Klondike Sun ~ April 20, 2011

The Klondike Sun

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Hospital & TIAY ........... 1DCAS gets Approval... 2Foreign Workers ........ 3Uffish Thoughts.......4-5Submissions ................. 5Housing Situations .... 6Yukon Queen II ............ 7Tourism Adventure ... 8Privacy & Employment ... 9 Yukon Education ..... 10 DCMF & Library ....... 11

TV Guide pages deleted 12-1620 Years Ago .............. 17Tilley- ho! .................... 18CFYT Profiles............. 19Bookends & Cooking ......20Open Studio ............... 21Cartoons ...................... 22 Classifieds................... 23City of Dawson ......... 24

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 online VOL. 22 NO. 25 $1.25

IN THIS ISSUE:

Story & photoBy Dan Davidson

With spring in the air in Daw-son City, excavation and foun-dation work has begun on the new 24,000 square foot (2600 square metres) replacement for the aging Dawson City Health Care Centre. Designed by Stan-tec/Kobayashi Zedda Architects, the building will be constructed by Dowland Contracting Ltd. at a cost of $22.2 million, accord-ing to the Yukon Hospital Cor-poration.

The complete cost for design, planning and start-up equip-ment is $28 million, which the YHC has borrowed from the banks.

The new building will not only replace the existing facility, which was constructed in 1969 and has been upgraded many times since, but will add addi-tional services.

Continuing services will be community nursing, emergency medical services, remote video conferencing (tele-health) ser-vices, and space for a resident doctor’s clinic and retail phar-macy.

There will also be spaces add-ed for visiting specialists such as dentists, ophthalmologists, audiologists, language patholo-gists, and others, who currently have to work out of the Robert Service School, the Dawson Community Library, or other rental spaces when they visit town.

The new building is intended to be able to handle cases from Pelly and Mayo as well as take overflow from Whitehorse Gen-eral Hospital should the need arise.

The YHC’s website lists the following benefits which will come to the North Yukon region and Dawson because of this project:

- 24/7 acute health care in a brand new hospital

- Less travel to Whitehorse and outside of the territory by having more comprehensive care in your community

- More local options for pallia-tive and respite care

- New programs implemented closer to home such as First Na-

New Hospital’s Construction Season Begins

tions Health Programs, Dieti-cian, Therapies, Lab/Xray Tech.

Archeological work was com-pleted on the site, which dis-placed a children’s playground that has been an extension of Minto Park for many years. Fol-lowing that process the summer of 2010 was devoted to prepar-ing the site and backfilling the pad.

There has been much local concern about this project. It was not over the need for a re-placement and upgrade, but over the location, a subject on which the government and the YHC refused to have any consul-tation.

Among the concerns: - The loss of the children’s

playground. This has since been replaced adjacent to the town’s swimming pool.

- The presence of noisy events such as baseball tournaments and the Dawson City Music Fes-tival right next to a hospital. YHC has indicated that the building has been designed to buffer the noise and that this will not pose a problem.

- The contrast between this building and the Old Territorial Administration Building, one of Dawson’s most striking Gold Rush era structures. The town’s

Historic Advisory Committee has laboured with the architect to keep the new building sym-pathetic to the Fuller designed OTAB, home of the Dawson City Museum

- The lack of appropriate park-ing on residential 6thAvenue, when the parking for the exist-ing ce ntre is barely adequate of a wider street. Access to the new hospital and its parking will be from the lane behind the Museum.

The project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2012, with an opening date in that fall.

Whitehorse – Yukon tourism business owners, operators and in-dustry leaders can expect to welcome an engaging slate of guest speakers at the 2011 TIA Yukon Spring Conference and AGM, to be held May 5 to 7 in Dawson City.

This year’s conference agenda features two keynote speakers, in-cluding world-renowned eco-tourism entrepreneur John Caton. As Managing Director of the Clayoquot Wilderness Resort near Tofino, British Columbia, John will be sharing his expertise in offering sus-tainable 5-star wilderness vacations.

“John is a force in Canada’s tourism industry, and one of its iconic characters” says Rod Taylor, Chair of the Tourism Industry Associa-tion of the Yukon, “He has created a product that is recognized the world-over and enjoyed by the world’s most discerning clientele. His love of the Yukon and intense desire to see our industry flourish here will make for a compelling keynote address and workshop.”

TIAY Conference coming in May

Cont’d on pAGE 3

WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2011 THE KLONDIKE SUNP2

Story & PhotoBy Dan Davidson

If the “voice of the member-ship” section of an annual gen-eral meeting is the place on the agenda where concerned mem-bers bring up all the shortcom-ings and pitfalls that an organi-zation has fallen into over the last year, the Dawson City Arts Society (DCAS) must be doing just fine.

The meeting itself was well at-tended, with about 30 people in the ballroom at the Oddfellows Hall. The dreaded election of a new board was a relative breeze. In fact, two boards were filled, since the same meeting picked the membership for the ODD Gallery board.

And when it came to the voice of the membership section, it was a bit like the chorus of the old western tune: “where seldom is heard a discouraging word.”

“I’d like to congratulate the board and all the employees,” said John Steins, one of the peo-ple who helped to found DCAS in 1998. “It’s amazing how much

you offer the community.”Penny Soderlund, who spear-

headed last month’s celebration of the 100th Anniversary of In-ternational Women’s Day, com-mented on DCAS’s willingness to partner with other events and organizations, as did Glenda Bolt, the manager of the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre.

“When you’re programming,” said Bolt, “you don’t get to do what you’re programming. It’s sometimes hard to keep your en-thusiasm going because you’re always serving others.”

She complimented Tara Rud-nickas and Jenna Roebuck, who do the legwork and implementa-tion for the DCAS’s program arm, the Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC).

“These two have a knack of making things exciting and they just get better, never bitter.”

Elaine Rohatensky, a newly elected member of the ODD Gal-lery board, was very enthusias-tic.

“It’s my first year in Dawson. What a wonderful thing to come to Dawson and have such a fabu-

lous organization and what it brings to the community at dif-ferent levels. There’s something for everybody.”

DCAS is a non-profit organi-zation that has sheltered both KIAC and the ODD Gallery under its umbrella and provided the in-spiration from which the Yukon School of Visual Arts (SOVA, for-merly the KIAC School of Visual Arts) was born.

In 1998 it acquired and began the renovations that saved the Oddfellows Hall and turned it into KIAC’s headquarters. A few years later, the same process was used to transform the Old Liquor Store into SOVA.

KIAC now oversees a yearly schedule that keeps spawning annual events: the Dawson In-ternational Short Film Festival, the Yukon Riverside Arts Festi-val, the Youth Art Enrichment Program, Summer Youth Art Camp, the ODD Gallery, and the Gallery’s Natural and Manufac-tured project.

During the last year there have been music lessons (guitar, piano and fiddle), a budding lo-

cal orchestra, dance classes, vi-sual art for all ages, several film workshops, a 48 Hour Filmmak-ing Competition, a photography course, and the members’ art gallery.

The building also plays host to music and drama performances, a winter bi-weekly film night and monthly community coffee houses from September through May.

There is also the Artist in Resi-dence program out of Mccaulay House, which is shared during one residency period with the Dawson City Music Festival to bring in a Songwriter in Resi-dence.

DCAS obtains 72% of its reve-nue (from a total of $691,380.56 in 2010) from Yukon government funding and hopes over the year ahead to raise more money on its own through a sponsorship drive. In particular, executive director, Karen Dubois, told the group that DCAS needs to raise an additional $25,000 in order to be able to provide salary in-

DCAS Board at AGM: Caili Steele, Rian Lougheed-Smith, Kit Hepburn, Gail Calder, Peter Menzies (presi-dent), Karen Dubois (Exec. Dir.), Tim Jones, Leslie Grant.

DCAS Gets a Vote of Confidencecreases for its staff.

“I’m happy to report that we actually have staff who have stayed on for three years. At two years they get an increment and after three they get a few more holidays. At four years they’ll get another pay increment. This is great except that we (the orga-nization) aren’t getting any in-crease in our core funding, so we have to come up with the money to cover those increased costs ourselves.”

Elections saw the following joining the ODD Gallery board: Michael Edwards, Jen Laliberte, Kit Hepburn, Eryn Foster, Evan Rensch, Dan Sokolowski, Rian Lougheed-Smith, Aubyn O’Grady, Evelyn Pollock and Elaine Rohat-ensky.

The DCAS board now includes: Peter Menzies, Caili Steele, Rian Lougheed-Smith, Gail Calder, Kit Hepburn, Leslie Grant, Lulu Keating and Emma Tius. There is one vacancy still to be filled and the executive positions have yet to be assigned.

THE KLONDIKE SUN P3WEDNESDAY APRIL 20, 2011

Featured on the must-stay lists of Forbes, Condé Nast and Na-tional Geographic, Clayoquot Wilderness Resort offers vacations of a lifetime, while conserving the land and helping British Co-lumbia’s tourism industry become a world leader in sustainabil-ity.

John’s career path included real estate, gentleman farmer and music mogul, before he and his wife Adele began planning for a luxury eco-tourism destination. After meeting entrepreneur Richard Genovese, who had his own dream for an eco-resort, the Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge was born. John is excited to re-turn to the Yukon for the TIA Yukon conference where he will introduce us to a world few have the privilege to experience, and speak to our potential here in the territory.

TIA Yukon’s ability to attract keynote speaker John Caton is made possible through strategic partnerships with industry sponsors including Northwestel and Air North, Yukon’s Airline.

“We are very pleased to once again sponsor the TIA Yukon Conference keynote address,” said Anne Kennedy, Northwestel Director Communications “TIAY has arranged for a dynamic key-note speaker who is well-respected in the tourism industry. John Caton will undoubtedly present some stimulating ideas to this year’s conference attendees. As an industry leader, his insights into business, particularly tourism in Yukon, should be very in-teresting to hear.”

In addition to networking opportunities, the 3 day 2011 TIA Yukon Spring Conference will host the Annual General Meeting the Yukon Tourism Awards of Excellence Gala, as well as inter-active workshops and panels to explore industry sustainability, best practices, and innovative product development.

TIAY Conference coming in MayCont’d from pAGE 1Whitehorse - The Govern-

ments of Canada and Yukon have signed an agreement that gives Yukon a role in managing the Temporary Foreign Worker Program within the Territory.

Senator Daniel Lang made the announcement in late Feb-ruary with Patrick Rouble, Yu-kon Minister of Education and Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources. Senator Lang spoke on behalf of Jason Kenney, Min-ister of Citizenship, Immigra-tion and Multiculturalism and Diane Finley, Minister of Hu-man Resources and Skills De-velopment.

