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September/October 2002 issue	In this issue Table of Contents Editor’s Notebook Feature: Northwest Territories The Inside Story Reverberations À la carte Mosaic

Changing courses (feature) |  NWT license plates | Territorial timeline | The shape-shifting territory | Archives

One of the best known and most recognizable symbols of the Northwest Territories is the characteristic — and cute — polar bear license plate. It is only fitting, then, that these popular icons should also reflect many of the significant milestones in the territory’s history.

But before we take a trip though time in NWT automobiles, it is important to note that for millennia, transportation in the region was either by water or by sled. According to the NWT department of transportation, it wasn’t until the 1930s that the first motor vehicles arrived in the territory, along with the mining industry.

At first, travelling by automobiles was limited since there were no roads. But in the summer of 1938, low water on the Athabasca River prevented supplies from getting to the Yellowknife gold fields, and the government took action. An aerial survey to find a route for a road was flown in January of 1939.

Although the first road connecting the NWT to southern Canada did not open until 1949 — the Mackenzie Highway, which went to Hay River — the first license plates were officially issued earlier, in 1941. Only 58 plates were issued that year, making them a rare prize for license plate collectors.

These early plates, which were rectangular, were issued for every year between 1941 and 1966 except for 1944, during the Second World War. In 1954, the slogan "Canada’s Northland" was added to the plate, followed by the territorial crest in 1966. These features remained on the license plates through 1969, but a major change came in 1970, NWT’s centennial year.

For the special occasion, a new design was created by then commissioner Stuart M. Hodgson - the polar bear plate that is admired by collectors and non-collectors alike, and is still in use today. The slogan on the plate changed to "Centennial" in 1970, and was the first of many to commemorate significant moments in NWT history.

In the same year, a small number of plates were also made in honour of the 1970 royal tour. The plates had a crown instead of numbers, and every year since then, similar plates have been made for official vehicles transporting visiting royalty and heads of state.

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the RCMP in 1973, the slogan on the plate changed to "RCMP Centennial."

Special plates that read EXPO 86 were also made for NWT pavillion vehicles at the 1986 World’s Fair in Vancouver.

Since 1986, the polar bear tags have had the slogan "Explore Canada’s Arctic." And with visitors to the region — and even admirers from afar — the plates are so sought after that the Road Licensing and Safety Division began issuing souvenir plates. They can be purchased from the government or from a number of NWT retailers for about $15.

The last big historical milestone chronicled by the ursine plates was the formation of Nunavut from the eastern half of the NWT in 1999. Both territories wanted the distinctive plate. Although there was some debate over the matter, it was decided that both territories could use the plate, an outcome that is true to the spirit of Nunavut’s creation and acknowledges the rich and ever-changing history of the Northwest Territories.

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