Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

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12- 16 - TV Guide pages deleted 17 - 20 Years Ago 18 - Yukoners in USA 19 - History Hunter 20 - Berton House News 21 - Press Releases Bogus Bills 22 - Cartoons / HSD / Library 23 - Classifieds 24 - The Back Page Wednesday, January 26, 2011 online edition VOL. 22 NO. 19 $1.25 IN THIS ISSUE: The Klondike Sun 1 - Fulda Follies 2 -3 - Budget Mishap 4 - Uffish Bleeps 5 - Lone dog & Letter What’s Happening 6 - Hockey Clinic 7 - Thrift Store History 8 - Bookends / OM Update 9 - Bonspiel News 10 - Eye on SOVA / “Spring Break-up” 11 - Hunter Gatherer Klondike Cup Fulda Returns for the Cliff CLimb Story & Photos By Dan Davidson The Fulda SUV convoy had arrived in Dawson City by supper time on Tuesday, January 11 and, after checking into hotels (for the officials, crew and media) and setting up tents (for the contes- tants) they had dinner at the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Community Hall and then headed out to Crocus Bluff to climb the rock face. At -38° C, with only a single large pillar of light to work from and a breeze filling the banners on the power poles, it cannot be said that climbing the snow dusted cliff beside the highway (a popular sum- mer pastime here) looked at all inviting. A crew member swarmed up the cliff first to test the dif- ficulty and then the contestants gave it their all, one by one, in a race against a timing clock. They shed their outer parkas for maneuverability, grabbed a pair of climbing hooks and, at the signal, began to try and discern which of the sharp shadows before and above them were actually places where they could anchor themselves and make the climb. The ascent was difficult, and several climbers were glad of the tether rope ready to break their falls when they missed a step or lost their balance. In the earliest years of this event, now in its 11th year, the town created an ice wall on the bluff and climbers ascended a cliff ablaze with spotlights. After seeral years of this it was discovered that the ice was eroding the buff more than normal and that the spring melt was making a mess of the land below the bluff, so the practice was discontinued. This was the first cliff climb on the rock face itself for Ful- da. On Wednesday morning the athletes attempted a run up the Dome Road and during the af- ternoon there was a vehicle pull out at the airport, sub- stituting for a helicopter drop when the extreme -40 temperatures can- celled the flight plan. The afternoon left them time for shopping and sight-seeing before the evening’s steak bar- becue at the Westminster Hotel. Klondike Nugget and Ivory reports a brisk business. On Thursday they were off to the Dempster to run a half-marathon at Eagle Plains, weather permitting, and then off to Inuvik for other events and a banquet. Fulda SUVs line the road beside Crocus Bluff. This climber is almost to the top.

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Dawson City community news

Transcript of Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

Page 1: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

12- 16 - TV Guide pages deleted17 - 20 Years Ago18 - Yukoners in USA19 - History Hunter20 - Berton House News21 - Press Releases Bogus Bills22 - Cartoons / HSD / Library23 - Classifieds24 - The Back Page

Wednesday, January 26, 2011 online edition VOL. 22 NO. 19 $1.25

IN THIS ISSUE:

The Klondike Sun

1 - Fulda Follies2 -3 - Budget Mishap 4 - Uffish Bleeps5 - Lone dog & Letter What’s Happening6 - Hockey Clinic7 - Thrift Store History8 - Bookends / OM Update9 - Bonspiel News10 - Eye on SOVA / “Spring Break-up”11 - Hunter Gatherer Klondike Cup

Fulda Returns for the Cliff CLimbStory & PhotosBy Dan Davidson

The Fulda SUV convoy had arrived in Dawson

City by supper time on Tuesday, January 11 and, after checking into hotels (for the officials, crew and media) and setting up tents (for the contes-tants) they had dinner at the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Community Hall and then headed out to Crocus Bluff to climb the rock face.

At -38° C, with only a single large pillar of light to work from and a breeze filling

the banners on the power poles, it cannot be said that climbing the snow dusted cliff beside the highway (a popular sum-mer pastime here) looked at all inviting.

A crew member swarmed up the cliff first to test the dif-ficulty and then the contestants gave it their all, one by one, in a race against a timing clock. They shed their outer parkas for maneuverability, grabbed a pair of climbing hooks and, at the signal, began to try and discern which of the sharp shadows before and above them were actually places where they could anchor themselves and make the climb.

