Whitehorse Daily Star

September 26, 2008

• Firearms law saves enforcement officers' lives I send e-mails out on a regular basis to federal, territorial and municipal politicians. Some reply, some don't and some reply but don't say anything concrete.
• Taking a look at Canadian Paintings, Prints and Drawings While I realize that if you're paring down the history of Canadian art to a mere 164 representative examples you can't include everyone.
• Dawson art student wins BMO contest Mitch Holder, a student at the Klondike Institute of Arts and Culture in Dawson City, is the Yukon regional winner of the 2008 BMO Bank of Montreal art competition.
• Don't be swayed by polls, voters urged John Streicker, the territory's Green Party candidate for the Oct. 14 election, wants Yukoners to vote for something they believe in, rather than be swayed by polls or casting their votes based on strategy.
• Police on the lookout for pair The public's assistance is requested in locating two Yukoners wanted as of noon Thursday.
• Violence prevention videos are in high demand Two northern, culturally relevant videos and a training manual released in support of violence prevention have garnered national attention this year.
• Council warm to air conditioner repairs The city will spend $55,000 to replace its air conditioning system in the computer server room at the Municipal Services Building.
• Foiling FASD requires a collective effort Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) requires a certain mindset on the part of an entire community.
• Food drive coming up Catholic schools in the city are getting set to once again help out the community with their annual food drive for Maryhouse.
• Extra police patrols set for boulevard Whitehorse RCMP are planning more patrols for Hamilton Boulevard after reports of rocks being thrown at vehicles travelling toward Copper Ridge on Thursday night. In one case, a passenger's side window was smashed.
• Bursary programs help support 11 new students The names of the 11 Yukon recipients of this year's post-secondary health and medical education bursaries were announced Tuesday.
• Breakfast Unites Candidates The Green Party's John Streicker, Liberal incumbent Larry Bagnell, Conservative hopeful Darrell Pasloski and New Democrat Ken Bolton (left to right)
• Seniors' complex to be super-green: YHC A new 12-unit seniors' complex in Watson Lake will be state-of-the-art - super green, says the senior program advisor for the Yukon Housing Corp.
• Politics splashed cold water onto fire truck announcement A last-minute directive from Transport Canada Wednesday put the kybosh on the Yukon government's attempt to bask in federal spending in the territory.
• Fentie defends planned health facility Premier Dennis Fentie says all is well with the change in direction with health care facilities for Watson Lake.
• Residential lots closer to fruition Icy Waters Ltd. can now move on to zoning and subdivision approval for its proposed six new country residential lots off Fish Lake Road.
• Yukoners need protection from price gouging: New Democrat The skyrocketing costs of gasoline, diesel and heating oil are making many Yukon families fear what's in store for them this winter, says Ken Bolton, the Yukon's NDP candidate for next month's election.
• 'All avenues exhausted' in search for missing man The search for a missing Haines Junction man continued Thursday, with support coming in from Kluane Search and Rescue and an air team from the Whitehorse RCMP.
• Veteran businessman is new college chancellor When Yukon College president Terry Weninger presented Rolf Hougen with a draft of the college's strategic plan recently, Whitehorse's most prominent businessman knew something was up.
• Lions provide fiscal bridge to tunnel extension Another tourist season, another addition to the Copperbelt Railway and Mining Museum Theme Park.
• Sign vandals getting their votes in early Candidates and officials at local campaign offices for the Oct. 14 federal election are condemning the recent vandalism done to their own and other candidates' signs around the city.
• Polling firm predicts tighter victory margin The latest DataPath Systems poll shows the territory's federal election race is getting closer, and could produce a tight victory margin for the winner, the polling company believes.

