Whitehorse Daily Star

April 17, 2020

• EI beneficiaries figures released In February, the preliminary number of EI beneficiaries (seasonally adjusted) receiving regular income support benefits in the Yukon was 560, Statistics Canada and the Yukon Bureau of Statistics reported Thursday.
• Dawson shows off its appreciation Sirens, horns cheers and the banging of pots, pans and other noise makers followed the sound of the First Responders, Front Line Personnel and Volunteers Parade on April 8 as the convoy of 15 vehicles made its way around town.
• City to say thanks with siren The City of Whitehorse is joining communities across Canada to express its sincere appreciation and gratitude to those directly battling COVID-19 on the front lines.
• Crisis has MP burning the midnight oil Larry Bagnell, the Yukon’s member of Parliament, says he has been working non-stop from his Whitehorse office since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Cyber security incident prompts alert The Yukon Information and Privacy Commissioner, Diane McLeod-McKay, has issued an urgent advisory to inform Yukoners about a recent cyber security incident.
• Safety, logistics determined festival’s fate The decision to cancel this year’s Dawson City Music Festival (DCMF) came about six weeks after the organization’s annual general meeting.
• AWG efforts weren’t wasted: general manager The past Wednesday would have been one month since the 2020 Arctic Winter Games began.
• Standing Up For Spring A swan stretches by the Yukon River
• Temperatures will govern pace of spring melt With all the snow in the Yukon this year,
• Ice bridge season officially ends in Dawson After things looked iffy at mid-week, it rained quite a bit in the wee hours of Thursday morning.
• Yukoners flocking to buy local foods The proprietors of Tum Tum’s Black Gilt Meats say they’ve seen an uptick in Yukoners shopping local during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Animal shelter’s future generating anxieties The future of the Mae Bachur Shelter – now closed to the public – is a subject of worry, the Humane Society Yukon said today.
• Chambers, senators make appeals to Ottawa The mining industry across the North says the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy Program needs to be adjusted to reflect the realities of the industry.
• ‘It will be felt throughout the territory’ Two major cruise companies have cancelled all Alaska sailings for the remainder of the year, including those with inland trips into the Yukon, triggering a major blow to the territory’s tourism industry.

April 16, 2020

• Cardboard can enter waste stream during crisis City council has suspended the bylaw infraction for putting “clean, uncontaminated cardboard” into the waste stream, after much discussion last week and again at its meeting Tuesday night.
• College helping support local businesses Yukon College Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) has launched PIVOT., a new program to help local companies minimize the effects of COVID-19.
• Dawson City Music Festival is called off The COVID-19 pandemic has claimed another major Yukon entertainment event.
• Chat line designed to battle crisis loneliness A new toll-free line, Let’s Chat Yukon, has launched for Yukoners seeking conversation and connection during this time of isolation.

April 15, 2020

• Call out for immediate Reaching Home proposals An additional $500,000 in funding to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak is being provided to the Yukon through Reaching Home.
• COVID-19 walks-off Minor Softball Season Softball Yukon has cancelled the 2020 Whitehorse Minor Softball season due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Performer wasn’t expecting songwriter award A Yukon musical ensemble, Diyet & The Love Soldiers, has been awarded Indigenous Songwriter of the Year honours at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.
• Yukon Women in Mining launches a virtual program Yukon Women in Mining (YukonWIM) has adapted its previously planned mining advocacy and educational programming to accommodate the vital self-isolation and physical distancing requirements in the territory.
• Mood triumphant amid votes on skateboard park It was nothing short of a gleeful city council Tuesday night that passed the two bylaws required for a new skateboard park off Lewes Boulevard.
• YG is slow on action, details: YP The official Opposition Yukon Party says it’s encouraged by the Yukon government’s assistance for the business sector, but also sees some flaws.
• Cruiseships won’t make calls in Alaska In another blow to Alaska’s struggling economy,
• Three men accused of drug offences The RCMP have arrested three men in relation to drug trafficking.
• COVID-19 picture stable; restrictions to live on The Yukon saw a successful socially distant Easter long weekend, with no fines issued for breaking COVID-19 rules and no new virus cases.
• Low bidder offered services for $400,000 less City council has postponed the award of a $1.47-million design contract over questions of why the company with the low bid was disqualified after making the first cut.