“The Government of Yukon has a role to play in protect-ing temporary foreign workers from exploitation and in iden-tifying how immigration can help address gaps in its labour market,” said Senator Lang. “This agreement formally rec-ognizes these roles.”

The agreement will improve the responsiveness of the Tem-porary Foreign Worker Pro-gram by providing Yukon with

a greater role in helping these workers come to Canada. The Government of Yukon will be able to recommend the entry of some temporary foreign work-ers without requiring a Service Canada assessment of whether there are Canadians or perma-nent residents available to fill the vacant positions. Such ex-emptions will be determined according to criteria to be set by the territorial government, in line with its economic plans and priorities.

“This agreement provides one more tool for Yukon’s la-bour market stakeholders to address Yukon’s labour market opportunities, both now and into the future,” said Minister Rouble. “Our first priority is to work with underrepresented groups in Yukon to meet la-bour force demands and turn to temporary foreign workers when the need arises.”

“Today marks an important step in making the Temporary Foreign Worker Program more responsive to Yukon’s par-

ticular labour needs. Meeting those needs translates into more opportunities for all Yukon residents,” the Senator added.

The agreement provides a framework for closer cooper-ation between the two levels of government to better edu-cate employers and potential workers about their rights and responsibilities.

A number of innovative pilot initiatives are also planned as part of the agreement. These initiatives are designed to re-spond to region-specific issues concerning temporary foreign workers, and are aligned with the economic and social devel-opment priorities of Yukon.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program is driven by employer demand and aimed at filling identified labour shortages where no suitable Canadian workers or perma-nent residents are available.

Canada and Yukon sign agreement on Temporary Foreign Workers


Eagle-eyed readers will notice minor changes in the look and layout of the Sun over the course of the next several issues. We’re trying a few experiments, with the as-sitance of Micahel Edwards. Let us know what you think as the process continues. As usual, we invite you all to get involved. Have you got a great idea for a regular col-umn? Interesting photos or stories from local events? Send it in to us and see your name in print! Check out our WEBSITE where you will soon be able to view archived

Suns from 21 years ago! Webmaster Steins is slowly but surely filling in those early years. Check us out at http://cityofdawson.com/category/klondike_sun.

OpiniOns in the Sun

Literary Society of the Klondike

Who we are:Editor/ Head Writer

Dan Davidson

Advertising & Production ManagerEvan Rensch

ArchivistChris Levett

Subscriptions/Distribution Tara Borin, the Bandit

BookkeepingKaren McIntyre

It Figures Bookkeeping

Reporters / PhotographersTara Borin, Glenda Bolt, Palma Berger,

Betty Davidson, Jay Armitage & others as noted

WebmasterJohn Steins

PuBliSHED By tHE litERARy SociEty

of tHE KlonDiKE:

President: Tara BorinVice-President: Dan Davidson

Board of Directors: Florian Boulais, Miles Kenyon, Megan Graham, Aubyn O’Grady

Director Emeritus - Palma Berger

This is YOUR space. Write!The Klondike Sun is produced bi-weekly. It is pub-

lished by The Literary Society of the Klondike, a non-profit organization. Letters to the editor, submissions and reports may be edited for brevity, clarity, good taste (as defined by community standards), racism, sexism, and legal considerations. We welcome submissions from our readership; however, it should be understood that the opinions expressed herein may not always reflect those of the publishers and producers of the Klondike Sun. Submissions should be directed to The Editor, Bag 6040, Dawson City, YT, Y0B 1G0, e-mailed to [email protected], directly to the paper at [email protected] or dropped off in the drop-box at our office in the Waterfront Building, 1085 Front Street. They should be signed and preferably typed (double-spaced), or saved on digital media (CD). If you can give a phone number at which you can be reached, it would be helpful. Unsigned letters will not be printed. “Name withheld by request” is acceptable and will be printed, providing the writer identifies themselves to the Sun editorial staff. A Publishing Policy exists for more details.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

WHITEHORSE—The Govern-ment of Yukon proclaimed its new victims of crime legislation on April 8.

The Victims of Crime Act was assented to in the Yukon Legis-lative Assembly and the regula-tions were established in March 2010.

“Proclaiming the Victims of Crime Act is an important step towards implementing the gov-ernment’s Victims of Crime Strat-egy,” Horne said. “This legislation is critical to ensuring that vic-tims are treated with courtesy, compassion and respect.”

The new act contains a victims’ bill of rights which affirms a vic-tim’s right to information and consideration during the justice process. The act also establishes the duties of the victim services director to provide services to victims of crime.

Creating new legislation was one of the options presented in the Victims of Crime Strategy, strategy, which was released in August, 2009.

The strategy also lays out the framework for improving servic-es to victims in the communities and increasing government part-nerships with First Nations and non-government organizations.

By Dan Davidson

The dozen or so people who started the Klondike Sun back in 1989 were in our final planning stages about this time 22 years ago. We had it in mind that we would become the public histo-ry of the community and a more permanent and lasting record of current events than what ex-isted at the time.

The good ladies of the Nutty Club had wearied of producing the Klondike Korner and were happy to turn their mailing list over to us. We set up shop in the back rooms of Sunset Hall, the seniors club that used to be beside Macdonald Lodge, and began working.

We had thought to be a 16 page paper coming out once a month. We never got there. It was always 24 pages or larger and there was pressure from the beginning to come out more often. We had support from the half dozen stores which distrib-ute the paper for a small per-centage return to them on the cover price.

Eventually we had the support of the City of Dawson, which rented us the space from which we have been working for the

last nearly 20 years now. To clear up any misunder-

standings, we do pay rent on this space and are not support-ed by the City in any way other than through the advertising they buy from us. The same is true of the advertising from the territorial and federal govern-ments.

Government advertising of some sort makes up the bulk of our ad revenue. We had always hoped to be a sort of business directory for the town, but most businesses prefer to spend their advertising dollars on maga-zines with wider circulation.

If that changed, we could af-ford to hire more staff for lon-ger hours at better pay and come out weekly. There is easily enough going on in the town to make a 16 page weekly paper viable, but the advertising is not there.

We are also the home for a number of community organi-zations that promote their ef-forts though the free column space that we offer, though we do ask them to pay for their ad-vertising.

We currently have a smaller board, largely composed now of people who are young enough

to have been my students dur-ing my teaching career. Of the original board members Palma Berger still serves as a volun-teer and I still act as editor, a task I shared with Kathy Gates for the first several years.

Our current board consists of Miles Kenyon, Megan Gra-ham, Florian Boulais and Aubyn O’Grady. If you look at other boards around town, you will see some of these names repeat-ed a number of times. These are people who are willing to invest time in a worthy cause.

Palma is an honorary director. We started last year with two additional members, but Allie Winton is out of town study-ing, and Tara Borin has recently withdrawn to deal with the important matter of becoming a mother. Both have said they consider themselves to be on leave and both still contribute as volunteers.

Palma works with former board members Colleen Smith and Judith Blackburn-Johnson to manage our subscription list of about 145. Barb Hanulik (usu-ally known here as the Bandit) was a stalwart at this job until she had to withdraw for health reasons. She says she’s coming

back after her hip replacement surgery. Perennial winter resi-dent Karen MacKay does our lo-cal distribution deliveries dur-ing the months she lives here.

Evan Rensch is our current office and advertising manager. Karen McIntyre’s It Figures Bookkeeping handles our finan-cial affairs. Board member Flo-rian Boulais provides our tech-nical support and John Steins maintains and posts the back issues on our website.

A number of grants from YTG have enabled us to digitally scan our first seven years of back issues, and these are in the process of being posted to our website, and another front page from this project can be found in this issue.

We don’t set the local agen-das, but we try to keep people informed as to what they are.

We have an AGM coming up sometime in June. Think about joining us. It’s a bit of work sometimes, but it’s very re-warding.

Note: This is a slightly amended version of the report I presented to the second Partnership Forum of the Klondike Development Or-ganization on April 15, 2011.

Uffish Thoughts: Shining a Light on the Klondike SunVictims of Crime Act proclaimed


sUBMissiOns to the Sun

This free public service helps our readers find their way through the many activites all over town. Any small happening may need preparation and planning, so let us know in good time! To join this listing contact Tara Borin at [email protected].

Klondike institute of Art and culture (KiAc) - Odd Gallery: Mon. - Fri. 11 am - 5 pm Sat noon - 5pm. Visit www.kiac.ca for current exhibitions and programming infor-mation.

Dawson city international Short film festival - April 21-24, multiple locations. Check www.dawsonfilmfest.com for more details.

Dawson city Rec Department - Drop-in Badminton Mondays in the RSS Gymna-sium Families from 6:15-7:15 p.m., Adults from 7:15-8:30 p.m. Fitness Classes Mon, Wed and Fri 5:30-6:30 p.m. in the Ancillary Room. $2 drop-in fee or $25/6 weeks. For more information on these and other available programs, please contact the Rec Department, 993-2353

Dawson city Museum theatre - Please see www.dcmmovies.blogspot.com for upcoming show titles.

Westminster Hotel - Barnacle Bob in the Tavern, Thurs. - Sat. nights, 4-8. In the lounge this month: Friday nights, the Greasy Band, Saturday nights featuring Harmon-ica George. Music starts at 10 p.m.

Dawson city chamber of commerce - Regular meetings 2nd Wed. of each month. Dawson city community library - Open Mon - Fri, noon to 6:30. conservation Klondike Society Depot Hours - Sat, Sun, Mon, Wed: 1-5 pm, Tues:

3-7 pm. Donations of refundables may be left on the deck during off hours. Info: 993-6666

Good friday and Easter Services at all the Churches - check for times.St. Paul’s Sale of clothing: Tuesday Apr. 26, 2-5 PM and Sat. Apr. 30, 2-7 PM at the

Richard Martin Chapel (next to the Thrift Store).Giant yard Sale - TH Lot @ 10:30, Saturday April 30, a TH Singer’s Fundraiser.Spaghetti Dinner - TH Hall, April 30 - 50/50 draw, KMA Relay 4 Life Tea, Silent Auc-

tion. Contact Madeleine @ 993-7137.

What to sEE and DO In Dawson Now

Dan Davidson - writer & chief editor

Johnny Steins - online/technical assistance

Betty Davidson, Miles Kenyon & Mary Dolman - proofreading

Dan, Evan, Miles & Megan - Layout

Karen MacKay, Palma Berger, Colleen Smith,

Judith Blackburn-Johnson - subscription mailings/retailer deliveries

Ed. note: This is a letter to Dawson City Mayor Peter Jen-kins and town council.

Re. Slinky Mine development permit.

