Style of 1941-46

Style of 1948-50

Style of 1951-53

Style of 1954-63

Style of 1964-65

Style of 1966-69


First Bear shaped plate

Style of 1971-72

Unique to 1973

1977-78

1979-80

1983-85

Style of 1986-date

Current motorcycle plate

Current ATV plate

Being far up north, and inaccessible to road travel for many years after the advent of the automobile, the Northwest Territories were understandably late in issuing license plates.  The first vehicle, a Ford Truck, did not appear in the NWT until 1920, and even as late as 1960, there were no improved roads linking it to the rest of Canada, when the MacKenzie Highway was opened from Edmonton to Yellowknife.

Registration of vehicles was not set up until 1941 when the Territories began issuing sets of license plates.  No pre-dated owner-provided plates are known.  Only 58 sets of plates were issued the first year, making them very rare today amongst collectors!  Harsh weather conditions and few roads meant that registrations remained very low for years.  In 1967, Yellowknife became the Territorial captial and some government jobs moved up North.

In 1970 something very exciting happend to NWT license plates, never seen anywhere else in the world.  The plates took on the shape of a polar bear, and remain so to this very day!  Contrary to what one might think, this is not an idea that came from the government, but rather from a 7th grader!  In 1969, the territorial government held a school competition for a winning license plate design to mark the Territory's Centennial in 1970.  Klaus Schoene of Sir John Franklin High School in Yellowknife had the winning design, which was a polar bear in colors of the Ice/Snow and Sky, the predominant colors one sees up North much of the year.  Wisely, the NWT government decided to stick with this design.  Today, the NWT bear plates are very popular among collectors and non-collectors alike.
 

• The first official issue was 1941.  There are dated plates 1929, 30, and 31 known but these are prototypes.
• All plates issued since 1986 are valid.
• From 1966 onwards, seaonal plates were issued at remote areas (probably outside of Yellowknife), at a reduced fee.  They expired Oct 31 (you probably couldn't drive past that date anyhow - you'd likely be snowed in).  First these were indicated by a blue strip on the right; then when they were issued in the bear shape, they were spray painted orange around the border!  In addition, the left front paw was stamped Oct 31.  In 1971, the last year for these plates, they were red on white instead of the regular white on blue.

First issue Seasonal plate

Example of 1970 Seasonal plate for Commercial Vehicle

This 1971 seasonal plate looks like part of the regular series
- until one takes a look at the color (compare it to the  blue/white example at left).
This particular example was for a Public Service Vehicle.

• 1970: 100th Anniversary of entry into Canada (1870)
• 1973: 100th Anniversary of the RCMP (1873)

• Pure numeric (up to 5 numbers). 5-digits were required for the first time on the '66 base. 

NWT was the last jurisdiction in Canada to register motorcycles, sometime in the late 60s.  The first issue was a small black on orange square plate with the NWT crest.  It is unknown whether the tabs used were the same as the tabs for the car plate.  Today color is what distinguishes the motorcycle from the ATV plate.  They are dubbed the "baby bear" and are very popular with collectors.

The two designs of NWT motorcycle plates - note the "baby bear"

Special Issues

	These earlier  license plates were not official issues as NWT didn't start licensing  vehicles until 1941.  Rather, they were  prototypes made for the Good Roads Campaign. Other dates include '29 and '30.
	This officially sanctioned booster plate was allowed in 1986 when the "Explore Canada's Arctic" permanent bear plate came out.  Later, NWT issue a single plate.  Pairs were no longer mandatory.
	This was issued to NWT delegates at the 1986 World Expo in Vancouver.  These plates were numbered serially. A souvenir plate, similar in design and sold to visitors, read "EXPO 86".