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Many Yellowknife businesses say bringing more festivals, events and foot traffic downtown is the one of the best ways the city can support the private sector and improve street safety.

That was the most common recommendation contained in a recent report by the city. The municipal government engaged with local businesses in June to better understand how public safety concerns affect downtown businesses.

According to the city's findings, downtown Yellowknife has a reputation for being unsafe, which is making it harder to hire and keep employees, especially in customer-facing jobs.

"Many businesses reported a noticeable decline in foot traffic, particularly in the evenings, as residents avoided the area," the municipalitySA国际影视传媒檚 report states.

The business owners, who are not named in the report, say that hosting events brings more positive energy downtown and improves the general atmosphere, even if it's temporary. Those events could be parades, races or seasonal festivals. They can also include non-downtown businesses, the city states. Paired with that is another idea: improving parking availability.

Executive director of Home Base Yellowknife, Tammy Roberts, told SA国际影视传媒 she was part of the city's meeting with local businesses. She said that overall, the feedback was positive.

Having more people downtown can bring awareness and doesnSA国际影视传媒檛 segregate anyone or any groups of people, she suggested.

"If, as a parent, I'm terrified of going to the dentist and I talk about it all the time, guess what? My kids are going to be scared to go to the dentist,SA国际影视传媒� she said. SA国际影视传媒淪o if we engage more families, then we're also engaging and exposing younger people to understand addiction and understand homelessness as well and not be afraid of it."

One event Roberts said she'd like to see come back is Raven Mad Daze, an annual event in the early 2000s where downtown was flooded with people, vendors and youth.

It's an idea that other businesses endorsed bringing back during their meeting with the city as well, according to Roberts.

Coun. Rob Warburton agreed that increased foot traffic would help make downtown safer.

Warburton said the city can help facilitate more events, but not necessarily host them itself, as that would eat up time and resources meant for other projects and responsibilities.

"From a city perspective, what we can do is encourage and support and help folks that can do those things," said Warburton.

He added that the municipality can also partner with other small businesses if, for example, they need something like a street closed for a day.

"Those are some pretty quick and easy wins," he said.

Warburton attended the Yellowknife Farmer's Market on July 15. He said that's one example of an event that makes downtown feel safer while promoting business.

The more people present, the stronger the sense of community grows and the safer people feel, he contended. With fewer people present, residents and tourists can get the impression that downtown is solely, or mostly, composed of vulnerable and homeless populations, he added.

"It's like a busy street versus a dark alley," said Warburton.

Events can also take place downtown in the winter, he added.