I refer to the (attached) letter from the Yukon government’s community services branch dated Jan. 12, 2011, confirm-ing the government’s position that a development permit is required for mining activities within municipal boundaries.

In addition is the recently issued Department of Energy, Mines and Resources guidance sheet for “Quartz Mining Land Use Application Process Within Municipal Boundaries”.

It also advises proponents to “acquire advice or direc-tion on municipal development permitting requirements” and to “ensure that the municipal planning office is aware of the land use activities that are pro-posed even if you do not require a mining land use authorization from the government.”

This has a number of implica-tions for the City of Dawson and the issuance of a conditional municipal development permit for the Slinky Mine project.

Firstly, I’d appreciate confir-mation from council that a de-velopment permit is required for any mining activity within municipal boundaries.

There seemed to be some un-certainty within council stem-ming from comments indicat-ing that “mining could go ahead without a development permit” and council’s “hands are tied” on the matter.

The government’s letter is unequivocal in its intent. This

should be the position adopted by the City of Dawson, notwith-standing the intricacies of le-gally non-conforming uses in this situation.

Secondly, I appreciate the work council undertook to ensure conditions could be in-cluded in the development per-mit issued to the Slinky Mine.

However, these were appar-ently constrained by a notion that these conditions could not be more stringent than those normally required by the Yu-kon government or previous City of Dawson permits.

Thus, these were restricted to protection of municipal in-frastructure, and failed to ad-dress concerns regarding resi-dents’ safety and quality of life.

Given that the government acknowledges the rights of a municipality to issue develop-ment permits, and the condi-tions therein, I appeal council’s decision to limit conditions and request that council review the existing permit.

I also seek assurances that council will add further and more stringent conditions as suggested by residents during the development permit appeal process.

I’m sure residents will be willing to provide further input to assist council to help reduce the adverse impacts of mining.

During previous meetings, council advised that legal ac-tion was being taken against Mr. Carey in relation to in-fringements on a right-of-way, among others.

Can council update residents on this case? If it has not been resolved, then why does coun-cil feel it appropriate to issue

a development permit while taking legal action against the proponent?

It does seem absurd to allow an individual to mine while council is actively pursuing le-gal action against him for pro-hibited activities at the same location.

I believe council has the right to rescind and withhold the development permit until the matter is legally resolved, and I appeal to council to do so at the earliest opportunity.

A major issue with the current process of free-entry staking is that there is no need for prior consultation with any level of government, municipalities or residents, nor compensation, when acquiring mineral rights, irrespective of location and the number of claims.

Nowhere in the process is there a point where local coun-cils or public can question or review the staking.

Given that mineral staking is a land-use based activity, there seems to be merit in requiring a development permit to enable staking to take place within municipal boundaries.

This would require the thresholds in some local bylaws to be amended, but would pro-vide the municipality and resi-dents notice of intent to stake

and the opportunity to review these and further proposals at an early stage.

Perhaps the simplest way, however, to currently curtail the adverse impacts of mining within municipalities is to sim-ply remove vulnerable areas from staking.

This is actively being pur-sued by the City of Whitehorse, and has been a topic of discus-sion at other locations.

Ongoing negotiations with municipalities and residents and the Yukon government seem to indicate a willingness by the territory to reach an agreement on the issue.

I urge council to enter into similar discussions to allow the City of Dawson to have ar-eas exempted from mineral staking.

The issue of mining within municipalities was brought to the attention of the Association of Yukon Communities.

I’d be grateful for an update on the progress of those discus-sions and on any developments or action that has taken place.

Finally, council did not have the appetite to pursue the legal argument of “intensification of use” in classifying the Slinky Mine proposal as a new use and thus no longer legally non-con-forming.

Council was apparently split on this issue and decided not to seek further legal advice de-spite support for that option from at least two councillors.

Given the recent upturn in the debate as a result of cases such as the Slinky Mine, and Spruce Hill and Mt. McIntyre in Whitehorse, I urge council to reconsider its position and re-visit the relevant case law.

Indeed, I wish to appeal to council to rescind the permit until it carries out a compre-hensive review.

There are more than reason-able grounds on which to with-hold the development permit on this basis.

The health and safety of resi-dents and visitors will be put at great risk if the Slinky Mine proposal goes ahead.

Council has a duty of care to protect residents as much as possible, and invoking the in-tensification of use argument eliminates threats to resident welfare.

Tomorrow, residents (includ-ing myself) will be appearing as delegates at the City Of Daw-son mayor and council meeting to raise some concerns and is-sues.

Jim taggart Dawson City

council’s job is to protect its residents


in OUR community

Story and photoBy Dan Davidson

The ice bridge hasn’t become

unsafe yet, but there are slushy spots near the bank on the Daw-son side of the Yukon River by late afternoon if the sun shines all day, so people who live in West Dawson, but work in town, are beginning to think about where they will live during the several weeks before and just after breakup, which came on April 30 last year.

Some people stay with friends, and quite a few spend the time living in hotel rooms.

One of these places is the Bo-

Bonanza Gold is Open for Locals who Need Break-up Refuge

nanza Gold Motel, just on the far side of the Ogilvie Bridge that leads into town.

Gail Hendley says the ru-mours circulating that her hotel doesn’t have rooms for this ser-vice this year are not accurate.

They may stem from recent news reports that have sug-gested her hotel is completely booked by construction crews for the summer.

“No. I told them I’ve got a lot of my rooms booked, but I’m saving the main building for visitors and tourists and locals. So I’ve got 15 rooms that are not going to be booked up by crews.

“The rest of them – they’re booked, I’m happy that they’re booked. I’ve got three or four locals in right now. I’ve even got one over in the east wing where there’s no water and sewer.”

She’s heard and seen the ru-mour.

“Somebody put it on Facebook and I heard all about it.”

It may have been partly in-spired by the fact that she put bookings on hold for about a week at one point while she fig-ured out how to juggle the vari-

ous demands she was facing. “I had to figure out my regis-

tration. I was going nuts with all the people that were staying here, all the people that wanted to stay here, and the crew that had booked.

“It took me, oh, a week, week and a half to get it all sorted out and then I started telling West Dawsonites, whenever I saw them, that I have some rooms.”

“I still have four or five rooms set aside for West Dawson, but I haven’t heard anything. I guess

that rumour really spread.”The hotel is designed so that

parts of it can be shut down when they are not needed in the off-season, but this year she had a third of the west wing addi-tion open all winter due to stak-ing and exploration crews.

“I finally had to open the rest of it because things were getting so desperate.

“When people hear rumours they should not expect them to be 100% true.”

By Dan Davidson

As spring moves towards the beginning of the mining season, one company is already con-cerned about where it is gong to house some of its staff in Dawson during the times when they are not in the field.

Shawn Ryan and Cathy Wood operate several companies in the Yukon and have land in the Callison Industrial Subdivi-sion (on Raspberry Lane). They have an application before Dawson’s council for a zon-ing amendment to allow them to build some staff housing on their industrial lot.

Ryan and Wood operate Ry-anwood Exploration Inc., 44049 Yukon Inc. and Wildwood Ex-ploration Inc. themselves and are in partnership with Isaac Fage in GroundTruth Explora-tion Inc.

In the mid-1990s they began their business with two field assistants. More recently they have had 30 to 50 seasonal em-ployees and about 20 working

annually. Ryan pitched his concerns

about the shrinking Dawson accommodation market to the local chamber of commerce last summer. Wood says it has grown more critical this year. In her letter to council she wrote:

“Shawn and I estimate there will be approximately 100 em-ployees working with our com-panies this summer. We may be one of the larger employers in Dawson this coming summer season.

“Our biggest struggle is with finding accommodation for our staff when they arrive in Daw-son and when they are working from town and on days off.

“Dawson benefits when our guys come to town. Lots of times they don’t feel like cook-ing and even if they do, they go and buy groceries. They sup-port the hardware store. They go to the Raven’s Nook and buy stuff. They spend a fair amount of money.”

Interviewed on April 14, Wood noted that some of their

seasonal employees, young people for the most part, have found that they enjoy the Daw-son lifestyle and have chosen to spend the winter here after the exploration season ended. The ten that did so had to face the problem of a lack of housing choices.

“This young group of people brings lots of energy and ideas to a town looking to encourage a younger demographic to call Dawson home.”

Wood said she and her hus-band have been trying to raise the level of concern on this is-sue since 2008, when Under-world Resources (now owned by Kinross) first began to look like a promising development. The exploration that led to these developments was car-ried out by Ryanwood, and Shawn Ryan has been much honoured by the Yukon and national mining community for his work during the last year. Accepting his awards, he has always been quick to share the glory with her.

Their proposal to council would require a zoning change to allow them to build one house, described in the appli-cation as a “24 foot by 40 foot” unit, to allow their employees to have a place to live, especial-ly during the shoulder seasons in the spring and fall when tent dwelling can be unpleasant.

Wood said that the summer problem has been growing an-nually since the closure of Tent City in 2005.

“There was a big gap when that closed. I really hope that people are not being gouged due to lack of availability. It’s an issue which has now burst its bubble. It has been there and

everybody’s talked about it for a long time, but now it’s jumped the queue. There’s got to be in-frastructure for young people who want to come in and want to make Dawson their home and be able to afford to do that at the same time. ”

When the proposal first came to council on March 9, it was received very positively and the process to expedite a zon-ing amendment was approved in less than 15 minutes. The amendment received first read-ing on March 23. The public hearing required for a zoning amendment was held on April 19. Comments may still be ac-cepted at City Offices.

Ryanwood Moves to House Employees in Dawson


in OUR community

The Yukon government manages 30 public quarry pits throughout the territory for personal use purposes.

While there is no charge to remove less than 35 cubic meters of materials such as sand or gravel per year, you must first obtain a permit. Permits for larger volumes are also available at a nominal cost.

Quarry permits are available at EMR Client Service and Inspection offices. Contact your community offfice at:

Whitehorse - (867) 456-3877 - 918 Alaska Highway Watson Lake - (867) 536-7335 Mayo - (867) 996-2343 Dawson - (867) 993-5468 Haines Junction - (867) 634-2256 Ross River - (867) 969-2243 Teslin - (867) 390-2531 Carmacks - (867) 863-5271

For further information on quarry permits and other land related topics visit online: www.emr.gov.yk.ca/lands

Quarry Permits Available

By Justine Davidson in the Whitehorse Star on April 8, 2011

Continuing opposition to the Yukon Queen II tour boat and a disastrous season of washouts on the Taylor and Top of World highways last summer have prompted Westmark Hotels to put one of its local properties on the market.

The Holland America Line-owned company is selling the Klondike Inn, one of two hotels it owns in the capital city, locat-ed at the corner of Second and Fourth avenues.

