Highlights of History from The Whitehorse Star

Explorer's Guides to Yukon Communities

2010

January

• January 4, 2010: Former Yukon commissioner James Smith celebrated his 90th birthday Dec. 31 and took a moment today to reminisce about his contributions to the territory and on what he sees for the future. Credited with being instrumental in the creation of Kluane National Park and Reserve, designating the Chilkoot Trail as a National Historic Site and bringing the Arctic Winter Games to fruition, Smith said helping the territory achieve independence from Ottawa ranks the highest achievement for him.
• January 4, 2010: Jeannie King, 56, a long-time Dawson resident who worked at the Esso gas station, was found dead outside a vacant home on Saturday afternoon. Her body had been there for an extended period of time, with the temperature hitting -38°C.

February

• February 4, 2010: Tap water in Whitehorse is no longer coming from the surface of Schwatka Lake. As of Jan. 1, the city's water supply has come entirely from six underground wells in the Riverdale area instead of Schwatka Lake.
• February 4, 2010: Twelve new residential lots in Takhini North will be dispensed through a lottery to be held March 2, the City of Whitehorse announced this morning. Up for grabs are three lots for single detached homes at prices ranging from $92,190 to $110,250, and nine duplex properties at from $151,725 to $178,185.
• February 4, 2010: On many days, a dog team or two can be found parked along the edge of the flood dike lining the Yukon River in Dawson City. There have been concerns expressed about the unwanted souvenirs the canines leave behind, and Bylaw Servives has now warned owners to clean up after themselves.

• February 9, 2010: The Association of Yukon Communities (AYC) could be asking the Yukon government to look at changing who's eligible to cast ballots in municipal elections in the territory. The request stems from concerns of entrepreneurs who own businesses in a community but have no vote because they live outside municipal boundaries.

2011

January

• January 4, 2011: An off-duty RCMP officer and an alert neighbour were the first on the scene of a house fire Monday in the Copper Ridge subdivision. The off-duty officer happened to be driving by the home and noticed the fire. At the same time, a neighbour saw the smoke. By the time on-duty officers and firefighters arrived, the two men had kicked down the door, searched the home and rescued a dog. No humans were in the home at the time of the blaze, which is believed to have been caused by a burning ember in a compost bin.

  

• January 6, 2011: Members of the Carcross-Tagish First Nation who barricaded the aboriginal government's offices on Tuesday say they are fed up with the chief and council and want changes to their clan system.

• January 14, 2011: New residential lots in Porter Creek and Crestview could be on the market as early as late summer or early fall, say city planners who are starting the work to open up five sites to development.

April

• April 29, 2011: A 52-year-old man from Maple Ridge, B.C. died Thursday afternoon after falling into a crevasse while snowmobiling west of the Haines Highway. A rescue team from Haines Junction was unable to reach the body. After descending some 12 to 15 metres (40 to 50 feet), members of the team determined is was unsafe to continue any lower to reach the body.

May

• May 9, 2011: A 5-person mountain rescue team from Banff has recovered the bodies of two men who died falling into crevasses at the Haines Summit on April 28, and near Atlin on May 1.
• May 9, 2011: Willard Phelps, the Yukon political veteran and founder of the United Citizens Party, will not run in the next territorial election and has no plans to continue work on the party he leads and officially registered at the end of last year.
• May 9, 2011: Liquidation World staff in Whitehorse will be out of work by month's end as the store closes its store here - again. The 11 part- and full-time employees only learned of the closure five or six days ago from head office.

• May 20, 2011: Whitehorse residents continue to be deeply divided over the city's logo after city council announced its intention to retain the sternwheeler logo on Wednesday. There were 2,340 responses to a survey. A total of 66 per cent of the respondents favoured using the sternwheeler and 34 per cent chose the proposed stylized horse.
• May 20, 2011: The Watson Lake RCMP have seized $20,000 during a suspected proceeds of crime investigation. The owners of the seized money will have to prove they obtained it through legitimate means. Otherwise, it will be confiscated,
• May 20, 2011: A number of local groups have declared the city's housing dilemma a full-fledged emergency. The Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition and its partners are calling on the territorial government, City of Whitehorse, Kwanlin Dun First Nation and Ta'an Kwach'an Council to act immediately to resolve the housing crunch facing the city this summer.

