eastern Arctic, which is comprised of the Kivalliq and Baffin Regions of Nunavut. Service in the Mackenzie River watershed began in 1934 and along the Western Arctic Coast and Islands in 1957. Service was extended to encompass the North Slope of Alaska in 1963. Cargo arrives by rail or truck at NTCL's largest operating terminal located at Hay River. It is then transported across Great Slave Lake, down the Mackenzie River to Tuktoyaktuk and along the Arctic coast eastward to Taloyoak and westward to Point Hope, Alaska. In addition to its Regional Offices, NTCL maintains two operating terminals in the Mackenzie Western Arctic, located at Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. Its extensive maritime route system in this sector is serviced by a large fleet of tugs and dual-purpose shallow draft barges, which carry both, bulk petroleum products and dry cargo. NTCL's operations in the Kivalliq region were established in 1975 out of Churchill, Manitoba. The communities of Arviat, Whale Cove, Rankin Inlet, Chesterfield Inlet, Baker Lake and Coral Harbour are serviced through NTCL's Regional Office located at Rankin Inlet and its receiving terminal at Churchill. The company operates one tug, the M.V. Keewatin, and four dual-purpose 1800 series barges in the performance of its Kivalliq service. In 1996, NTCL began to supply fuel to all communities in the Baffin region. Although, NTCL's primary function is marine transportation, it also provides full range integrated logistics support services. Extensive marine maintenance and repair services are conducted in Hay River. Other services include warehousing and distribution, equipment chartering and leasing, steel fabrication and machining, electronic sales and service and the sale of industrial parts and supplies. NTCL is a member of the NorTerra group of companies.