Photo by Whitehorse Star
City operations manager Richard Graham
Weather is impacting road maintenance
Fluctuating winter temperatures are having an impact on road maintenance in the city, council heard at Monday night’s meeting.
Fluctuating winter temperatures are having an impact on road maintenance in the city, council heard at Monday night’s meeting.
Coun. Steve Roddick kicked off the discussion when he told his elected colleagues the federal climate change report released Monday says Canada is warming at twice as fast as the rest of the world.
Warming is even more pronounced in the North, he said.
Roddick recalled the surge in the number of record-warm days in March, and how records were melting records set just a few days earlier.
The councillor questioned whether city council is doing enough to make sure the city can cope with climate change, and whether it’s doing enough to encourage a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
But he doesn’t think so, on both counts, he said.
Roddick suggested he will bring forward a motion to have a discussion about climate change, and he’ll be asking the city declare a climate change emergency.
“Climate change affects all of our strategic priorities,” he said.
City operations manager Richard Graham was at Monday’s meeting to discuss the annual contracts for the supply of sand and road salt in preparation for next winter.
Coun. Jocelyn Curteanu asked him if climate change is impacting the purchase of road supplies.
The operations manager reminded council of how much thawing and freezing occurred in the winter of 2017-2018.
The amount of additional sanding road crews had to do almost chewed through the city’s entire stockpile, and it likes to have a year and a half of sand on hand heading into winter just in case, he said.
Conversely, Graham pointed out, with this spring’s early arrival and its record-breaking temperatures, the city hadn’t needed to sand the roads for probably the last three weeks, “which is not normal.”
The city operations manager told council he’s ordering more sand these days.
Meanwhile, Graham recommended Monday the city award the contract for 16,000 tonnes of sand for next winter to Skookum Asphalt at a cost of $209,960. Skookum was the only company to submit a bid.
Canadian Lynden Transport was the only company to bid on the supply of 500 tonnes of salt, and administration is recommending Lynden be awarded the contract for $178,333.
City council will vote on the contract awards at next Monday’s meeting.
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Comments (19)
Up 1 Down 2
Wilf Carter on Apr 9, 2019 at 3:25 pm
What was the coldest temperature in North America and what was it?
Up 9 Down 1
North_of_60 on Apr 8, 2019 at 4:23 pm
Evidence Shows Arctic Was 5-6°C Warmer 9,000 Years Ago.
Like much of the Canadian Arctic, Zhokhov Island in the Siberian High Arctic today exhibits inhospitably severe climate conditions, desolate tundra, and year-round pack ice in the surrounding sea.
During the Early Holocene, this same island was warm enough to host waterfowl species, birch trees, and year-round human residents who hunted polar bear and reindeer.
https://climatechangedispatch.com/new-evidence-shows-arctic-island-was-5-6c-warmer-9000-years-ago/
Up 7 Down 1
Wilf Carter on Apr 8, 2019 at 1:36 pm
City not investing enough into road maintenance is the problem. Investing in big projects that are not fitting the needs of Whitehorse tax payers.
Up 4 Down 1
Wilf on Apr 8, 2019 at 1:33 pm
Wow can you believe these council comments. What took place in 1943/44 in Yukon. Coldest weather. What happened in 1948 - warmest weather ever in the Yukon. How many on council have any understanding of climate change and what's really causing it?
Up 9 Down 1
My Opinion on Apr 8, 2019 at 12:56 pm
This weather although it is nice is indicative of very little. While we are having a nice winter the people in Central and Eastern Canada have had a really tough one. Winter of 74/75 was one of the very cold ones in Whitehorse but 75/76 was so warm there was no Dog races on the river at Rendezvous and there were canoe races instead. It's called weather and it varies a lot. Don't panic newbies, some of have been here a long time and seen this before.