2012

November

• November 16, 2012: From The Whitehorse Legion, Branch 254: "Thank you to the Premier of Yukon, the Honourable Darrel Pasloski and the Minister of Highway and Public Works, the Honourable Wade Istchenko for the unveiling of the new Alaska Highway signs 'Dedicated to all Veterans'." See the government press release here.

2013

January

2014

January

2015

January

2016

January

• January 4, 2016: Yukon RCMP rang in the new year by responding to 144 calls across the territory. Officers laid 11 impaired driving charges and responded to 11 assaults on New Year's Eve. Fights broke out in several locations, including Lizards nightclub in Whitehorse and homes in Watson Lake, Haines Junction and Whitehorse.
• January 4, 2016: The Minto Mine has no plans to alter its mining operation over the next 18 months, though it continues to monitor the depressed price of copper, says mine manager Ron Light. With the price of copper floating at just over $2 US a pound, the mine is not making money but it is keeping its head above water, he said.
• January 4, 2016: The commissioner's annual New Year's Levee was hosted Jan. 1 as it is each year, with 214 people turning out for the 2016 edition at the Westmark Whitehorse Hotel. Four people received a Commissioner's Award for Public Service - Jim Robb, Laurie Henderson, Gary Bailie, and William Curtis, and eight students received a Governor General's Academic Award.

March

• March 2, 2016: Three Yukoners will receive honours from Gov. Gen. David Johnston on Friday during ceremonies at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts in Vancouver. Morgan Wienberg will receive a Meritorious Service Cross, while Gary Bailie and Lois Johnston will receive Caring Canadian Awards. Wienberg, who has spent most of her time in Haiti in recent years, cofounded Little Footprints, Big Steps, a safe transitional house for victims of poverty and neglect. Bailie has been the driving force behind the Kwanlin Koyotes Ski Club for more than 15 years. Johnson started volunteering 25 years ago teaching children to ski and hasn't stopped yet.

• March 24, 2016: "Vera Campbell was on a vacation in Florida on this March 2, 1992 when she learned that her daughter, Krystal Senyk, had been shot dead in her Carcross cabin." Read the entire article here.

June

• June 28, 2016: Premier Darrell Pasloski says the territorial government is establishing a new award to recognize Yukoners' achievements. The Order of Yukon will be in place in time for Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations next year.

2017

January

• January 3, 2017: A 15-year-old youth arrested early last Friday morning is facing 15 criminal charges, Whitehorse RCMP say. The charges are related to a series of recent break-and-enter incidents, thefts and mischief in and around the Whitehorse area, and include assault of a peace officer and assault with a weapon.

2018

January

• January 2, 2018: Stephanie Dixon has been named to the Order of Canada for her swimming and leadership skills.
• January 2, 2018: In the final frigid days of 2017, the territory broke its energy consumption record three times, according to Yukon Energy. At 5:41 p.m. last Thursday, a new usage record was set at 89.25 megawatts. The following day, the record was broken, at 89.90 megawatts, and then again at 5:16 p.m. Saturday at 92.69 megawatts.

• January 3, 2018: Premier Sandy Silver announced on New Year's Day that an Order of Yukon is being developed. It will be the highest honour in the territory, recognizing individuals who make exceptional contributions to the Yukon. A maximum of 3 per year will be awarded. The award was going to be started in 2016, but that didn't happen.
• January 3, 2018: Genesis Mikhaila Manygreyhorses is the Yukon's New Year's baby. She was born at 6 a.m. Monday to Karen Pye and Myles Manygreyhorses of Watson Lake.

December

• December 7, 2018: Helen Klaben, who with pilot Ralph Flores survived 49 days in the wilderness south of Watson Lake in 1963, died last Sunday in Palo Alto, California, at the age of 76.

• December 21, 2018: The White Pass & Yukon Route is planning to undertake some maintenance work on the rail right-of-way between Whitehorse and Carcross, as they feel maintaining the line could be a future opportunity for tourism traffic. The plan is to initially clear the brush and communication lines from the area over several years. Contrary to some rumors, these plans do not mean White Pass is planning to offer passenger service between Carcross and Whitehorse at this time. Read the entire article here.