The ascent was difficult, and several climbers were glad of the tether rope ready to break their falls when they missed a step or lost their balance.

In the earliest years of this event, now in its 11th year, the town created an ice wall on the bluff and climbers ascended a cliff ablaze with spotlights. After seeral years of this it was discovered that the ice was eroding the buff more than normal and that the spring melt was making a mess of the land below the bluff, so the practice was discontinued.

This was the first cliff climb on the rock face itself for Ful-da.

On Wednesday morning the athletes attempted a run up the Dome Road and during the af-ternoon there was a vehicle pull

out at the airport, sub-stituting for a helicopter drop when the extreme -40 temperatures can-celled the flight plan.

The afternoon left them time for shopping and sight-seeing before the evening’s steak bar-becue at the Westminster Hotel. Klondike Nugget and Ivory reports a brisk business.

On Thursday they were off to the Dempster to run a half-marathon at Eagle Plains, weather permitting, and then off to Inuvik for other events and a banquet.

Fulda SUVs line the road beside Crocus Bluff.

This climber is almost to the top.

Page 2: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN Wednesday, January 26, 2011page 2

By Dan Davidson

(January 17, 2011) It appears that Dawson’s town council will see a substantial attendance and quite a few letters of protest at its next regular meeting on January 26. Former mayor John Steins is urging concerned citizens to voice their opinions about a startling change in the town’s policy regarding utility payments.

In a posting on his Dawson City Citizens Forum, Steins has written the following:

“The City of Dawson is planning to take away the water and sewer discount for senior property owners leaving them with a whopping $1700 to pay every year. They are also planning to take away the long-standing discount for resident homeowners.

“They will also be rolling back the Dawson property tax Grant for home owners. Council will debate the amendment this January 26 during a regular Wednesday council meeting.

“City staff is so confident that they will succeed in amending the Water and Sewer bylaw to take away those benefits from citizens that a provisional budget has already been passed based on those changes.

“Please, please, send in your concerns. More importantly, if you can be present with the possibility of speaking in delegation that would be even better. Council needs to see that this won’t fly.”

So far this post has received 196 hits since it went up on January 16.

In addition, Steins has gone into more detail in an email posting sent to 84 contacts.

There have been some recent adjustments to the Water and Sewer Bylaw. In September council moved to adjust the billing dates so that they would be more truly quarterly in their timing.

In early December council debated, but did not pass, a resolution taking itself out of the water delivery business for those who are not on the town’s grid. That includes people outside the core area, in the north end of town and in the Dome subdivision. The town’s contract with the current supplier runs out at the end of March 2011 and, as the water delivery subsidy was due to be phased out this year, it was felt by the town’s administration and Mayor Peter Jenkins, that there was no financial advantage to citizens in having the town continue to contract for the service.

What was not discussed at that meeting was any firm plan to eliminate other S&W rebates. For permanent residents the current subsidy reduces the quarterly $425.00 bill to $281.00. For senior citizens it drops it down to $200.00. The rebates used to be higher and have been whittled down over the years, but there had not been any public indication that they would be gone this year.

Steins says the change is indicated in the town’s provisional budget.

“This budget was planned with the assumption that as of 2011 the city will no longer pay for the residential discount for year round homeowners and will stop giving the senior’s discount!!!”

The sticking point for Steins, and a number of other concerned citizens, is that the existing S&W bylaw still has the old rates in it. The new one has not been passed, and quite likely will not be before the due date of the first quarterly billing, which is February 15, 2011.

The most recent full council meeting on January 12 was cancelled due to lack of quorum. There is a catch-up meeting planned for noon on Jan. 19 to deal with routine financial matters

and bill payments. There are two more regular meetings before the first quarterly billing deadline and, with the amount of fuss that has been raised since the end of last week, it seems unlikely that council will be able to pass its new bylaw in less than three meetings, or that ratepayers will accept the holding of a special council meeting during some noon hour to deal with this issue alone.

Steins says he believes that council was prompted to take this move by the territorial government, that “YTG is taking the position that if the town can afford to give its citizens subsidies then it should able to pay for remedial work on the water and sewer infrastructure.”

It is known that Dawson’s S&W infrastructure is going to

need work.Steins writes, “… several years

ago we undertook a study to assess our water and sewer infrastructure needs over the next ten years. When the report came in there were items that needed immediate attention or replacement along with a maintenance/upgrade schedule based on a five and ten year life expectancy for some of the components.”