September 25, 2008

• United Way of Yukon breakfast is on tomorrow Whitehorse residents are invited to attend the annual United Way of Yukon breakfast to be hosted by the Yukon government on Friday morning.
• Taylor in Quebec City for meeting Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor is attending the meeting of provincial and territorial ministers responsible for Culture and Heritage in Quebec City this week.
• Dawson residents lauded for community service DAWSON CITY - Community awards were a major feature of the annual general meeting of the Dawson City Chamber of Commerce held earlier this month.
• Fire chiefs saluted at local conference Toronto Fire Chief William Stewart and Bill Higgs, the Sechelt, B.C. chief fire officer, have been respectively named Full-time Fire Chief of the Year and Volunteer Fire Chief of the Year by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs.
• RCMP investigating rocks thrown at passing vehicles Despite extensive patrols around Hamilton Boulevard, Whitehorse RCMP were not able to find those responsible for rocks that were reported to have hit two vehicles on the road.
• Mayor has been showing visitor around Whitehorse First there was Mr. Patterson. Now, the city's mayor is showing Flat Stanley around town.
• Dumped animal parts putting people and wildlife at risk Environment Yukon reminds hunters that animal bones and meat scraps should be properly disposed of.
• Takhini North contract awarded by council UMA Engineering has been awarded the $1.2-million design contract for the new Takhini North development, following a city council vote at its regular meeting Monday night.
• Minister says he needs an onside Yukon MP Darrell Pasloski, the Yukon's Conservative candidate, played second fiddle to Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl this morning, during a news conference where Strahl spent more time defending party policy than lauding the local candidate.
• 'People are really worried about this herd' Much of the troubled Porcupine caribou herd may not reach the Dempster Highway this fall.

September 24, 2008

• Guitar Trio stretches the six-string limit DAWSON CITY - It wasn't an all-guitar show when the Montreal Guitar Trio came to the Robert Service School for two performances, but it was guitars strummed, plucked and beaten in ways that many of the students would not have seen or heard too often before. Guitar Hero was never like this.
• Culture Quest brings out Yukon talent What began as a fund to develop and showcase Yukon talent and heritage for the 2007 Canada Winter Games and beyond has evolved to an established program that continues to develop and highlight Yukon talent, Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor said Monday.
• Man admits sexually assaulting woman A man accused of sexually assaulting a woman pleaded guilty Monday, after hearing the testimony of his victim and her son.
• Vessel called a Holland America 'icon' DAWSON CITY - The Yukon Queen II is an "iconic" part of Holland America Line's operations in the Yukon and the tour company's business would be severely damaged over time if the boat were unable to run on the Yukon River.
• Yukon Queen II ends season with freebees DAWSON CITY - The Yukon Queen II ended its season with several free rides for locals.
• Manual encourages aboriginal youth to think of health career The Yukon's Aboriginal Health Human Resource Initiative is launching Dream Catcher - Find Your Future in Health, a dynamic resource manual aimed at encouraging first nations youth and young adults find pathways to a career in the health field.
• Northerners share health, learning knowledge Close to 100 delegates and speakers from across the North are meeting in Whitehorse today and Thursday at the Northern Health and Learning Symposium.
• Child care program badly needed: NDP The latest recent closure of a Watson Lake child care centre highlights the urgent need for a national child care and early education program, says Ken Bolton, the Yukon's NDP candidate for the Oct. 14 federal election.
• City will go to territory on single-use bags surcharge It could take at least three years, likely longer, before an environmental surcharge could be implemented in the territory for single-use bags, says Jennifer Peterson, an environmental protection analyst with the Yukon government.
• Moose was shot and left to rot south of Dawson Environment Yukon conservation officers in Dawson City are seeking the public's help for information about an incident that saw a moose shot, killed and abandoned last weekend.
• WCB's assessment rates to continue at current heights Despite a $4-million drop in claims costs, employers in the Yukon will continue to pay high assessment fees to the territorial workers' compensation board, according to its chair, Craig Tuton.
• Marijuana grow operations migrating into smaller areas Marijuana grow operations and drug labs are a growing problem in small Canadian communities, says Jim Jessop of the Niagara Falls, Ont. fire department.
• City, transit union reach deal after 'tough round' of talks The city's transit workers are closer to being on par with other city staffers after council voted in favour of signing off on a new collective agreement with the transit union.
• Former Carmacks mayor is found safe and sound A Whitehorse man who went missing on Monday evening is safe at home with his family today.
• Fraud investigator ferreting out bogus claims The addition of an investigator at the Yukon's workers' compensation board in 2007 could save more than $4 million in fraudulent claims by the end of this year.
• Facility may balloon to $25-M hospital A new $25-million-plus hospital for Watson Lake has jumped onto the radar.