Whitehorse Daily Star

December 18, 2012

• Company enriched food bank coffers with turkeys Outside the Cube (OTC) is sending out a special holiday challenge to its business peers.
• Stepping Up The Effort Paula Parsons (right) and Laura Carlson, the spokesperson for Yukon Electrical Co. Ltd., present a $10,000 cheque last week to Stu Mackay, a Whitehorse Food Bank board member.
• WDSAR receives donations for equipment The Whitehorse District Search and Rescue Society has once again received additional support dollars from Western Copper and Gold Mining Company for the purchase of needed search and rescue equipment for its volunteers.
• Frigid and Foggy Ice fog drifts over Whitehorse this morning.
• Whitehorse and Dawson team up for film festival Yukon 48, a 48-hour filmmaking festival, will debut in January, marking the first time Whitehorse and Dawson City have co-presented a film festival.
• Yukon-Made Goods Promoted rtist Kim Melton (above), who created Little Stint Wildcrafts,
• China-Canada pact is bad for the territory, labour federation says The Yukon Federation of Labour (YFL) is calling on Ryan Leef, the territory's MP, to stand up for Yukoners on the China-Canada Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection (FIPA) agreement.
• Council approves firefighters' new contract The city's 26 full-time firefighters will soon see a hike to their paycheques after council passed third reading,
• Heating system to drastically slash school's emissions The new F.H. Collins Secondary School's geoexchange heating system will cut the school's carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 90 per cent, according to the Department of Education's environmental co-ordinator.
• Premier addresses Yukon issues at finance ministers' meeting in west Quebec Premier and Finance Minister Darrell Pasloski represented the Yukon at a two-day meeting of federal, provincial and territorial finance ministers in Meech Lake, Que.
• Cancer society plans to close local office The Yukon office of the Canadian Cancer Society B.C. and Yukon will close when its lease expires next year.
• Apartment building construction can continue Construction doesn't have to stop on an apartment complex in the Falcon Ridge condo community off Falcon Drive.

December 17, 2012

• Lots Enjoyed Lights City buses were festive for the annual City Lights Tour.
• Human Resources Department offices move The city has moved its Human Resources Department to a new location, human resources (HR) manager Barbara Walker said recently.
• St. Nicks Does His Part Santa Claus (also known as Rev. Canon David Pritchard),
• City names two new directors The City of Whitehorse has appointed two new, permanent directors, city manager Stan Westby said last week.
• Show On Tonight Denis Dufresne performs Sunday evening at the Jarvis Street Saloon.
• Government files its defence against lawsuit The latest volley in the scrap between Norcope Enterprises and the Yukon government over the Whistle Bend project was filed Friday in court by the government.
• Ice Beckons Special Couple Santa and Mrs. Claus visited the Canada Games Centre on Saturday.
• Leaders offer varying assessments of sitting The fall sitting of the Yukon legislature came to a close last Thursday with the passage of two controversial bills.
• Condo owners' quest still in court Local condo owners looking to stop the construction of apartment buildings began presenting their case in Yukon Supreme Court on Friday.
• Applause greets judge's orders to society A Yukon Supreme Court judge has ordered the Humane Society Yukon to reinstate banned members and accept new memberships from anyone else who wants to join.
• Bootlegger's activity nets him a huge fine A Whitehorse man has been fined $14,000 for bootlegging — the highest fine ever levied by the territorial court for the charge.

December 14, 2012

• Dawson suffers another power failure There is so far no clear explanation for the brief power outage that hit Dawson at 10:25 Tuesday morning.
• Heralding The Season The historic Commissioner's residence in Dawson City
• MLA renews push for climate change legislation The independent member for Vuntut Gwitchin called on the Yukon government to develop specific climate change legislation Wednesday.
• Council concerned about Dawson's green space Given the erosion of public space in Minto Park and Victory Gardens created by the construction of the new hospital, Dawson's council has expressed an interest in acquiring title to that land.
• Cyclists urged to be careful With winter in full swing, the City of Whitehorse is encouraging bicyclists and motorists to help each other stay safe, Mayor Dan Curtis said this week.
• Premier rejects call for minister's departure The New Democrats called for Public Works Minister Wade Istchenko to resign Thursday, the last sitting day of the legislature's fall session.
• Winter's Havoc Emergency responders were called to the scene of this collision early Thursday evening at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Jarvis Street.
• Yukon's jobless rate lower than the national average for November The Yukon's unemployment rate fell 0.8 per cent in November, according to the Yukon Bureau of Statistics.
• Peel protesters flood legislature one more time As the fall sitting drew to a close Thursday afternoon, more than 70 "protect the Peel” protesters gathered to fill the public gallery one more time.
• Northern Cross shelves two exploration wells Lack of snow is forcing Northern Cross to cancel plans for two exploration wells this winter near Eagle Plains, says the company's president.
• Good Tunes The All City band performed to a full house
• Lack of snow detours Old Crow winter road Chief Joe Linklater of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation says a lack of snow has broadsided multi-million dollar plans for the First Nation.
• NDP presses for water data collection The New Democrats repeated calls for the government to gather baseline data on the Yukon's water resources this month, saying it's "of vital importance.”
• Finale In The Books Music Arts and Drama (MAD) students
• Late loved ones remembered by Lights of Life Christmas – that special time of year when families and friends gather to share joyous holiday meals and celebrate the year past.
• Chiefs harshly condemn Oil and Gas Act change The Yukon government has broken its 1997 Agreement on Oil and Gas devolution with all Yukon First Nations in the legislature's passing the changes to the Yukon Oil and Gas Act, Kaska leaders said today.
• Groups closer to receiving grants City council has taken one of the final steps in approving grants for this year.
• Mayor's planned trip raises policy issue Mayor Dan Curtis' planned trip to Windsor, Ont. in February to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities sustainable communities conference has council questioning whether a new policy could cover off such trips for council members.
• Students say they meant no disrespect It's not everyday that a Grade 8 student quotes former British prime minister Winston Churchill.
• Latest recruit kindles fire department history If you ask the only female firefighter with the Whitehorse Fire Department if she'd like to see more women join the ranks of the local crew, the answer's simple: it's something anybody who's interested should be encouraged to pursue.
• Judge wonders if shelter can remain open The Mae Bachur Animal Shelter is broke.