The generally poor condition of the Dawson’s system has a history that goes back to Mayor Jenkins’ first long term of office into the early 1990s, and is well known to people who have followed town politics here.

Steins pulls no punches, and echoes words that were spoken by Jenkins years ago when he

writes, “As an aside; if this is true then YTG ignores the fact that our crumbling system was a ‘bill of goods’ sold to us by YTG in the first place, way back in the day. Now we’re stuck holding the bag.”

Finally, he adds a point that has been made by every town administration and elected politician in the last 26 years, “The bottom line is that $1700 per year for a homeowner’s water and sewer service is too much, not to mention the burden on a senior citizen.”

With that vocal protest making the rounds, and with a mounting number of people checking out the post on the Forum, it’s likely the gallery will be full at the next regularly scheduled council meeting.

Provisional Budget Error Creates UproarPart I: Dawson Council Faces Utility Billing Protest

Changes At Mental Health ServicesCurrent clients will notice

changes in direct services at Men-tal Health Services in the coming months.

Rural Mental Health Services

The Mental Health Services offices in Haines Junction and Dawson City will close as of March 31, 2011. By April 1, an itinerant (traveling) nurse based in the Whitehorse Mental Health Services office (867-667-8346) will provide mental health nurs-ing services in the communities. Between now and April 1st, rural Mental Health Services nurses (Brenda Baxter and Ines Hart-mann) will work with clients and support staff in communities to prepare for the changes. Where applicable, clients in rural Yukon will be introduced to the itiner-ant nurse between Jan. – March 2011.

From April 1, 2011 – March 31, 2012 an itinerant nurse will travel approximately every two months to communities where there are clients with a serious mental ill-ness. Between visits, community health nurses and social workers in the communities will assist clients. Mental Health Services staff based in Whitehorse will also be available by telephone or telehealth. Beginning April 2012, a nurse will travel to rural Yukon communities where there are clients with a serious mental illness approximately 4 times per year. Rural mental health sup-port workers will continue to be available to serve Mental Health Services clients with a serious mental illness.

Starting April 1, 2011, itiner-ant counseling services to Faro, Ross River and Old Crow will be provided by a Mental Health Ser-vices clinician approximately five times per year, and be available by telehealth in between visits,

Many Rivers Counselling and Support Services will continue to provide resident and itinerant services to the other rural Yukon communities.

Referring to Mental Health Services from rural Yukon

Starting Jan. 1, 2011, all re-ferrals sent to the Dawson or Haines Junction offices will be forwarded to Whitehorse for initial processing. A referral can be made directly to the Mental Health Services office in White-horse by calling 867-667-8346. The Intake Assistant will gather relevant information from the referring source and arrange a telephone intake screen with the Intake Coordinator located in Whitehorse. Where it is difficult to arrange the telephone intake screen, Mental Health Services may request assistance from the referral source in arranging the telephone intake. As trips are scheduled, referred individuals will be given a date for a face to face appointment when the nurse or clinician is in the community.

Ed Note:This rather significant change

in medical services to Dawson was brought to our attention not by fax, by email, or even by mail, but by a notice slipped into the mail slot at the Sun office.

This seems distressingly casual for an announcement that might affect quite a few people.

By the way, mental health ser-vices are among the services that are supposed to be a standard of-fering in our shiny new “hospital” when it is completed in late 2012. Should we assume that more staff will have been hired by that time?

Page 3: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUNWednesday, January 26, 2011 page 3

Provisional Budget Error Creates UproarStory & PhotosBy Dan Davidson

(January 19, 2011) Three mem-bers of Dawson’s council faced a standing room only crowd of between 30 and 40 at the special meeting called for January 19 to deal with a cluster of financial matters.

Councillors Stephen Johnson and Rick Riemer were seated with Deputy Mayor Bill Kendrick, who was chairing the last meeting of his quarterly term. Coun. Wayne Potoroka was on vacation and not available. Several attempts were made to reach Mayor Peter Jenkins, also on vacation, by telephone, but these were unsuc-cessful.

As it was a special council meeting there was no place on the agenda for delegations or ques-tions, but Kendrick immediately quelled any thoughts of a protest by agreeing to sit and answer citi-zens’ concerns once the formal part of the meeting was over. The four agenda items, two of which were simple house keeping, took about 14 minutes.