Having come on the market in February, it is currently listed at $6.8 million, making it the most expensive piece of property cur-rently listed in the territory.

“Things are a little uncertain with the Yukon Queen, so that plays into it,” Stephen Leonard, Westmark’s vice-president, said Thursday of why his chain is selling the 99-room hotel.

He was referring to the cruise the company operates on the Yu-kon River between Eagle, Alaska and Dawson City, which is a ma-jor draw for tourists. Holland America representatives have said in the past that the com-pany would have to “reconsider” its Yukon operations if it couldn’t run the cruise.

“And the highway washing out

last year really threw a wrench in our plans,” Leonard told the Star.

Last summer, a series of wash-outs and highway closures on the road between Fairbanks, Eagle, and Dawson meant Hol-land America had to charter planes to take their tour guests from Alaska to the Klondike, a trip they would usually make by bus. Other travellers simply can-celled their plans.

Leonard said the company lost “over a million dollars.”

“We helped pay for Joe Spar-ling’s new 737, that’s for sure,” he added, referring to the presi-dent of Air North.

As for the Yukon Queen II, it remains a hot-button issue.

For years, the Yukon Environ-mental Socio-economic Assess-ment Board (YESAB), the terri-tory’s environmental screening agency, has been trying to come up with a decision on whether the high-powered catamaran is unduly harmful to the river eco-system, and if so, how to mitigate the damage.

“For several years, we’ve been trying to mitigate what the Daw-son First Nations think we’re doing to the river,” Leonard said. “That’s been hundreds of thou-sands of dollars, and we have to ask ourselves, ‘Where is this go-ing to stop?’”

“I think the Yukon Queen has

been a challenge for (Holland America),” Dee Enright, the Tourism Industry Association of Yukon’s vice-chair, said today

“And while we appreciate YES-AB’s need to assess these proj-ects ... the process needs to be more efficient.”

The Tr’ondek Hwech’in in Dawson has been one of the Yu-kon Queen’s most vigorous de-tractors. It claims the wake from the vessel is eroding the river bank, while the boat’s jets suck up and kill juvenile salmon.

If that is the case, Holland America would need special permission to operate from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, which regulates any ac-tivities causing the death of fish.

In 2009, the First Nation ac-cused Holland America of stall-ing the YESAB review so it could keep operating the vessel with-out the OK from Fisheries and Oceans.

Holland America responded by saying that any delays were caused by YESAB’s Dawson of-

fice, which was unable to come to a conclusion on the file and passed it up to the board’s exec-utive committee in early 2009.

The second factor, Holland America said, was the fact the company was not even sure it would run the vessel in 2009 be-cause of extensive flood damage in Eagle.

Meanwhile, the tourism indus-try went so far as to say the loss of the Yukon Queen would be “catastrophic”.

According to TIAY, Holland America accounts for a quarter of the visitors to the Yukon, who go on to spend an estimated $12 million a year Yukon-wide.

The company employs the equivalent of 200 full-time em-ployees, and pays almost $1 million a year in wages, Enright said.

“And they spend about $11.5 million in promoting the Yukon,” Enright said. “... If that were to stop, it would definitely have an impact.”

The potential sale of the

Klondike Inn should not be seen as evidence Holland America is pulling out of the Yukon, Leon-ard said.

He noted the company is cur-rently investing money in the Westmark Whitehorse, and said any money the company has ever made in the Yukon has gone directly to improving its proper-ties here.

Already, tour sales for the coming summer are higher than last year’s, Leonard said, and the Klondike Inn is booked until September, when a new owner could take possession.

Under Holland America, the Klondike Inn is open from mid-May to mid-September. It used to be open year-round, and once hosted one of the city’s most popular night spots for young people.

Once the hotel is sold, Leon-ard said, Holland America would likely enter into negotiations with the new owner to continue housing its guests there through the summer months.

Difficulties see major hotel put up for sale


Now Offering Carpet CleaningHouse and Commercial Monitoring

Security Services AvailableContact Person: Marge Kormendy

Ph: (867) 993 - 5384 ~ Fax: (867) 993 - 5753

“Like” the Klondike Sun on

by Dan Davidson

Watching visitors to town wander about taking pictures of things which seem quite or-dinary to those of us who live here is a reminder to us all that Dawson is a rather special place which still has a hold on the imaginations of people who come to see us in all seasons.

It started early. Not counting the fact that most of the Gold Rush stampeders who tramped and sailed here in 1898 left with no more profit than the memo-ries of their trip, we had tourists early on.

In a book called Two Women in the Klondike: the story of a journey to the gold fields of Alaska (a common mistake in early accounts) Mary Hitchcock tells of the trip she made with her friend Edith Van Buren in the same year.

Hitchcock was the widow of a naval officer and Van Buren was the great niece of the former US President Martin Van Buren. They had previously travelled together in China and Egypt, but their experience in the North was something quite different.

In a spirit not unlike those modern travellers who arrive in their land yachts, complete with every modern convenience, the two embarked for the Klondike by boat, armed with good china, polished silver, walking sticks, matching hats, a movie projec-tor that ran on gas, a circus tent, a gramophone, a Great Dane named Ivan, and the workings of a bowling alley.

They set up residence in a full-sized circus tent in what would now be West Dawson, hired locals to act as servants and spent the summer holding court there, returning to the

south when winter approached. Hitchcock immediately set to recording their adventures in her book, which was published in 1899.

Van Buren wrote a letter, published in the New York Times on February 19, 1899, to protest the satirical remarks in a New York Times review from February 5, 1899. The writer, one Harry Suydam, had pooh-poohed the notion that there was any adventure in the two society ladies’ Klondike trek and had suggested they had taken a valet and a maid with them.

Van Buren indicates that things may have been a bit more rustic than might be thought from the general descriptions of their journey that you can find these days on the Internet.

“We lived in a tent,” she wrote, “without flooring, and with no beds but pine boughs. For a time we had a servant, but he caught the gold fever and went off to the mines.”

While they arrived in Dawson on a barge, their departure was more in the spirit of the stam-pede.

“We left Dawson,” Van Buren wrote, “after a heavy snow Sept. 23, and certainly no one could envy us our trip up to Lake Ben-net, with no beds but a bit of canvas, no mattresses, blankets or pillows – no conveniences.”

It was snowing at Bennett and the two society women went over the Chilkoot Pass along with a group of disappointed miners, “being afraid to be left behind.”

There were, she wrote, no dis-tinctions of social class on this hike. “We went along with the miners all the way, and I did not see one who was not able to take a bite and sup at the same table

with us, and a bunk as we were obliged to spend the night at log cabins, thirty-six of us, men and women in the same room.”

So, as I said at the beginning, Klondike tourism goes back a long way. As we approach the coming season, I’ll spend a few words on the history of the jour-ney it’s taken since then.

(This article originally ap-peared in What’s Up Yukon.)

An Early Adventure in Yukon Tourism


SPORTS in the Sun:

In-StoreSpecials &

Fresh Coffee every day!

Tel:993-6567Fax:993-5973

European cheeses and Organic foodsOur SpecialtiesIN A RUSH? IN A HURRY?

Check out our Deli with ALL KINDS of great snacks! Pizza by the slice, gourmet sandwiches and dessert goodies

Winter HoursMon to Fri: 8:30 am ~ 7:00 pmSaturday: 9:00 am ~ 6:00 pmClosed Sundays & Holidays

Party Platters for all occasions ~10 different kinds Custom orders ~ just call!

Wed. May 18 @ 6:30 Dawson City Museum Theatre

Election of New Board Light refreshments served

Contact: 993-5086 or

[email protected]

Annual General Meeting

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Personal or Corporate financial problems, call

FINANCIAL DIFFICULTIES?CREDITOR PROBLEMS?LOSS OF EMPLOYMENT?

Funding is available for:

Professional Sound Recordings •(6 tracks or 20 minutes)

Professional Demo Recordings •(2 tracks or 5 minutes)

Next application deadline:

May 2, 4:00 p.m.

Applications can be picked upfrom the Yukon Film & SoundCommission office at 101 Elliott Street or online atwww.soundyukon.com

Completed applications can be dropped off at our office or mailed to:

Yukon Film & SoundCommissionBox 2703 (F-3)Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2C6Phone: 667-5400Toll Free: 1-867-661-0408ext. 5400Email: [email protected]: www.soundyukon.com

Yukon Information and Privacy Commissioner Says Watch Out for Fraudulent Emails

The Yukon Information and Privacy Commissioner is warning Yukoners to be extremely cautious about responding to emails that request personal or financial information. Tracy-Anne McPhee’s comments follow a massive data breach involving Epsilon, a mar-keting services company based in the U.S.

Epsilon manages email databases for thousands of companies, including some based in Canada, and sends billions of emails per year. Companies whose databases have been breached include Air Miles, Marriott Hotels and Barclays Bank. Epsilon announced last Friday that it is investigating the breach of client data, which ex-posed customer names and email addresses.

The breach could allow hackers to send highly-personalized emails to victims. Such emails look like a message from a legitimate retail, financial or government organization but they are not. The phony emails ask victims to provide or verify personal information such as credit card or banking information or a social insurance or PIN number. The information can be requested in the email itself, on a phony website that the victim is directed to, or via a phony “customer support” telephone number. If the victim provides or confirms this information, it can be used to steal their identity or money.

“No legitimate business will ask you to provide this kind of per-sonal or financial information by email,” said McPhee. “To avoid be-ing victimized by this type of fraud, do not respond to an email, telephone call or voicemail message that asks you for personal in-formation such as an online password, a debit or credit card num-ber, or a PIN number. You should also avoid using the phone num-ber provided until you first check if the number is legitimate.” More information on how to protect yourself from fraudulent emails and telephone calls is available at the website of the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada: http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/eng/publications/TipSheets/TSETFraud-eng.asp or by calling the office of the Yukon Information and Privacy Commissioner at 867-667-8468.

The Yukon Information and Privacy Commissioner is an inde-pendent authority responsible to the Legislative Assembly. Her role is set out in the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy (ATIPP) Act, which has the dual purposes of making public bod-ies more accountable to the public and protecting personal privacy. Under the terms of the Act, the Commissioner provides oversight and is responsible for monitoring how the Act is administered to ensure that its purposes are achieved. Her role as access/privacy regulator mandates her to conduct reviews, investigate complaints and comment on the access and privacy implications of proposed legislative schemes or government programs.

WHITEHORSE—Yukon youth will have a new resource to help them discover their career options, Education Minister Patrick Rouble and Skookum Jim Friendship Centre Presi-dent Nelson Lepine announced today (April 15).

