
Opening of Yellowknife's Islamic Centre delayed again amid funding shortfall
The opening of the Islamic Centre of Yellowknife has been delayed yet again.
The long-awaited centre was expected to open in March, but an official says it's still short on funding and may not open until later this year.
"I know the people were heartbroken who were supposed to pray in Ramadan there," said Shaykh Habib Hasan, the Imam of Yellowknife mosque.
"Everyone is patient about it, but they cannot wait to pray in the new Islamic Centre."
Yellowknife has been without an Islamic centre since 2019, when the previous one in Old Town was demolished to make way for the new building.
Fouzan Khan is the CEO of the Canadian chapter of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), which is co-funding the project. He says the news is disappointing for many, as the project has faced construction and funding delays.
The centre is 70 to 80 per cent complete, but costs have more than doubled since construction began almost three years ago, from $2.5 million to $6.5 million.
"It's the cost that has been the most challenging part... working with construction in Yellowknife is very different than in some other parts of the country," Khan said.
"It's a unique project in itself. And the community is smaller, so it doesn't have the internal capacity to complete it. Rallying people across the country to get behind this project has also been more of a challenge than we anticipated."
Yasir Hussain, operations manager at ISNA, says they are still about $1 million short.
He says that the logistics of northern construction have been a key factor in rising costs.
"If you were to break it down to two things, the delays and the ballooning costs came right down to the shorter construction season, the weather, and just manpower for a highly customized project like this," Hussain said.
Although national fundraising continues, Hussein hopes for a final push from the Yellowknife community to cover about half of the remaining costs, or about $400,000 to $500,000.
"That would cover interior millwork, the carpet, painting, and all the other static elements that go into this project," Hussain said.
He remains optimistic that the centre will open by August or September.
Space challenges
With construction ongoing, Hasan says members of the city's Islamic community have been gathering in a temporary space at Monkey Tree Place. But, he says it's too small for larger gatherings.
"The place is still small, sometimes gets very hot, sometimes gets cold, but Alhamdulillah, people are coming," Hasan said.
Although the Monkey Tree location accommodates about 100 people, Hasan says it still feels small for the local Muslim population of 400 to 500, many of whom are attending night prayers during Ramadan.
"So we've rented the Multiplex on weekends so that the ladies can also attend the prayers," Hasan said.
He adds that once the new centre opens, the community will be able to host more programs, including family activities and youth initiatives.
"So it's not only for us … everyone is welcome," Hasan said.
Abdul Karim Yalahow, who's lived in Yellowknife since 1997, remembers when there was no mosque. At the time, a small group of 30 to 40 Muslims gathered on Fridays at the public library.
That changed in 1999, when they found a former daycare in Old Town up for sale.
"We scrambled, about 10, 11 of us, collected money from each other to put that money down," Yalahow said.
The Islamic Society of North America-Canada funded the rest, and Yellowknife Muslims prayed there until it was demolished in 2019 to make way for the new centre.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Canada Standard
a day ago
- Canada Standard
Air India Plane Crash: UK sets up Reception Centre in Ahmedabad to provide support to families of British nationals
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 14 (ANI): The British High Commission in India has set up a reception centre in the Ummed Hotel near Ahmedabad airport to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals following the Air India plane crash in Gujarat. According to the statement, the UK Reception Centre will remain open from 9 am to 9 pm every day, starting from today. In a post on X, the British High Commission in India stated, 'The UK has set up a Reception Centre in the Ummed Hotel to provide support and advice for the families and friends of British nationals following the plane crash on 12 June. The UK Reception Centre, near Ahmedabad airport, will be open from 0900 to 2100 every day, starting today.' The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London with 242 passengers crashed in Meghaninagar area shortly after it took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. Only one person out of the 242 people on board survived the crash. As per Air India, the passengers comprised 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals. On Friday, British High Commissioner to India, Lindy Cameron, held a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared condolences over the plane crash near Ahmedabad Airport. She stated that the UK and India are working together to establish facts and expressed readiness to support the families and friends of impacted British nationals. In a post on X, Cameron stated, 'I met with Prime Minister @narendramodi this morning. We shared condolences in the face of this tragic accident, and I offered my thanks for the work of tireless first responders here in Ahmedabad. The UK and India are working together to establish the facts. We stand ready to support the families and friends of affected British Nationals - please consult our Travel Advice for updates and contact us on the 24/7 consular helpline.' As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1:39 pm (IST) from runway 23. It gave a mayday Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen emanating from the accident site, said the official. (ANI)