Up 9 Down 0
My Opinion on Apr 8, 2019 at 12:50 pm
@Arturs
For your information. The Slims river used to flow out of Kluane Lake as the Kaskawulsh Glacier galloped it blocked the valley and some of the water from the Glacier went south down stream and the rest was forced over time to go towards Kluane Lake. Eventually Kluane filled to the point that a new outlet was formed at the North end of the Lake, now the Kluane river. So now about 90% of the water from the Kaskawulsh goes south instead of North into Kluane.
Interesting and glad we were able to witness such a shift but a disaster or global warming it isn't.
Up 2 Down 11
Wes on Apr 8, 2019 at 11:31 am
The cranks are out in full force I see.
From Crank (person) wikipedia:
"Crank" is a pejorative term used for a person who holds an unshakable belief that most of his or her contemporaries consider to be false.[1] A crank belief is so wildly at variance with those commonly held that it is considered ludicrous. Cranks characteristically dismiss all evidence or arguments which contradict their own unconventional beliefs, making any rational debate a futile task and rendering them impervious to facts, evidence, and rational inference.
Although experts in the field find a crank's beliefs ridiculous, cranks are sometimes very successful in convincing non-experts of their views. A famous example is the Indiana Pi Bill where a state legislature nearly wrote into law a crank result in geometry.
Up 11 Down 6
Josey Wales on Apr 6, 2019 at 11:05 am
Hey politico....thanks for getting the spelling right.
To answer your query, if it is on the CBC site...very good chance.
Another thing politico all I am trying to do is clearly illustrate how the tactics of polarizing amongst ALL of our citizens, does, is, and will ramp up. I wish no cyber pissing match with anyone, I am just completely gobsmacked how so so many are ignorant of political history.
This town is absolutely RIFE with tribal factions (not natives, but tribal behaviour), PC Crusaders...and yes cultural Marxists feed well up here too.
All absolutely toxic ideologies that should be called out.
Why? Because in my mere opinion they are values antithetical to our alleged first world freedoms.
Between sweat equity and spilled blood, many have made serious sacrifices for what we have here today. And yes I too include the turtle island crew in there as well for the catastrophic sacrifices made by the “diversity” thrust upon them.
In the us and them engineered battle, we will never win...the state will.
Maybe if we all stopped bitching and fighting each other and stayed focused on the shell?
Media bias aside, if we could do that for real then entitled idiots as Pierre and his alleged spawn, Rachel Notley, Brian Mulroney and yes even our current mayor might not have such a great opportunity to completely undermine all that was built.
Getting back to the globalist/Liberal ideology of diversity is our strength,
Time suggests, and I agree that brain dead toxic idea is seriously flawed.
Politicians have illustrated time and time again whom they have actual concerns for, history suggests themselves and their cronies.
Final note...the seventh century sycophants will care about our countries history and the people in it, just like they do for the Jews...not at all.
Wrap your head around that one politico before you attack please.
Oh yeah, have a nice sunny day.
Up 10 Down 0
bob on Apr 6, 2019 at 8:30 am
censorship is the big problem here how many didn't have there comments posted
Geoengineering geoengineering geoengineering
wake up people
Up 22 Down 3
The Sky Is Falling on Apr 5, 2019 at 5:51 pm
Gosh, guess Yukon has never had a warm spring before, never had rain in winter, permafrost has never melted before.
The real men who built this territory and had to live, work, and deal with actual and not imagined adversity would probably get a good chuckle out of today’s pampered experts and their climate emergency. A real problem now might be if things were getting continually colder.
Up 21 Down 7
North_of_60 on Apr 5, 2019 at 2:27 pm
Rational people agree that glaciers and permafrost are melting, however none of these geologic phenomena are "unprecedented" or justifying an "emergency". Yukon's geologists have documented this fact on many occasions.
The people who believe these climate events are "unprecedented" are aspiring politicians and those who can't comprehend earth history beyond the scope of their lifetimes.