“The Department of Education is proud to partner with Skookum Jim Friendship Centre to help youth across Yukon identify the right career choice, and realize their full poten-tial,” Rouble said. “This three-year pilot program will open doors through education and awareness.”

The Youth Employment Centre, located in the Skookum Jim Friendship Centre, will provide employment services such as career planning, counselling, work placements and mentor-ships for youth aged 16 to 30. The centre will also co-ordi-nate with community partners to offer training in life skills, resume writing, job search and interviewing skills.

“Together with our partners, we will offer youth an oppor-tunity to pursue the career of their dreams,” Lepine said. “To our communities, we offer a growing, vibrant and untapped workforce made up of Yukon youth—youth who will have the opportunity to show our communities that they can be suc-cessful when provided the tools and support to pursue their dreams.”

A key component of this project is outreach. Career coun-sellors will actively seek out youth to talk with them about career plans and life skills training. In addition to providing services in Whitehorse, the centre has a mobile component to serve communities across Yukon. There will also be sub-sidies available for employers matched with youth who are seeking to gain on-the-job experience.

The Education department is providing $300,000 per year for three years; $100,000 from the Canada-Yukon Labour Market Agreement and $200,000 from the department’s Youth at Risk fund. The Canada-Yukon Labour Market Devel-opment Agreement provides funding to support people who are often excluded from the labour force, including First Na-tion people, older workers, youth, social assistance recipients and people with disabilities.

Youth Employment Centre opens


FOOD SHOW COMES TO TOWNAre you running a Camp?

Do you operate a business requiring Food Supplies?

G-P Distributing Inc. has planned a food show in the “Dawson City Curling Club”:

Wednesday May 4th, 4 PM - 8 PMThursday May 5th, 9 AM - Noon

29 Macdonald Rd, Whitehorse Yukon, Y1A 4L1Phones: (867)-667-4500 • Toll Free: 1 (888) 211-5368 • Fax: (867) 667-4501

E-mail: [email protected]

Come meet a group of food suppliers and representatives from G-P Distributing. We can readily provide wholesale groceries anywhere in the Yukon.

If you are in Whitehorse – come to our larger show at the “Yukon Inn” – Tuesday May 3rd from 10 AM- 5 PM

Dealing with the only Yukon based wholesale food supplier keeps your money in the Yukon and strengthens the local economy.

For further information contact Rob Veres – (867) 667-4500

By Dan Davidson

Anyone who wants to know the worth of the Fraser In-stitute’s pronouncements on the Yukon’s education system should begin by looking at the organization’s statement of pur-pose, easily found on its web-site:

“The Fraser Institute measures and studies the impact of com-petitive markets and government interventions on individuals and society.”

Just look at the phrasing and understand the tone of their thinking.

Its motto, posted next to its name: “A free and prosperous world through choice, markets and responsibility.”

Read further and you basically learn that the institute believes that the free market, those won-derful people who brought us the recession of 2008, and are ultimately responsible for all those Canada’s Economic Action Plan signs that now litter the landscape, can do no wrong.

Conversely, almost anything that a government agency can do, unless it is somehow in sup-port of private enterprise, can-

not possibly be done right. So it should not come as a

surprise to anyone that the in-stitute would love the Yukon government’s position on natu-ral resource exploitation while at the same time continuing to hack away at the territory’s pub-lic school system.

When it comes to education, the institute is all about freedom of choice and letting the market rule. In other words, it loves pri-vate schools and charter schools, the latter being a quasi-private innovation that still allows the school to tap government fund-ing for its endeavors.

The purpose of the institute’s annual reports on education is simply to advance the notion that public schooling is bad and private or charter schools are better.

Since both of the latter insti-tutions get to chose who their students are, and are gener-ally supported by parents who value education highly, it should come as no surprise that they get better results than the pub-lic schools, who are required to deal with everyone.

“Everyone” includes a good many people who value educa-

tion, but it also includes those who do not, or whose families continue to suffer the genera-tional trauma of the residential school system.

In my own three decades as a teacher it was a simple ob-servation to see that I had my best outcomes with students who came from families where education was a valued priority rather than a negatively viewed obligation.

In the legislature, opposition members would do well to re-member that the Fraser Insti-tute is not their friend. It may have handed them a stick with which to beat the government over the head this month, but if they were in power it would hand the same stick to the other party.

As for the government in pow-er, Minister Rouble would do well to cease the duck and cover routine that has been the Yukon Party’s response to bad news in this area ever since that other Fraser Report, the one delivered by the Auditor General in 2009.

It has been some years since the Dept. of Education has done its own tracking report to find out what has happened to Yukon

students as they make their way through the school system and beyond. Such a study would be a complex matter and would pro-duce a result far more nuanced than the Auditor General’s sim-ple statistical breakdown, which was based on how many Kin-dergarten students managed to walk across the stage at the end of Grade 12.

To be realistic about this, one must then ask a number of ques-tions.

• How many students were held back one or more years but did eventually graduate?

• How many were accelerated and graduated ahead of their original peers?

• How many moved to other towns?

• How many moved to other provinces, or even to other countries?

• How do we massage the stats to deal with those we cannot track because of those moves, privacy legislation being what it is?

• How many died (because this does happen)?

• How many dropped out of school, but eventually went back for a GED upgrade and finally

took further training?After all these things have

been taken into account, what is the final outcome?

As far as I am aware, no one has done such a study. Until they do, we really don’t know much of anything definitive about how well Yukon schools are doing.

On the other hand, I can look out at the world and see the number of my former students who are leading productive, ful-filling lives. I see some of them every day here in Dawson. Oth-ers stop for long conversations when I meet them in White-horse. Others have become Fa-cebook friends decades later.

I’m not saying there is no room for improvement in delivery and innovation in programs. I’m cer-tainly not saying that something should not be done to make Rob-ert Service School so attractive that parents will not be tempted to ship their children off to the Big City (noting that the Fraser Instritute is hardly kinder to the high schools there).

I just don’t believe that the system which helped to nurture “my kids” can really be all that bad.

Measuring the Worth of the Fraser Reports


Artist Profile: Coole & Downes Artist Profile: Tim HusCoole & Downes is the unlikely combination of two of Toronto’s most remark-

able roots musicians. With the Foggy Hogtown Boys, the Crazy Strings houseband at the Silver Dol-

lar, or on his own, Chris Coole has carved out a niche as Toronto’s best banjo player. But unlike most hotshot banjo dudes with incredibly deep repertoires, Coole’s also a remarkable, songwriter; his only solo album, Old Dog, is perhaps the most underrated roots release in Canada over the past few years, tasteful and deep. Apart from his own albums, Chris can be heard as a sideman on over 75 albums from artists such as Jenny Whiteley, Jim Cuddy, Sylvia Tyson, and Jus-tin Rutledge.

Simone Schmidt is the other half of Coole & Downes. Whereas Chris is a To-ronto musical veteran, Simone is one of the scene’s brightest new flames, a true original. Her songwriting is uncompromising and penetrating. With her band, One Hundred Dollars, and solo, Simone writes heartbreaking, journalistic and hyper-specific story-songs about the things we don’t like to talk about. Her stage presence is beyond compelling – it’s confrontational. Punk rock posture and grit. But her voice and phrasing are pure country – like Loretta Lynn, like Tammy Wynette.

In high school, Simone would show up late for her Thursday morning classes because she’d been out the night before watching High Lonesome Wednesdays at the Silver Dollar, with Chris Coole on banjos. These shows cemented her lifelong love of country, old-time, and bluegrass; in Simone, Coole found a remarkable new voice and a true appreciator of the genre. Although there are no duo record-ings behind them, these are two of the most exciting musicians in Canada, and we’re excited to see what they do at this year’s DCMF!

“I’ve been looking for 30 years for a young guy who’s proud to write songs about our country. I’d like to pass the torch to tim Hus” - Stompin’ tom Connors

Among other things, Tim Hus has made a living as a long-haul truck driver, a commercial fisherman, a sawyer, a well driller, and a tree planter. Now he makes a living by singing songs Canada across the country and around the world, but very little has changed; Hus still brings genuine respect, warmth, humility and profes-sionalism to the job each day.

Like long-time friend and collaborator Corb Lund, Tim Hus is part of the in-creasingly rare breed of traditional Canadian Country & Western singers. Not the Nashville-aping, CMT-minded, million-selling pop country on the radio, but a brand that is heard played live, in saloons and dive bars, at work camps and campfires. The sort that has to pass muster, live and in person, with real miners, haulers, brawlers, hard-livers. Tim tells these truly Canadian stories with grace and aplomb. The lineage of this tradition goes back to Stompin’ Tom Connors, and Tim’s got the Stomper’s approval, having spent the last summer as Tom’s tour opener in arenas and concert halls across the country.

Unlike many, Tim’s Canada includes the North. He’s got the obligatory song about the Klondike gold rush, told from the perspective of a beleaguered stam-peder, of course – but he’s also got a song about long-haul trucking up the Demp-ster. He’s kicked up dancefloor dust at Yellowknife’s Folk on the Rocks festival, and lit up dark Yukon saloons in January.

Sometimes it’s hard, stuck way up here in the North, to feel like we’re part of the same Canada as our friends in Halifax, or Thunder Bay, or Grand Prairie. It takes songwriters like Tim Hus to connect us – to weave our stories together into a national tapestry.

Over the coming months, the Klondike Sun will be featuring a number of artists appearing at the 2011 Dawson City Music Festival. To see this year’s complete line-up and buy your tickets, visit the festival’s new website: www.dcmf.com

As part of “Yukon Writers’ Festival 2011”, the Dawson City Community Library is pleased to announce a reading/lecture entitled “An Ocean of Hope” by award-winning journalist and author ALANNA MITCHELL.

This will be held Tuesday, May 3rd at 7:30 PM. Alanna Mitchell is a journalist and author who writes about science

and society. Her latest book, “Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis”, won the Grantham Prize for excellence in environmental journalism in the U.S. and was short listed for Canada’s Lane Anderson Award for best science book.

