Regional 1 Airlines flight TSH447, a DHC-8 s, departed Gjoa Haven for Cambridge Bay and when on approach at Cambridge, the crew could not get a safe gear down and locked indication. They elected to divert to Yellowknife, where they attempted various methods to get the nose gear to extend, without success. In a fly-by of the tower, the nose gear was retracted and only 2 of the 4 gear doors were down. The crew then declared an emergency and landed on runway 09, and the occupants were evacuated on the runway. There were no injuries and minimal damage to the aircraft. It was reported that the aircraft taxied through snow covered slushy areas before departing Gjoa Haven and upon departure, the landing gear remained extended in flight for a period of time, reason not given. After landing, the aircraft’s nose was elevated using airbags and maintenance discovered ice attached to the NLG well and gear. Maintenance chipped away at the ice, which fell out in large chunks before the gear extended on its own accord. There was damage to the aircraft and it was ferried to Calgary for repairs.