2019

February

• February 18, 2019: A tentative agreement reached with the Yukon Hospital Corp. addresses the significant workload issues that have been a major concern for the 250 staffers at the territory's three hospitals.
• February 18, 2019: A problem with valves on a truck carrying liquefied natural gas to Yukon Energy's generating station caused a leak Saturday, says a vice-president of Ferus Natural Gas fuels out of Grande Prairie, Alta. Approximately 50% of the load was lost.
• February 18, 2019: The company operating the Tim Hortons restaurant near Main Street, Vancouver-based Terry Holdings Ltd., is pursuing litigation in Yukon Supreme Court over damage. sustained when its roof caved in two years ago.

• February 20, 2019: The 2018 Yukon Heritage Awards were handed out Monday evening at the Yukon Archives. Murray Lundberg won the Annual Heritage Award; Gordon Mervin Toole the Posthumous History Maker Award; Bruce Barrett the Helen Couch Volunteer of the Year Award; Association franco-yukonnaise the Innovation, Education, and Community Engagement Award; and the Yukon Church Heritage Society the Heritage Conservation Project of the Year Award. Read the entire article here.

• February 27, 2019: The last of the copper concentrate from the Minto Mine went through Whitehorse Thursday on its way to the ore terminal in Skagway. Capstone Mining is putting the mine into temporary closure, with only a skeleton crew remaining to provide care and maintenance including ongoing water treatment.

July

• July 12, 2019: The future Yukon University, soon to be Canada's first university North of 60, has unveiled its new identity, leading up to the official university transition celebration in May 2020. Over footage of students set against the Yukon landscape, the $115,000 video speaks of having a deep relationship with the place you live, feeling your roots, doing things differently, recognizing opportunity, and looking to the future.
• July 12, 2019: The Commissioner of the Yukon has released the design of the Order of Yukon medal. The Order of Yukon will be the highest honour in the territory. It will be similar to orders awarded in other provinces and territories.
• July 12, 2019: David Lametti, the minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the minister of Health, have asked two Yukon ministers to ban conversion therapy in the territory.

September

• September 3, 2019: Dennis Fentie died of cancer last Thursday at the Whitehorse General Hospital, at the age of 68. He served as the Yukon's premier from 2002 until 2011.

• September 11, 2019: An evacuation alert has been issued for the Stewart Crossing and Ethel Lake areas because of a wildfire burning south of Stewart Crossing. Approximately 60 people live in the area.
• September 11, 2019: After 25 years in the driving school business, Barbara Evans is calling it quits, even if it means closing Main Street Driving School for good. Evans has spent the last several weeks looking to find a buyer for the only Canada Safety Council certified driving school in the Yukon, but has received no response.

November

• November 27, 2019: The Humane Society Yukon, which operates the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter is "blown away" by the public suport it is getting, with 75 people showing up at a recent meeting, 16 people interested in joining its board, and is just under $10,000 away from a $35,000 GoFundMe campaign goal.
• November 27, 2019: A complete avalanche forecasting program in the White Pass and Wheaton Valley will return for the 2019-20 winter season. Avalanche Canada and the Yukon Avalanche Association announced Tuesday that weekly avalanche forecasts will begin in early January 2020 and continue through April, and a professional field team of three avalanche technicians will work to restore the program to its previous service levels.

December

• December 23, 2019: The Ta'an Kwach'an Council has issued a warning of wolves frequenting the Lake Laberge area. Its social media post urges people living in that area, north of Whitehorse, to monitor outdoor pets and keep food sources secure.
• December 23, 2019: The territorial workers' compensation board (WCB) will consider expanding the list of occupational cancers covered for firefighters as part of a legislative overhaul planned for this year. Last week, the Star reported that Yukon firefighters met with the WCB to advocate for seven types of cancer to be added to the list covered by benefits.
• December 23, 2019: The Yukon's first resident specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, Dr. Johannes (Johs) Asfeldt, died earlier this year in Kamloops. He delivered over a hundred Yukoners in the half-dozen years he worked here in the mid to late '70s.

Continue to January 2020