The two items people wanted to hear about were the provisional budget and the Water and Sewer Bylaw amendment that could take the town out of the water delivery business.

The provisional budget, which is a council resolution rather than a bylaw and a requirement of the Municipal Act, was the first contentious item. In some fashion, which has not been fully explained, the provisional bud-get was drafted without listing amounts for the residential and seniors W/S rebates.

That left the town’s financial planning process in conflict with its existing W/S bylaw, which stipulates that those rebates or subsidies exist. When the first quarterly bills for utilities were issued this month, the subsidies had been deleted from the no-tices and citizens who went to pay their bills were instructed that they would have to pay the entire $425.00 levy.

There was a draft proposal in the works to change the W/S by-law, but it had not been given even first reading at that point and had no legal standing.

Former town councillor Shir-ley Pennell complained that she learned of this when she went in to pay her bill early before head-ing off on a vacation which would have had her absent past the due date.

She said the way the draft bylaw read when she looked at it made it look as if seniors would be facing a fee increase of more

that 142% if they lost the subsidy. Full time residents who were not seniors would have seen around a 60% increase. For people who were living in rental accommoda-tion this would mean that land-lords would be passing on a hefty increase.

‘The city, in the way they handled this, created a lot of concern, as you can see from the people here.”

An amendment to the provi-sional budget resolution passed at the Jan. 19 meeting restored the subsidy. The amendment stated that “council approves the pro-posed amendments … recogniz-ing that the approval will result in decreasing transfers to reserves by $270,500.00, and the addition of $245,500.00 for water and sewer subsidy programs and $25,000.00 relating to pole rental charges for the cable system.”

Coun. Johnson said that this move fixed a mistake that hap-pened with respect to the bylaw and the provisional budget being out of sync.

Coun. Riemer added that this error was totally the council’s responsibility and was not in any way the fault of the city staff or administration. He said the pro-visional budget had removed the subsidy lines but that the intention of council, in his thinking, was to reduce the charges in the W/S bylaw.

“Subsidy”, he noted, seemed to be a red flag word when it was seen by officials in the territorial government. He was looking for a way to reduce the actual charges on the utilities to what they are now when the subsidy is applied, thus doing away with the subsidy concept on paper.

Johnson indicated that the town’s new accounting software

package, currently being imple-mented by staff, was enabling the town to get a more accurate picture of what S/W delivery actu-ally cost.

As for the discrepancy in the first quarterly billing, he called it the result of a “brainfreeze” on his part and apologized several times for the error and inconvenience.

“The original provisional bud-get had the subsidy in it. It was changed at the last minute. I didn’t think about. It. I should have. I apologize to all and sundry about that.

“The reason why we’re having this special meeting is to rectify that mistake that the council made. As Councillor Riemer said, it had nothing to do with administration at all.”

Both Riemer and Kendrick stat-ed clearly that at no time had they personally considered increasing utilities charges to seniors, which appeared to be one of the propos-als in the draft S/W amendment on the agenda at the Jan. 12 council meeting, which was not held due to a lack of quorum.

“It was news to me,” said Kendrick.

Former councillor and retired dentist Helmut Schoener remarked that the level of attendance at a noon hour meeting when it was -42° C should be an indication to the council as to how seriously people viewed this issue. Both he and René Jansen wanted to know how such an idea ever got onto the council agenda in the first place, and were not entirely satisfied with Riemer’s explanation.

Earlier in the week the town staff had ceased asking for the complete billing amount and were accepting cheques or cash for the subsidized amount, $281.25 for the bill of $425.00.

Council Restores Subsidies to Budget Planning

Councillors Stephen Johnson, Bill Kendrick and Rick Riemer faced an agitated group of Dawson’s citizens at the special meeting on January 19.

Whoops!A Fulda climber has a short fall at Crocus Bluff.

Photo byDan Davidson

Page 4: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN Wednesday, January 26, 2011page 4

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Published by the literary society of the KlondiKe:President: Tara BorinVice-President: Dan DavidsonBoard of Directors: Florian Boulais, Miles Kenyon, Megan Graham.Director Emeritus - Palma Berger

This is YOUR space. Write!The Klondike Sun is produced bi-weekly. It is published by The Literary Society of the Klond-ike, a non-profit organization. Letters to the editor, submissions and reports may be edited for brevity, clarity, good taste (as defined by com-munity standards), racism, sexism, and legal considerations. We welcome submissions from our readership; however, it should be under-stood that the opinions expressed herein may not always reflect those of the publishers and pro-ducers 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.

