Whitehorse Daily Star

May 16, 2014

• Premier ducks being seen with protestors in Dawson Protests are not the normal sort of thing at meetings of the Association of Yukon Communities.
• NDP urges restoring referendum powers, less centralization NDP Leader Liz Hanson showed off her Dawson knowledge and connection by recalling that it was 35 years ago, on May 9, 1979,
• A Spring Swim A muskrat takes care of business recently
• Skookum Asphalt moves to purchase land To sell or lease, that is the question facing Whitehorse city council.
• Partnerships are the way to succeed, premier tells AYC At the urging of Mayor Wayne Potoroka, Premier Darrell Pasloski began his address to the Association of Yukon Communities by posting a photo and comment to his Facebook and Twitter accounts.
• YuKonstruct finds home in industrial area YuKonstruct, the city's first makerspace, launched with fanfare and optimism this week at its new digs on Industrial Road.
• Crews douse fire creeping toward propane tanks A fire Tuesday evening at the Quigley landfill is another example of the need for simple, basic 911 service in the Klondike.
• Maiden Market The seasonsʼ first Fireweed Community Market was held during a beautiful Thursday at Shipyards Park.
• ‘It's just crazy,' protester says of LNG proposal A group of Yukoners pulled themselves out of bed early Thursday morning to gather along Robert Service Way at 7 a.m.
• Celebrating A Special Day Pascal St-Laurent, Sylvie Painchaud and Olivier De Colombel (left to right) perform Painchaudsʼ song Le toit du monde Thursday at Yukon Francophone Day celebrations.
• Bridge to turn into construction zone Commuters of all types heading in and out of Riverdale may want to add a little extra time into their daily travel beginning Tuesday.
• Ross River ferry to begin restricted sailings June 9 The Pelly barge, also known as the Ross River ferry,
• Minister outlines policing priorities National Police Week (May 11-17) is a good time to recognize the Yukon Police Council, says Justice Minister Mike Nixon.
• Local man jailed as judge condemns ‘vicious attack' A Whitehorse man has been sentenced to six months in jail for dangerous driving causing bodily harm after an incident that saw a man struck by an ATV and beaten in a "vicious attack.”
• Correction A story in Wednesday's edition said Linda Bonnefoy is from the Yukon Human Rights Coalition.
• Fund-raiser will help boys and girls club The Yukon Brewing Company will present Too Lazy for Beer Fest? May 24 at the Guild Hall.
• Children's death records will be opened to TRC The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will be able to access individual death records for children who died at residential schools in the Yukon after all.
• Parties critical of each other's performances There wasn't much love lost among the Yukon's three sitting political parties as the 2014 spring session of the legislature drew to a close Thursday.
• Complete closure of chinook fishery urged A full closure of the Yukon River chinook salmon fishery this summer is being recommended by the Yukon Salmon Sub-committee.
• Five human-caused fires spark unease Yukon Wildland Fire Management officials are issuing an annual reminder that seems to need repeating in light of five human-caused blazes they've already had to extinguish this season.
• Researcher probes environmental groups' funding Financial contributions to the Yukon's two major environmental organizations were laid out Wednesday during a lunch hosted by the Yukon Chamber of Mines.

May 15, 2014

• City advisory committee to hold meeting The Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee will host a town hall meeting on Wednesday of next week.
• I came to listen, Liberal leader tells AYC delegates Not to be outdone by NDP Leader Liz Hanson, who had one of her colleagues with her, Liberal Leader Sandy Silver began his address to the Association of Yukon Communities by noting he'd brought his entire caucus to the meeting.
• Dad's quick action helped control garage blaze A garage fire destroyed $30,000 to $40,000 in property at a home in Copper Ridge late Wednesday afternoon, fire officials said today.
• Another rite of spring is launched in Dawson City The George Black ferry entered the Yukon River shortly after 2 p.m. Wednesday, ending a launching process that took about five hours.
• Trail still closed in wake of mudslide A portion of the trail along the escarpment downtown will remain closed as city crews clear debris from Tuesday evening's mudslide.
• Expansive map serves as boreal forest learning tool Whitehorse students got the chance to learn a little bit more about Canada's boreal forest Wednesday using an interactive floor map that's large enough to hold 24 caribou on its surface.
• Chief electoral officer launches legal action Chief electoral officer launches legal action
• Critics unsurprised by green light for LNG project Yukon Energy's proposal for a new $42-million LNG facility has been given unconditional approval by the Yukon Utilities Board – though some strongly disagree.

May 14, 2014

• Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in signs protocol with SCAN unit The Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Government and the Department of Justice's Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods (SCAN) unit have agreed to a communication protocol.
• Use of mine's waste rock concerns MLA The Department of Highways and Public Works has confirmed waste rock from the Minto Mine is indeed being used in the construction of the Tatchun Creek bridge.
• A Topnotch Learning Experience Porter Creek Secondary School students Jackson Choi, Jared Huber and Devon Sheridan take part Tuesday in the Genome BC interactive workshop exploring DNA replication at the Yukon College.
• Bolstering alcohol and drug services to take time: minister There's no quick-fix for the Yukon's insufficient alcohol and drug services, Health and Social Services Minister Doug Graham said last week.
• AYC honours those who have served their towns The Association of Yukon Communities' (AYC's) AGM banquet was the occasion chosen to present the group's annual awards to a number of people involved in municipal government around the territory.
• Leef quietly acclaimed – two months ago Ryan Leef was quietly acclaimed as the Conservative Party's Yukon candidate – in March.
• College graduation will highlight degree programs Twenty-three students crossing the stage Friday at the Yukon College graduation ceremony will be receiving degrees in Education, Social Work, and Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences.
• ‘Major slide' on clay cliffs moves earth, dislodges trees A slide along the downtown escarpment has closed off part of a trail near Hanson Street.
• Ferry Launch Imminent The George Black ferry (above) was expected to be in the Yukon River in Dawson City either later today or Thursday.
• Yukon's deputy Finance minister plans to retire The Yukon government is on the hunt for a new deputy minister of Finance.
• Pair charged after police find drugs Watson Lake RCMP officers arrested two people last Saturday on charges of possession of cocaine and marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
• Guild Hall lease gets closer to being approved It looks like Whitehorse could be in for another decade of theatre, comedy, photo and art exhibits inside 27 14th Ave.
• City out to curb foul odour over Whistle Bend City officials are working on both short- and long-term solutions to air quality issues in Whistle Bend as complaints about the smell in the neighbourhood continue to waft in.
• Inmate's plight puts solitary confinement under scrutiny NDP Justice Critic Lois Moorcroft has called on the government to initiate an independent audit into the use of solitary confinement at the Whitehorse Correctional Centre (WCC) in the wake of a human rights complaint against the jail on behalf of an inmate.