Canada Standard
a day ago
- Canada Standard
Ahmedabad plane crash:
Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 14 (ANI): Chief Fire Officer of Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Service Amit Dongre on Saturday said that 30 lives were saved in the rescue operations after the Air India plane rammed into a doctors' hostel. On Thursday, the London-bound Air India flight AI171 crashed shortly after it tookoff from Sardar Vallabhai Patel International Airport, ramming into a doctors' hostel of BJ Medical College in Gujarat's Ahmedabad. Speaking with ANI, Dongre said, 'We received the message through the hotline at around 1.40 pm that day. We responded within 3 minutes. We started fire extinguishing and rescue operations simultaneously and 30 lives were saved during the rescue operation. People were rushed to the civil hospital with the help of 50 ambulances.' Earlier, Junior Doctor's Association of BJ Medical College on Saturday confirmed that four MBBS students lost their lives, while 20 students suffered injuries, and 11 of them have been discharged. 'In reference to the recent plane crash incident, JDA- BJMC clarifies that a total of 4 MBBS students from B.J. Medical College, who were having lunch in the mess building, have sadly passed away. Out of the 20 MBBS students injured in the accident, 11 have been discharged with a stable condition,' the statement read. According to the association, four family members of super-speciality doctors who were residing in 'Atulyam' building in the college campus also died. 'Among the family members of Super Specialty doctors residing in the 'Atulyam' building, 4 have tragically died. Additionally, the wife of one resident doctor from the Super Specialty department has been injured and is currently under treatment. The condition of all admitted patients is stable and they are recovering quickly,' the statement read. Only one person out of the 242 people on board survived the crash. As per Air India, the passengers comprised 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals. (ANI)


Canada Standard
a day ago
- Canada Standard
Bhutan King, Queen and fourth Druk Gyalpo attend prayer ceremony in memory of Air India plane crash victims
Thimphu [Bhutan], June 14 (ANI): Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, his father, and Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuck attended the prayer ceremony here on Saturday in memory of the victims of the plane crash in Ahmedabad and offered condolences to the people of India. The Officiating Prime Minister, Chairman of the Royal Privy Council, the Ambassador of India to Bhutan, members of the diplomatic community, senior officials of the Royal Government, and officials of the Government of India attended the ceremony, according to the statement released by Bhutan King Wangchuk. In a statement shared on Facebook, King Wangchuck stated, '14 June 2025: A special prayer ceremony was held at the Grand Kuenrey of the Tashichodzong in memory of the precious lives lost in the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad, India. His Majesty The King, His Majesty the Fourth Druk Gyalpo, and Her Majesty The Gyaltsuen graced the prayer ceremony and lit a thousand butter lamps.' 'The Officiating Prime Minister, Chairman of the Royal Privy Council, the Ambassador of India to Bhutan, members of the diplomatic community, senior officials of the Royal Government, and officials of the Government of India attended the ceremony. Their Majesties have conveyed heartfelt condolences to the government and people of India,' he added. The Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Ahmedabad to London with 242 passengers crashed in Meghaninagar area shortly after it took off from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport on Thursday. As per Air India, the passengers comprised 169 Indians, 53 British nationals, one Canadian and seven Portuguese nationals. As per ATC, the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad at 1:39 pm (IST) from runway 23. It gave a mayday Call to ATC, but thereafter, no response was given by the aircraft to the calls made by ATC. Aircraft immediately after departure from Runway 23, fell on the ground outside the airport perimeter. Heavy black smoke was seen emanating from the accident site, said the official. Meanwhile, the Indian government has constituted a high-level multi-disciplinary committee for examining the causes that led to the deadly plane crash. 'A High-Level Multi-disciplinary Committee is constituted for examining the causes leading to the crash of the Air India Flight AI-171 from Ahmedabad to Gatwick Airport (London) on June 12, 2025. The Committee will examine the existing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and guidelines issued to prevent and handle such occurrences and suggest comprehensive guidelines for dealing with such instances in the future,' an order issued by the Civil Aviation Ministry read. The committee will have access to all records, including, among others, flight data, cockpit voice recorders, aircraft maintenance records, ATC Log and witness testimonies and will publish its report within three committee is headed by the Home Secretary and includes representatives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Indian Air Force, and aviation experts. The committee will assess the emergency response of the various stakeholders, including rescue operations and coordination among them. It will also suggest policy changes, operational improvements and training enhancements required to prevent such occurrences and handle post-crash incident situations. (ANI)