Welcome to 2011 from the staff and volunteers at the Klondike Sun! Thanks to all our loyal readers for your continued support of our community newspaper.Did you make a New Year’s resolution to get involved? Have you got a great idea for a regular column? Interesting photos or stories from local events? Send it in to us and see your

name in print! Check out our NEW 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. 1989 is there now. Have a look at http://cityofdawson.com/category/klondike_sun

OpiniOns in the Sun

Literary Society of the Klondike

by Dan Davidson

They’re after Huckleberry Finn again. Mark Twain’s novel has been the subject of controversy ever since it was first released in 1885, though the reasons for the complaints have varied with time.

It was one of the first American novels to be written in the vernacular. Twain’s working papers show that he rewrote the opening sentence a number of times, trying to find Huck’s first person voice.

The proper “You will not know about me” of his first draft eventually became “You don’t know about me, without you have read a book by the name of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’; but that ain’t no matter.”

The language reflected the background and education of the book’s narrator and when it came to referring to black people, Huck called them niggers, accepted usage in that

day, even though it was never a compliment.

Huck’s companion throughout the book is a man named Jim, who happens to be a black slave trying to find his freedom along with the boy. Jim is often called a nigger, both by Huck and by other people, and is once referred to in the book as Nigger Jim.

What is also made abundantly clear in the book is that he is probably the best person in the story in a whole lot of ways, and that a good deal of Huck’s internal character struggle is the tussle between his social conditioning and the reality that he sees in Jim.

The book originally received criticism because the language in it was rough and uncouth, but after multiple seasons of “The Sopanos” and “Jersey Shore” we hardly need to worry about that any more.

What has remained a problem is the word “nigger”, which, it

seems, can only be used by black people among themselves. Such usage is not only permitted, but also considered friendly; however, anyone else who uses the word is guilty of racism and slander.

So now there’s a new edition of the book in which the N-word has been searched and replaced with the word “slave”.

Now I’m not advocating the use of the word and don’t defend its use by anyone these days, but I see no need – and a lot of harm – in rewriting literary history to conform to the constantly changing standards of our society. Classic novels deal with the world as it was, and can prompt us to debate those realities and reflect on our own. Leave them alone.

Apparently the same nonsense occurs regularly with To Kill a Mockingbird, the Harper Lee classic in which the unjust trial of a poor black man is a major plot element and the narrator’s

father, Artemis Finch, incurs the wrath of much of the town by acting as the accused man’s lawyer.

In a related, but rather less serious matter, the Dire Straits’ 1985 hit “Money for Nothing” now cannot be played on Canadian radio stations without bleeping the word “faggot” which occurs three times in the second verse. Never mind that the song is a spoof on the attitudes of the thick skulled moving men who are looking at, and envying, the performers on an MTV broadcast (back in the days of music videos on TV, if you can dimly recall those) while loading and lugging appliances from place to place.

Apparently the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council ruling is as the result of one (1) complaint leveled against a broadcast on NTV.

Agreed that the word is offensive, though personally I was always more annoyed by the

line “Look at that mama, she got it stickin’ in the camera” or even the one where the drummer is referred to as “Bangin’ on the bongos like a chimpanzee”, but the song is written as a comment on that particular point of view. Every word in the lyric is uttered by a bigot who needs to build himself up by tearing others down. It’s clear that it is this person who is in the wrong, not the targets of his invective.

People who can’t read books with understanding, or who cannot hear the context behind a set of lyrics, should not be in charge of deciding what we can or cannot read or hear. That’s far more dangerous than any damage that might be done by a classic novel or a catchy rock and roll tune.

Note: Apologies to anyone offended by any of the words in this piece. It’s not my regular vocabulary, but one can’t discuss the issue in this case without using the language.

Uffish Thoughts: Censorship is a (Bleeping) Mistake

Page 5: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUNWednesday, January 26, 2011 page 5

LETTER to the SunDear Editor,

Last week it appeared as if the city wanted to take away our senior’s discount for the water and sewer bill as well as the residency subsidy. Dawson residents jumped into action by calling the city office, writing emails and letters to councillors asking for an explanation.