She grew up in Saskatchewan and lives in Toronto.

tEMPERAtuREMean max for March: -7.5 Warmest 2011: +9.0 28+29th Normal mean max: -3.6 Extreme max: 11.1 1994 31st Mean min for March: -26.6 Coldest 2011: -42.0 3rd Normal mean min: -20.2 Extreme min: -45.2 1987 05th Mean for March: -17.1 Normal mean: -11.9

PREciPitAtionRain 0.0 Rain normal 0.3mm Extreme daily rain 4.4mm 1999 23rd Snow 2.6cm Snow normal 12.8cm Extreme daily snow 12.0cm 1979 19th 1.4cm 16th 2011Snow water equivalent 0.8mm Snow normal water equivalent 11.1mm Extreme precipitation 13.6mm 1988 16thSnow on ground end of March 2011 30cm Normal snow on ground end of month 45cm Extreme snow depth March 131cm

Dawson Weather Statisticsfor March 2011(provided by Neil Rollinson, Environment Canada)

Library Notes


twenty years Ago in the Sun

the Sun celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2009 and we are re-printing our front pages from 20 years ago as a souvenir of our lively history. Back issues are being archived on our new website from 1989 to the present. Visit www.cityofdawson.com/category/klondike_sun for research.

this is a great resource for students, writers and historians, and also for prospective tourists with an interest in Dawson city’s life. the Sun has obtained funding in late 2009 from the city of Dawson, ytG’s Heritage Branch and the community Development fund

to conserve and archive the early issues and make them available once again in the public domain.


There is a wonderful legacyOf which I wish to tellAbout a beautiful ladyThat we loved so well

Her strength lives within us And grows stronger each day

Her honor still lingersThough her life has slipped awayI miss the sound of her laughter

And her stern lectures too!I miss hearing her say, “I love you”

She fought a good battle Then gave up the fight

To rest in the arms of JesusWhat a beautiful sight

In our hearts her memoryWill always stay

Nothing could ever takeHer remembrance away

Forever in our hearts,John, Susan & family

Growing ForwardPractical and flexible programs for your farm.

Phone: (867) 667-5838 Toll-free: 1-800-661-0408, ext. 5838www.agriculture.gov.yk.ca

Story & photoBy Dan Davidson

Sara Tilley wasn’t a stranger to the North when she came to Dawson. Though she was born in St. John’s, where she now lives with her partner, Craig, and their cat, she spent most of her early childhood in rural and isolated communities in Newfoundland, Labrador and the Northwest Territories.

Her first novel, Skin Room, is informed by her sense memories of what it was like to be one of the few white children in an In-uit village, though she was there several years longer, and had a much more pleasant experience than Teresa, the disturbed teen-ager of her novel.

Dawson was different for her, however.

“Oh yes, definitely. First of all, there’s no wind here, and there’s trees. I lived on the tundra so it was always windy, and that makes it so much colder. It was very barren. The landscape. The only thing here that’s reminded me of it, really, is walking on the river – that feeling of just white, going on forever.

‘This is a much bigger town. It feels like a full settlement, with everything contained within it.”

She pays a lot of attention to physical surroundings. While the people and the plot of Skin Room are fictionalized, she says she wanted to make the land-scape and the feel of Sanikiluaq as accurate as possible. She lived there quite happily between the ages of 7 and 11, whereas Teresa moves there when she is 11 and doesn’t make it intact through an entire year.

The book fuses memories from Sanikiluaq and Nain, Lab-rador, where she lived before that. Characters have also been created from bits and pieces of people she knew and she agrees that no one is safe if they are in the sights of a writer.

“Dawson has the feeling of a town in Newfoundland. There’s a very relaxed way that people and there’s a lot of eccentricity that’s just allowed to be. There’s no worries about how you want to live. You just do your thing.”

She found that the variety of colours used on houses here – something you see a lot of in Newfoundland – made her feel at home. What also felt familiar about the place was the fact that it so resembles the photo re-search that she did in advance of her arrival.

“I knew that would be the case, but it’s different being put in the reality of it. Those two things combined made it feel very fa-miliar right away.”

Her personal connection to Dawson is through her ancestor,

William, known as Duke, who arrived here in 1906, missing just about every opportunity to make his fortune, but eventually heading home with a lot of mem-ories. She came across his cache of journals and letters in 2004 – some 200 pages in all - and spent a year sorting them out and es-tablishing the chronology. They form the basis of the book she completed in first draft while she was here.

She had about 100 pages when she arrived and she cred-its the residency with allowing her the focussed time to get the rest done.

“I know I wouldn’t be that far along if I hadn’t been able to come to the residency. It’s been a really productive time. I haven’t gotten to do that in a long time. It’s been many years.“

In a sense this was a chunk of time for her, and she says that’s how she tends to handle the projects that aren’t connected with her regular work of running a theatre company and teaching clowning.

She has written or co-written ten plays, is the Executive Direc-tor of Visual Artists Newfound-land and Labrador, and runs the She Said Yes! Theatre company. Leaving most of that on hold for three months is not something she can do very often and the Berton House residency provid-ed that space in her life.

In the last week of her time here she was already filling up her daybook and knew she would hit the ground running in St. John’s the morning after she got off the plane.

Duke’s story poses challenges for her that she’s not sure she was ready for earlier. It will be different in tone and style from the two voices (an older and younger Teresa) in Skin Room.

“This is so much different. It’s a male voice. It’s historical. His language and his voice are so

distinct. I was a little afraid to take it on. It felt like robbery in a way. I had to come to terms with that and make it my story, in a way. Not trying to tell the literal story of this person. It’s more of a fictional alternate history”

As with Skin Room, Duke’s sto-ry is the story of a dysfunctional family and of an individual try-ing to work things out in that context. Tilley was a bit worried about that but has decided that the story and the people are suf-ficiently different that she’s not repeating herself

So far she hasn’t changed the names of Duke and his brother or some of the people they meet.

“I have to talk to my fam-ily about this and see what they think. I certainly couldn’t change Duke’s name because it’s so im-portant to him as a character. It’s like this noble, sort of, title, but he doesn’t feel that way about himself at all. He feels misnamed. I think that’s key to how he oper-ates in the world.”

The main narrative of this novel will be a straight line from 1906 to 1913, when he left the North, but it will probably be broken into by flashbacks to when he was a child and reflec-tions of the older man looking back on his youth.

The book’s layout will be odd. Duke didn’t use a lot of punctua-tion in his own writing and she’s thinking the pages may look a bit like poetry. He uses space to punctuate. He crosses things out and changes his mind about a word or a phrase. She’s trying to reflect that.

There’s no date for DUKE yet but she’s hoping to send it round to publishers sometime in the fall. Given the rave reviews and awards that she won for Skin Room, there should be lots of in-terest.

Dawson Felt Familiar to this Berton House Writer


CYFT 106.9 FM: Dawson City Community Radio

“The Spirit of Dawson”

Tune your dial to 106.9 FM or Cable Channel 11 (Rolling Ads) in Dawson City,or listen live over the internet at www.cfyt.ca!

Thursday April 21th

6:00-7:00 Steve and Nathan - Sports Talk Radio7:00-8:00 Rosie and Capri - The Cat’s Meow8:00-10:00 Ben - Party Time Machine

Friday April 22th

1:00-3:00 Jay - The Theme Scheme3:00-5:00 John - On the John5:00-6:00 Tara - Tara’s show6:00-8:00 DJ Itunes8:00-9:00 Sonny Boy Williams - Rockin’ Blues Show9:00-10:00 Jim - Psychedelic

Saturday April 23th

10:00-12:00 Jason - Foxy’s Breakfast12:00-2:00 Aaron - True Colours2:00-3:00 Jenna - Spires and Spindles3:00-4:00 Freddie - The Howling Revivalists Hour Of Power4:00-5:00 Tim and Megan - Nuggets5:00-7:00 Chris - Southside City Swag7:00-9:00 Jen - The Cave of Spleen

Sunday April 24th

12:00-1:00 Mike - The City Mic1:00-2:00 CKLB - Ends of the Earth2:00-3:00 Julie - Francopen3:00-4:00 Kerry & Jackson - Yukon SOVA Radio Program4:00-6:00 Aubyn - Diff’rent Strokes6:00-8:00 Kit - Meat and Potatoes8:00-10:00 Ben and Brendan - The Kings of Dawson City10:00-12:00 Charles - Last Chance

CFYT 106.9 FMProgram Profiles

In each issue of The Klondike Sun, we’ll be profiling programs on CFYT 106.9FM, Dawson’s community radio station. You can listen to CFYT on your FM radio, the DC TV Channel 11 Rolling Ads, and online at http://cfyt.ca. This issue, get to know Jenna Roebuck of Spires and Spindles Tim Jones and Megan Graham of Nuggets.

name of DJ: Jenna Roebuckname of Show: Spires and SpindlesDay and time the show airs: Saturdays, 2-3 pmon cfyt since: 2005Description of your show: A fusion of minstrel-fresh beats, psychedelic dirges and feminine folk mewlings.

Genres of music typically played on your show: Renaissance Faire Folk.

What are some of your current favourite artists: Lots of Peaking Lights, Deerhunter and Silverchair.

What are your top 5 “desert island” albums?: The Pentangle-The Pentangle, Arthur Russell-World of Echo, Michael Hurley – Hi Fi Snock Uptown/ Armchair Boogie, Joni Mitchell-Blue, Townes Van Zandt - Flyin’ Shoes, Angels of Light- Everything is Good Here, Please Come Home, Yo La Tengo - And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out , Fairport Convention- Liege and Leif, Six Organs of Admittance-School of the Flower, Dr. Dre- 2001, Nick Drake- Bryter Later, Zombies- Odyssey and Oracle, Grateful Dead- American Beauty, Beach Boys - Pet Sounds, Sonic Youth-Dirty, Big Star-Radio City, Entrance-The Kingdom of Heaven Must be Taken by Storm

What do you like best about being on cfyt?: To quote Alexandria from this season of ANTM: “What would I not like about it?”

What has been your favourite on-air moment?: Consistently struggling awkwardly to navigate the airwaves.

What do you do when you’re not on the air?: In my work as a French Duke, I mostly lie in hammocks and eat soft cheeses.

name of DJs: Tim and Meganname of Show: NuggetsDay and time the show airs: Saturdays, 4-5pmon cfyt since: March 2010Description of show: (Tim) An international duelling banjos. (Megan) An international duelling banjos.

Genres of music typically played on your show: (Tim) Canadian alt country, grunge, indie rock. (Megan) Chillwave, oldies but goodies, dad rock, soul.

What are some of your current favourite albums?:The Punch Brothers – Antifogmatic, Destroyer – Kaputt, Cass McCombs – Wit’s End, B.A. Johnston – Stairway to Hamilton. (Megan) tUnE-yArDs – w h o k i l l , The Rural Alberta Advantage – Departing, Colin Stetson - New History Warfare - Judges, Vol. 2.

What are your top 5 “desert island” albums?: (Tim) Eric’s Trip – Love Tara, Gillian Welch – Time (The Revelator), Herman Düne – Not on Top, Jon-Rae and the River – Knows What You Need, Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Tonight’s the Night. (Megan) Steely Dan – Pretzel Logic, Talking Heads - More Songs About Buildings and Food, Grizzly Bear – Veckatimest, Beach House – Teen Dream, Bruce Springsteen – Born to Run

What do you like best about being on cfyt?: (Tim) Our regular callers – it’s nice to know that Dawson City pizza tastes better because of my musical choices. (Megan) I agree with Tim—CFYT listeners are the greatest!