"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." -- H. L. Mencken 1880 – 1956
Up 9 Down 18
Politico on Apr 5, 2019 at 1:25 pm
@North_of_60 on Apr 4, 2019 at 2:40 pm & dear old Josey
Then all this is fake then, https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/climate-report-1.5081643 ?
How about the Ross River school sinking due to melting perma frost or the Arctic coast line washing into the sea? Also done with those lenses NASA uses to make the flat earth look round?
Up 9 Down 10
Atom on Apr 5, 2019 at 9:51 am
Yes Josie, you are amazing.
Nof60....if we aren't warming it up we are certainly cluttering and stinking it up...and if you can deny that then ok you're right.
Does anyone own a catapult they're not using?
Up 12 Down 20
Arturs on Apr 5, 2019 at 1:55 am
@North of 60. What about the situation at Kluane Lake? What about all the scientists that say we are experiencing unprecedented glacial melt in the Yukon with the St Elias ice field? Do you think they are making this up so the Liberals can have a carbon tax?
Up 15 Down 11
Josey Wales on Apr 4, 2019 at 7:13 pm
Gee Jackie...you brought a good point up, those “flat earth folks”
A few things both groups (climate change zealots) share is being a love of the PC Crusade AND but not limited to serious cognitive impairment.
Research the Missoula Scablands and the geologic requirements for that big flood. It will put it into great perspective the sheer power Earth has and why displayed virtue via a Peel sticker, nagging everyone to chug along with you the Kool -Aid and vilify any and all dissent...only make you feel good and does f/a for the planet.
Geology and biology clearly illustrate just how futile the cause is.
The earth is resilient and round, we are merely being hosted...
By dormant geological events.
Want to save the planet? Then stick your collective heads into the next volcano during the big pop, or hug a tree ripped from its roots by the juices from Mother Nature acting...natural.
Lemme guess, as you did...are geology and biology now hate studies replaced with genderbending studies and hysteria from zealots?
Up 33 Down 6
Max Mack on Apr 4, 2019 at 6:08 pm
Roddick is proposing the city declare a "climate change emergency". Oh. My. Gawd.
What does he expect the city/we to do that would affect any purported man-made climate change even one iota?
He can't possibly be serious. How do people like this get elected?
Up 27 Down 14
Josey Wales on Apr 4, 2019 at 4:19 pm
Hey North of 60...great post I do say.
Unfortunately you will be attacked by the chicken little sycophants teamed up with many himbo supporters that insist we all chug the kool aid they willfully consume.
Please North of 60...carry on.
I find it more interesting to challenge those zealots street level, whilst they warm their cars up outside of some political lobby zone...we use to call mere coffee shops. If you have a Peel sticker and acted as a complete hypocrite and might have met this dude whom called you out on it?
Good chance you may have met ol Josey, I take folks outta their comfort zone and fabricated “safe spaces” with the inertia of a glacier.
Will I ever cease, change? Probably not as my feedback in directly proportionate to the fabrication of lunacy that we are subjected too freaking daily.
Thanks North of 60!
Up 18 Down 38
Jackie C. on Apr 4, 2019 at 3:57 pm
@north_of_60. I am guessing that you also believe that the world is flat too.
Up 46 Down 20
North_of_60 on Apr 4, 2019 at 2:40 pm
Contrary to the recent global warming propaganda from the LIB govt to justify their "CarbonTax", temperature data from Environment Canada records shows very little actual warming since the late 1800s. In their 2019 Climate Report the LIB govt deceptively chose 1948, the coldest year since 1900, as the beginning to claim an extraordinary warming trend. If they had started the trend even 10 years earlier the temp over time would’ve been flat or minimal change.
As well, the vast majority of the warming was seen in the Arctic, however there is only 1 monitoring station for every 822, 647 sq.kms, so there is very little actual data to support the claims of extraordinary warming. It's been as warm, or even warmer than now, many times in the past 120 years.
The whole report is nothing but political propaganda. Unfortunately many misinformed Canadians will be fooled by this deception and believe that paying a "CarbonTax" will save the world.