On the phone I was told that because a new provisional budget allowed for the removal of subsidies the billing department was waiting for council to formalize the new rate structure by amending the bylaw. In the meantime I and everyone else was required to pay the full water and sewer rate (in my case $3,400!!) and if the bylaw amendment didn’t go through I would be credited back the discount I should have received in the first place!

This “shoot from the hip”, improvised policy was reversed over the weekend when it was recognized that a provisional budget does not trump an existing utility rates bylaw. The change of heart was brought about largely due to some prodding from Community Services who likely pointed out that this was a contradiction of the Yukon Municipal Act.

Ultimately, three councillors held a well attended mid-day meeting to backtrack and restore the “subsidy” in the provisional budget with a warning that the bylaw governing utility rates is still subject to review with the possibility that these discounts might be removed in the future.

This begs the question; what is a subsidy?

A former Senior Financial Officer for the city suggests that the actual yearly cost of delivering water and sewer to a residence is around $1100. After the so called “subsidy” each resident homeowner pays $1125, so exactly what subsidy are we talking about? Rather, the city is making a profit on the backs of rate payers.

The facts seem to reveal that year round homeowners pay cost recovery for the service and those that don’t qualify or are delinquent get surcharged $575 per year for a total of $1700.

As it stands now, if you have a self contained apartment in your house that the city knows about, you will be billed an additional $1700 per year. In my situation I’m caring for my elderly father who occupies our two bedroom in-law suite for which I am charged an extra $1700 for water and sewer in addition to the regular rates. If all “subsidies” were removed, I would have to pay $3400 a year for water and sewer. Does that seem a little excessive to you?

I will say that the term unfair is an understatement, especially when a bed and breakfast in someone’s home often reverts to being an apartment for nine months of the year and is charged only $200 per bedroom in addition to the standard household rates.

In case you are wondering, there are no provisions for an in-law suite regardless of whether rent is collected or not.Many other inequities exist within the Water and Sewer rate structure.

You might ask, “John, when you were mayor, why didn’t you change it when you had the chance?” My answer is that there were too many other pressing issues that council had to deal with at the time, although we did take a stab at it in committee. Also, I was hesitant about pushing it, thereby being seen as taking advantage of my postion to enhance my own bottom line, contrary to what is expected by the general public fueled by a cynical view of politicians.

At the end of the day, the entire water and sewer bylaw governing definitions and user rates requires serious review within the context of a realistic operating budget and not one that is designed to be a slipper that fits whatever foot suits the council or the budget committee.

Sincerely,

John Steins

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 pro-gramming information. Film Fest Selection Mondays & Wednesdays, Nov. 8th - Feb. 28th 2011, in the KIAC classroom: Help choose films to be screened at the 2011 Short Film Fest. Just show up, or contact Dan at 993-5005/[email protected] Senior’s Painting Saturdays 1-4 in the KIAC classroom. $5 fee for supplies, all skill levels welcome.

Dawson Curling Club - The ice is in! Team nights every Tues. Drop-in curling Mon/Wed/Thurs. Any skill level welcome! For info call 993-6262 or visit www.dawsoncurling.blogspot.com

Dawson City Rec Department - Drop-in Badminton Mondays in the RSS Gymnasium 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.

Hatha Yoga - Monday & Thursday 5:45 - 7 p.m., Saturday 9 - 10:30 a.m. in the Downtown Hotel conference room. All classes cancelled for stat holidays. $10 drop-in fee, or purchase a prepaid card for $50/10 classes. Email [email protected] for schedule changes.

Westminster Hotel - Barnacle and Willie G in the Tavern, Thurs. - Sat. nights, 4-8. In the lounge this month: Thursday night Jazz with Bob, Richard and Joe, starts at 8:30 pm; Live Local Talent Fri. & Sat. from 10 p.m. Lounge now open from 5 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. Double Bob Bash Jan 29. Potluck, poetry and Celtic music at the Legion Hall

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

WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN DAWSON NOW

A tethered sled dog waits stoicly for its owner by the dyke. (Photograph by Evan Rensch, February 2010)

Page 6: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN Wednesday, January 26, 2011page 6

in OUR community

Story by Jim RegimbalPhoto by Jackie Olson

Dawson City had the unique op-portunity of hosting a Yukon Wide three day hockey development camp put on by Shoot-to-Score Hockey from Friday, January 14 through Sunday January 16.