What has been your favourite on-air moment?: (Tim) Jenny Omnichord teaching Megan how to play her bizarre instrument. (Megan) The time Fred Osson accidentally left his grocery list in the CFYT station and I read it on air, the time when Tim’s mom and my dad called in, the time I played Lady Gaga on our first show and Aaron Burnie and Ben Shore made fun of me about it in the General Store, the time we asked if anyone wanted a postcard when we went on vacation and Tim fielded a call from someone who he thought said her name was “Cupcake.” We addressed the postcard to Cupcake.

What do you do when you’re not on the air?: (Tim) Yell at the Toronto Blue Jays on TV and carry sound equipment around town. (Megan) I am the Administrative Assistant at KIAC. I also eat buffalo chicken nuggets, watch old episodes of Home Improvement on CMT, and play oboe in the Dawson City Orchestra.


HunterGathererBy Allie Haydock

“the Big Salad…Dressing Debate”

I have never understood why people buy pre-bottled salad dressings. I recognize that it’s easier and more convenient, but they are really gross. Having grown up in the time of “The Clas-sic Salad” - romaine lettuce with tomato wedges, cucumber disks, maybe the odd sliced raw mushroom doused in Italian dressing (it still exists at bad restaurants and in developing countries), as an adult I have made assembling good and tasty salads a high pri-ority in my daily cooking.

Exciting combinations of vegetables, fruits, nuts and cheese can make a salad a complete meal in itself, which can be a nice change for lunch or a light dinner. Living as far north as we do it is amazing how much fresh produce is available, and without get-ting into GM foods and NAFTA, let us appreciate that we can eat fresh greens all year ‘round.

Getting back to the dressings, it is so easy to make your own which only makes your food taste about a million times better and you’re not messing around with hydrogenated oils and pre-servatives and all the other hidden ingredients your body doesn’t want.

Here are two dressing recipes that will keep refrigerated for 3 days and can be easily modified to reflect your personal tastes or what you happen to have on hand.

Balsamic Vinaigrette1/3 cup olive oil¼ cup balsamic vinegar1 tbsp Dijon mustard1 tbsp maple syrup or honey1 garlic clove, minced ½ tsp ground black pepper

- whisk all ingredients together or shake in a jar with a lid- drizzle over or toss throughout a green salad such as sliced

pears, toasted walnuts and shards of fresh parmesan over fresh baby spinach

Caesar Dressing(This recipe has been adapted from Chris Levett’s highly ac-

claimed formula…you’ll have to ask him for it yourself, it just wouldn’t be right for me to give it away.)

1/3 cup olive oil2 tbsp red wine vinegar1 tbsp Dijon mustard1 tsp anchovy paste1 garlic clove, minced2 tbsp mayonnaisedash Worcestershireground black pepper

- combine ingredients and toss over torn romaine lettuce and croutons

- for a low-fat version, cut the olive oil in half and use non-fat yogurt in place of mayonnaise – it will be a little thin but will still taste good

To Make Croutons:- Drizzle olive oil over a couple of slices of bread (stale is better)- Season with salt and pepper, minced garlic or spices of your

choice- Cut into small pieces and bake on a cookie sheet at 450 until

browned – you may want to turn them over once

SEEWOLF Enterprises Ltd.Spill Kits, Fuel Liners, and more.Proudly supplying Yukon customers since 1997

Be Prepared.....Call Martin @ (867) 993 3502 or 6644

Bookendswith dan davidson

The Ups andDowns of a Former BeatleFAB: An Intimate Life of Paul McCartneyBy Howard SounesDoubleday Canada634 pages$34.95

I was alternately impressed and annoyed by this book, which seems fitting, because the author is by turns im-pressed and annoyed by Paul McCartney. Sounes views his subject as driven, controlling, self-indulgent, pot-addled, a talented performer, inspired, a lazy genius, a philanthropist, a tightwad, a spendthrift, a wom-anizer and a dedicated family man.

In this book, as in others, McCartney comes across as the Beatle most determined to keep the group together and to have them actually performing again after years of nothing but studio work in the latter part of their time as a band.

To write “nothing but” sounds disparaging, I know, consider-ing the worth and variety of the albums that followed their de-cision to stop touring, but Mc-Cartney seemed to feel there was an energy that came from actually doing the music live. Working as a unit rather than laying down separate tracks had a magic of its own.

Sounes begins with the fa-miliar story of the lads grow-ing up in Liverpool, how they became infatuated with music, how their school studies lan-guished, and how they began the long road to “overnight suc-cess”. There were the touring gigs in the United Kingdom, the hothouse madness of Hamburg and the series of important per-sonal contacts, particularly with Brian Epstein, that set them on the path to superstardom.

Inevitably there were the wedges that drove them apart.

Ringo was always the least im-portant member in terms of de-cisions. George was always the youngest. Paul and John made more money and were locked in a kind of love-hate relationship over status and leadership.

Sounes spends nearly half the book on the Beatle years, fairly noting that Paul was not the first Beatle to walk away, merely the one who put what everyone else seemed to be do-ing into words.

If you enjoyed any of those Wings albums that sold so well and got so much airplay in the 1970s and 80s, then you have to end up being a bit annoyed by Sounes’ dismissal of almost the entire recording history of the band. There are some songs and some albums that he likes, but he dismisses much of the work as sentimental and mawkish.

He is equally dismissive of a lot of McCartney’s solo work, though I do tend to agree with him that several of the later al-bums, which he likes, have more musical and lyrical weight than some of the earlier stuff. React-ing to some of his assessments made me spend some time lis-tening to the later Beatles’ ma-terial and post-Beatles’ material in sequence, and I can see what Sounes means when he says that McCartney often leaves out the extra 15% of effort that Lennon & McCartney put in. He needs a second opinion and no one dares to give it to him.

Beatle Paul gets away with a lot of stuff that he wouldn’t be able to get away with if he were not PAUL MCCARTNEY. Even those producers and collabo-rators with a lot of experience of their own seem to lose their nerve when it comes time to tell McCartney that something isn’t working.

Sounes makes a great deal of McCartney’s generosity to others, which is something the former Beatle does quietly. There are the family pensions, houses, gifts of vehicles, bailing people out when they need it, looking after friends, and do-nating large sums to projects in his home town. On the other

side of that there is the fact that he underpaid the other mem-bers of Wings during much of the band’s existence, a habit he seems to have corrected in dealing with the musicians who now accompany him on his ma-jor tours.

Like many rock stars, the youthful McCartney indulged himself with a lot of willing fe-male companions, and was fa-mously unfaithful to Jane Asher, the young actress to whom he was engaged during much of the Beatle period. All that changed when he finally hooked up with Linda, and he appears to have been devoted to that marriage even to the extent of making a musically untalented person a regular member of his band. The account of Linda’s last days is very touching.

Sounes also chronicles the disastrous second marriage to Heather Mills in some detail, giving a picture which is fairly sympathetic to McCartney, though with a tone of “how could he have been that stu-pid?” mixed in.

McCartney’s later touring ca-reer has included an increasing percentage of Beatles’ material and Sounes concludes that, with George and John both gone, it is Sir Paul (since 1997) who will carry that weight of nostal-gia for as long as he continues to perform. At the age of 68 it doesn’t seem likely he will be doing that for too much longer.


OPEN STUDIO: An Interview with KIAC Artists in residence marcia Connolly & Angela Joosse

Evan Rensch: First off, I know both of you live in Ontario - have you been to the Yukon before?

Angela Joosse: Yes actually, my parents came up here on a road trip when I young – I was less than a year old. We had an old van that was converted into a camper. We traveled all over the Yukon and Alaska – including a stop in Dawson. I took my first steps in the Yukon!

Marcia connolly: [I lived in Whitehorse and Inuvik as a small child], and I do remember Dawson a bit.

My great-great uncle was a prospector and had a cabin on the Dome Road. When my family came up here in the 1970’s they were able to locate it, but I haven’t been able to find it since coming back as an adult.

ER: How did the two of you start your artistic collaboration?

AJ: We met each other for the first time at a filmmaking retreat in Mount Forest, Ontario. One afternoon we started conversing and realized that we had a number of shared interests in terms of work we wanted to make.

Mc: The first film we made at this retreat was kind of a game, playing around with different techniques. We’ve continued that way of working during this residency – we made a film going up the Dempster which

used a mask to cover part of the lens. We shot half of the frame for the drive north and flipped it to the other side for the return trip south.

ER: What else have you been working on in Dawson?

Mc: The longer-term film project that has emerged from these experiments is called “Inter-irruptions: a Dawson City Film Sampler” [working title]. We love this idea of a “sampler” – it will serve as a diary incorporating all the different experiences we’ve had here. Because Dawson is such an inspiring town, everyday we get a new idea - its hard to focus on just one thing.

AJ: Yes, all the excitement of being welcomed into the community has really energized us.

We’ve almost suffered from having too many ideas, being too exciting about all the potential work we could make. This residency has been amazing for us – we’ve been given the freedom to play around. For most of the year, we both have other work that demands our attention, so we don’t get this opportunity very often.

ER: The Dawson City International Short Film

Festival is this weekend. What are you going to be doing during the festival?

Mc: We’re both going to be on the juries selecting the prizewinners (Don’t tell

anyone!). On Sunday [April 24] we’re also going to be giving a talk at KIAC and show the work that we’ve made here in Dawson, plus some of our previous films.

ER: Are you going to show the premiere of your “film sampler” movie?

AJ: We’re going to include it, but it likely it will still be a work in progress. You’ll see the

results of what we’ve done here, but who knows what state it’ll be in? We’re still working on it every day.

ER: What are some of the differences of working on

projects collaboratively?

Mc: I like to think of it as an “inter-cranial explosion”! That’s why we’re calling our film “Inter-irruptions”. I’ll have an idea, then tell Angela and she gets it immediately. It’s like skipping stones – she’ll take my idea and bring her own thoughts to it. You might say that we start at “7th & Princess” (Macaulay House) and eventually our idea builds up to become the Midnight Dome.

AJ: We end up in a total zone when we’re shooting and start syncing in a way that would never happen

otherwise. We’re conversing the whole time in this language that sort of develops on its own – it’s truly collaborative.

ER: In an age when filmmaking is very “tech-heavy”, you seem to work with old-fashioned equipment and the most basic materials. Why is this appealing?

