Whitehorse Daily Star

May 30, 2014

• Sod turned for first MRI service in northern Canada In what officials call a significant milestone for health care services in the Yukon, ground was broken Wednesday on a new facility at Whitehorse General Hospital to house Canada's first magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) program North of 60.
• Safe Ride Program is on until Saturday The Kwanlin Dün Health Centre's Safe Ride Program kicked off this week.
• City's sixth town hall meeting goes Wednesday City council will host a town hall meeting on Wednesday evening.
• Contracts awarded for fuel, propane, sand, salt Super Save Propane and North 60 Petro Ltd. will help keep city buildings and vehicles going with fuel.
• Mid-Day Melodies Members of the Whitehorse Community Choir
• MP keen on mining innovations as a balancer The third politician to take the podium at the recent Dawson City International Gold Show was Yukon MP Ryan Leef, who spent his early boyhood growing up in Dawson City.
• Klondike Visitors Association launches its refreshed website The Klondike Visitors Association (KVA) has launched its refreshed dawsoncity.ca website, as the summer tourism season kicks off.
• Court orders new school council election A Yukon Supreme Court judge has annulled a school council election in Pelly Crossing and ordered a re-vote.
• Updated Environment Act helps protect our health An updated Environment Act came into effect earlier this month, providing a modernized legal framework for the Yukon government to respond to environmental management.
• Tagish takes delivery of versatile firefighter The Tagish Volunteer Fire Department's new pumper tanker truck will improve the effectiveness of the community's fire service.
• CPI rose in city, statistics show Comparing April 2014 to April 2013, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 2.3 per cent in Whitehorse, Statistics Canada reported last Friday.
• WCB's assessment rates continue downward trajectory The Yukon Workers' Compensation Health and Safety Board announced Thursday average assessment rates will drop in 2015, continuing the trend of the last few years.
• Culture In The Park The Elijah Smith Elementary School Dancers performed
• Council postpones decision on contract The city has put off a decision to award a contract to study Whitehorse's urban containment boundary.
• Slip on ice leads woman to file suit A Dawson City woman is suing the Qwanlin Mall and Staples for alleged negligence after she slipped on an icy patch and broke her ankle last year.
• Shows Set For Tonight, This Weekend Leaping Feats Creative Danceworks will present the Finest Featers Repertory Show at 7:00 this evening at the Yukon Arts Centre.
• Last year's casino activity was off from 2012 Gambling at Diamond Tooth Gerties in Dawson City fell off a bit in 2013, but Yukoners dropped more at the bingo halls.
• Fish For The Future These boys were among the estimated 30 people who helped release 15,000 Kokanee and 5,000 rainbow trout fry into Hidden Lake last Saturday.
• Fracking may impact First Nations rights: zoologist A local conservation zoologist raised concerns earlier this week that permitting hydraulic fracturing in the territory could put First Nations' rights to harvest fish and wildlife for food at risk.
• New Digs Celebrated The grand opening of the Family Literacy Centresʼ summer home in the Hatch House (The Pioneer Hotel) in the Shipyards Park took place Thursday afternoon.
• Family escapes blaze, but vehicles may be write-offs A Cadillac Escalade went up in flames early this morning, burning it to a crisp and damaging a truck and a home in a case of suspected arson in the Kopper King Trailer Court.
• Repeat sexual offender must remain under scrutiny: board A repeat sexual offender will remain under long-term supervision due to his relatively high risk of recidivism and concerns over public safety.
• ‘Citizens are fed up,' says river crossing advocate It was a common experience for many Whitehorse parents Tuesday which has spawned a petition calling for an alternative access into Riverdale.
• YHC defends its affordable shelter plans The construction of affordable rental units is one piece of the puzzle in addressing housing issues in the territory, say Yukon Housing Corp. officials.

May 29, 2014

• Rotary festival to add dance performances in 2015 The Rotary Music Festival will add dance to its April 2015 event.
• Speaker's Day Starts Badly The driver of the Plymouth Cyrus in the background ran a red light at Second Avenue and Hanson Street at around 8:15 this morning,
• Using social media is about building relationships Social media are simply a fact of the new reality of politics, but there's no point in using them if you use them badly.
• Walk Proves Lucrative Brody, Chris and Brendan Nash, left-right, participate with Roscoe in last Sunday's Purina Walk for Dog Guides in Rotary Peace Park.
• City employees to receive raises every six months Wages to city employees will now go up every six months for the next four years after council approved third reading on two collective agreements Monday evening.
• City signs off on two leases Tennis Yukon and the Guild Hall Society will have new lease agreements with the city after council approved two lease bylaws Monday.
• Correction A story in Wednesday's paper stated the $75 million Whitehorse Correctional Centre — first used in 2012 — was initially budgeted at $60 million.
• Rural land services are now consolidated The Department of Energy, Mines and Resources (EMR) is now the single contact for all land management, planning and development services outside of Whitehorse.
• Two of three MDs prescribe a ban on fracking Two of three medical officers of health who presented before the Yukon's fracking committee Wednesday advocated for a ban on hydraulic fracturing – for the foreseeable future anyway.
• Mayo copes with two major fires Mayo has been wracked with emergencies on land and water the past seven days.
• Soaked trio lit fires to keep warm Three men survived a harrowing experience on the Stewart River on Wednesday when their jet boat capsized west of Mayo.

May 28, 2014

• Generation work plan is praised The Yukon Chamber of Commerce has welcomed the Yukon Development Corp.'s (YDC's) proposed work plan to develop next-generation hydro for the Yukon.
• Pair charged following attack on two in Burwash Two people were attacked at a home in Burwash Landing last weekend, RCMP say.
• Commuters are urged to pedal Commuters are encouraged to take their bike to work this week, or at least give it a try for one day.
• Doctor issues caution about smoke's effects Dr. Brendan Hanley, the Yukon's chief medical officer of health, is reminding Yukoners with asthma or lung or heart conditions to take special care as smoke from several large forest fires in southern Alaska blankets parts of the Yukon.
• Compost prices to drop next week It'll be easier on the pocketbook to wait until next week to buy compost from the city.
• Board report lauds territory's economic development Board report lauds territory's economic development
• Premier, grand chief report a fruitful exchange Premier Darrell Pasloski and Grand Chief Ruth Massie of the Council of Yukon First Nations have deemed the most recent Yukon Forum a success.
• Expert advises against natural gas infrastructure A B.C. environmental economist says if it were up to him, he wouldn't develop natural gas infrastructure in the Yukon.
• Auditor General begins review of territory's jail The Office of the Auditor General of Canada is launching a review of the Whitehorse Correctional Centre (WCC).
• Rush-hour bridge collision paralyzes traffic A collision Tuesday that tied up late afternoon traffic on the Robert Campbell Bridge does not mean a second access to the neighbourhood is needed, says Mayor Dan Curtis.