Mc: I love how 16mm film cameras force you think

differently. Because I work as a video journalist for CBC, I wanted a break from the video camera and I totally relish using film. You can’t shoot endless amounts of garbage – you really need to think about what you’re doing.

AJ: Yes, the contraints of having a hundred feet of film per roll can actually be liberating - you don’t end up with a pile of footage you need to work with at the computer later. You have to tune into what’s going on around you more closely.

ER: What have been your Dawson highlights?

Mc & AJ: We hiked to the fire tower at the top of the Dome, had a moose rib dinner, went to a scotch club and multiple house concerts, danced at the Pit, Lip Sync, saw the northern lights three times, the list goes on…

We’re blown away by the arts community here - everybody’s a talented painter, musician, or filmmaker. Everyone is so involved in the community and constantly volunteers for everything, its crazy. It’s been overwhelming for us to see how generous and hospitable people are here, and how interested they are in what we do.

Joose & Connolly’s residency began March 2nd and continues until April 27th.

Photo credit: Deborah McIntosh, Peabody’s Photo Parlour


Roache’s Corner by Mike Roache

Tundra by Chad Carpenter

Elwood by Bryley

Cartoons

Nemo’s Notions

Our Feathered Neighbours: The White-Winged Crossbill

species have a bright red head and breast, with black wings and tail. Two white wing bars are visible on both males and females of the species. Females and juveniles have a yellowish-olive head and breast. A little further to the south, the Red Crossbill is distinguished by their lack of white wing bars.

Their uniquely adapted beaks allow the crossbills to get at the seeds found in cones. A single

by tara Borin

Though many of us are feel-ing like spring has been put on hold, there are sure signs all around to remind us of the changing season: the lingering daylight, budding willows, and the increased variety in bird species.

In my walks and in the yard I’ve noticed quite a few White-winged Crossbills. Loxia leucop-tera is a member of the finch family. They closely resemble the Pine Grosbeak, a finch we see all winter long. Pine Gros-beaks are larger and have a shorter, stubbier bill. Perhaps most striking about the White-winged Crossbill is its sharp, curving bill, the top crossing over the bottom, giving the spe-cies its moniker. Males of the

crossbill can consume up to 3000 seeds a day! They can be seen foraging in small groups for cones on the ground, but more commonly hang off of cones still in the trees. Perhaps there are so many around this spring due to a bumper crop of spruce cones.

Keep your eyes open along the highways for flocks of Snow Buntings, identifiable by their starkly contrasted white and black wings. As more open water appears over the coming weeks, we can expect to see the water birds moving in. Maybe we’ll even have a re-peat appearance of the Snow Geese that stopped for a visit last spring!

by Rheas flanagan

Last week at SOVA: Missing Smokes, Broken Mirrors, and Grad Photos

Well, our last class has come and gone but we are far from being finished! This in the next coming weeks will be touching up our past projects for display in our year end show, happening on April 28th.

We’ll also be completing our final Over the Wire project in collaboration with the Centre for Land Use Interpretation. For this project, we have been instructed to photograph three different land use sites in the area that are important as to mining, tourism, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, or His-toric Sites in Dawson.

This last week certainly has been eventful. We had a very colourful photo shoot for our grad poster, which ya’ll will be

seeing around town very soon. Conservative candidate Ryan

Leef poked his head into the gallery while we were showing off our prosthetics projects and he seemed… confused, but im-pressed. (It is unclear whether he was impressed by the new building or by our sculptural skills). After our last 3D class we were treated to a round across the street from Veronica. Drink-ing and Drawing is something that will hopefully continue on throughout the summer.

So mark the 28th on your social calendars, there will be openings at the SOVA gallery, the ODD gal-lery and various other locations around town starting at 7pm (and yes there will be wine).

Eye on SOVA

We don’t have permission to use Tundra onlilne.


churches

Business DirectoryAdvertise your business and services with The Klondike Sun! Submit your business card at a normal

size of 2” x 3.5” -- $20.00 per issue and yearly billings can be arranged.

Klondike Outreach Job Board

DAWSon coMMunitycHAPEl

Located on 5th Ave across from Gold Rush Campground.Sunday worship at 11 am.Everyone is welcome.Pastor Ian Nyland 993-5507

AlcoHolicS AnonyMouS

New Beginnings Group meets Thursdays 8 pm, St. Paul’s R. Martin Chapel kitchen, Church St. North Star Group meets Saturdays 7 pm at the Community Support Centre, 1233-2nd Ave, call 993-3734 or 5095 for info.

St. PAul’S AnGlicAn cHuRcH

Sunday Services1st and 3rd Sundays, 10:30 am. Morning Prayer -2nd and 4th Sundays, 10:30 am. Holy Eucharist -5th Sundays - 10:30 am. Special service.

MAny RiVERS counselling and Support Services

Individual, couple, family, or group counselling. A highly confidential service located in the Waterfront Building.We are a non-profit organization with a sliding fee scale. To make an appointment call 993-6455 or email [email protected]. See our website at www.manyrivers.yk.ca/.

St. MARy’S cAtHolic cHuRcH

Corner of 5th and KingServices: Sunday mornings at 10:30 am, Sat. & Tues. 7 pm, Wed. to Fri. 9:30 am.All are welcome. Contact Father Ernest Emeka Emeodi for assistance: 993-5361

foR SAlE By oWnER1 1/2 coMMERciAl lotS On 3rd Ave next to the Westminster Hotel. Call 993-5346

Support Real Estate

Additional tV

channel listings

(from page 17)

7 - Dawson Dome camera

9 - Preview Guide11 - Rolling Ads

12 & 13 - Possible local Programming

this could Be your classified Ad!!Only $6 per 50 Words.

The Klondike Sun’s deadline for ad and story submissions is friday, April 29, 2011 at noon for the Wednesday,

May 4, 2011 edition.

Ad rates available upon request. classified ads are $6 for 50 words

per issue.

Email: [email protected] telephone: (867) 993-6318

fax: (867) 993-6625

open Positions:Automotive MechanicBarista/Front Counter PersonBartendersCarpenterClerkChildcare WorkersCommercial Sewing Machine OperatorCooksCustodian / GuideDeli PersonDishwashersDoor StaffDriver / SwamperEnumeratorsFront Desk ClerkHousekeepers/Room AttendantsHVAC Technician (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) JourneymanLabourerMaintenance PersonNight AuditorOil Burner TechnicianServersSessional InstructorsSummer Camp CoordinatorTour Guide

Positions with closing Dates:Home & Community Care Coordinator: April 20 @ 4Summer Camp Youth Art Assistant: April 21 @ 4:30Recycling Depot Attendants: April 21Tender Horticultural Services: April 28Heritage Interpreter: May 4 @ 4Producer: May 6Maintenance Assistant: May 13 @ 4:30Counterpersons/Cashiers: May 15Ice Cream Cone Maker: May 15Driver Guides: May 15Fleet Detail Crew: May 15Tombstone Guide: May 15Prep Cook / Server: May 30Bakery Assistant Chef: May 30Deli Person/Cashier: May 30

Student/youth PositionsSpecial Events Coordinator: April 20 @ 4:30Summer Youth Programs Coordinator/Instructor: April 21 @ 4:30Production Assistant / Volunteer Coordinator: April 30Special Events Assistant: May 13Tour Guide

Positions out of town:DishwasherEnumeratorsGas AttendantHousekeeperTire Repair PersonVarious Mining PositionsMine Technical AssistantIndustrial Electrician

For more information on these and other positions, come into the Klondike Outreach office next to the Territorial Agent/Liquor Store. (853-Third Street).

Hours/contact info:• Monday-Friday: 9-noon and 1-5 pmClosed weekends and Stat Holidays• Phone: 993-5176 ~ Fax: 993-6947• Website: www.klondikeoutreach.com• E-mail: [email protected]

Klondike Sun Classifieds

St. PAul’S EAStER SERVicES

Monday Thursday - Apr 21, 6:30 PMGood Friday - Apr. 22, 2:00 PMEaster Vigil - Apr. 23, 9:00 PMSunrise Service - Apr. 24, 7:30 AM at Crocus BluffEaster Sunday - regular service at 10:30 AM


P.O. Box 308 (1336 Front Street), Dawson City, Yukon Y0B 1G0Tel: (867) 993-7400 ~ Fax: (867) 993-7434

NEW WEBSITE: www.cityofdawson.ca (updated regularly)

The City of Dawson would like to thank all those who participated in the past years’ Doors Open Dawson event. This unique event enabled residents and tourists alike to view and experience firsthand, Dawson’s flourishing historical buildings, displays, exhibits and guided tours.

The City of Dawson and Parks Canada believe this event will better serve the community as a biennial event rather than an annual event. We look forward to seeing you at the next Doors Open Dawson event in 2012.

TENDER NOTICEThe City of Dawson is now accepting sealed bids for:

Cable Technician ServicesTender packages can be picked up at the

City of Dawson Office located at:

1336 Front StreetBox 308

Dawson City, YTY0B 1G0

Sealed Bids, in accordance with the terms and conditions of

the tender, are to be delivered to the City of Dawson office

no later than 3:00 pm on Friday, April 29, 2011.

The City of Dawson reserves the right to accept or refuse any or all bids.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT THE CITY OFFICE AT 993-7400.

BYLAW NOTICE Pursuant to the requirements of Section 294(1) of the Municipal Act, The Town of the City of Dawson hereby gives notice that City Council is considering an amendment to the Zoning and Heritage Management Bylaw, which if passed, would result in ‘temporary worker housing facility’ as a discretionary use within the Industrial Business Zoning (MI). For the purposes of this amendment, Temporary Worker Housing Facility is defined as, group housing managed by an employer to house its workers for a limited period of time or on an ongoing seasonal basis.

The current uncertainty over housing availability in the City of Dawson means that almost certainly some people will not be able to find a place to live in the midst of the mining season.

All interested persons may inspect the proposed Zoning amendment between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday to Friday at City Hall, 1336 Front Street, Dawson City.

Any person wishing to make a submission respecting the proposed zoning amendment may do so. Written submissions should be submitted in writing to City Hall or P.O. Box 308, Dawson City, Y0B 1G0.

The amendment will be brought forth for second reading at the next City Council Meeting on Wednesday, April 27th, 7:00 PM.

For further information, please contact Micah Olesh, Community Development Officer at 993-7400 or at [email protected]

The City of Dawson Recreation Department is pleased to introduce a Commemorative Bench Program. We are inviting the community to participate in the program by making a donation of $850 to cover the cost of a locally handcrafted bench and a brass plague engraved with your personal inscription. For more information on this program please contact Marta at 993-2350 or by e-mail at [email protected].

Klondike Sun ~ April 20, 2011

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Transcript of Klondike Sun ~ April 20, 2011