Shoot to Score Hockey is op-erated by the only First Nation father and son to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup. The talents of two former NHLers and members of the Berens River First Nation and Jaret Sobkowicx with the St. James Hockey Academy in Winnipeg combined with the tire-less labours of Louise Blanchard, Maureen Verdonk and coaches Jeff Webber, Steve Laszlo, Dave Ezzard, Jim Regimbal and the countless other volunteers ensured that the camp was a winner.

The camp consisted of on-ice and off-ice instruction/condition-ing as well as a motivational talk from Reggie Leach on “Choices in Life” and drug and alcohol abuse and a banquet dinner at the TH Community Hall.

Both Jamie and Reggie stated that: “This is the first camp that we can remember that we have come to where not one participant asked – how many more drills do we have to do or when are we done – everyone embraced all aspects of the camp and were extremely respectful of the coaches and play-ers. In closing they stated that it was a joy and pleasure being here and hope that they can come back next year.

Unfortunately, due to severe

weather conditions, approximately 35 out of town kids were unable to make the trip to Dawson for the camp.

The committee who brought the camp to Yukon would like to thank Yukon Communities Grant Fund, Yukon Lotteries, Youth Investment Fund, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Arctic Inland, The City of Dawson and anyone that we might have missed, in making this camp a huge suc-cess.

“Shoot to Score” Hockey Camp was a Great Success

Every communi ty heal th centre in Yukon is now wired for computed radiology.

Health and Social Services Minister Glenn Hart announced today that installation of the computed radiology units and clinical workstations in 12 rural health centres, and the Watson Lake Hospital has been completed and staff in each facility has been trained.

“This is a huge help for our

Community health centres enter digital eraprimary health care nurses in the communities and will tremendously benefit patients in rural Yukon,” Hart said.

With this new technology, chest and limb x-rays taken by nurses in the community health facilities are processed digitally and sent over the computer network in a privacy-protected manner, to an x-ray image database maintained at Whitehorse General Hospital. The images will be available for viewing by the

emergency room doctor, then by the radiologist in Edmonton for official interpretation. “Waiting for diagnosis can be a stressful time for patients and their families,” Hart said. “Providing more timely access to diagnosis will help reduce this wait-time, and ensure that treatment occurs in a timely manner.”

Canada Health Infoway has committed funding towards this joint project between Health and Social Services and Whitehorse General Hospital. “Advancements in digital diagnostic imaging are closing the geographical barriers in health care, enabling authorized health care professions to provide essential services regardless of where the test was conducted or where the health care provider is located,” president and CEO, Canada Health Infoway president Richard Alvarez said. “The result is faster diagnosis, allowing treatment to start sooner.”

Canada Health Infoway is an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government. It jointly invests with every province and territory to accelerate the development and adoption of electronic health record projects in Canada. Fully respecting patient confidentiality, these secure systems will provide clinicians and patients with the information they need to better support safe care decisions and manage their own health. Accessing this vital information quickly will help foster a more modern and sustainable health care system for all Canadians.

Page 7: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUNWednesday, January 26, 2011 page 7

in OUR community

By Evan Rensch

If you don’t know her name, you will certainly miss her face during your next trip to the Thrift Store at St. Paul’s Anglican Church. Long-time Dawson resident Aldene Snider retired this month from her volunteer duties at St. Paul’s Thrift Store, a long-running staple for Dawsonites in need of everything from extra clothes to blenders to paperback novels. A banquet in honour of Aldene’s contributions was held on January 8th, 2011 at the church’s Richard Martin Memorial Chapel.

On many occasions rummaging through the store’s bins, curios-ity has piqued my interest: who is this mild-mannered, petit lady constantly sorting and organizing the piles of household goods lining the walls?

thrift store history

Though I arrived at Aldene’s house on Craig St. to learn more about her own life and times, she insisted on beginning our inter-view with discussion of the Thrifts Store’s founder – Lil Munroe – before divulging any information about herself.

In the mid-50s, Lil – a long-time member of the Anglican Church - created the store as a fundraiser for St. Paul’s. Its first incarnation took place in the Old Presbyterian Manse (the minister’s quarters). Tea was served in the living room and “merchandise” was spread out in the dining room.

“That’s what women did”, re-marks Aldene,. “The church need-ed money and they found some way of raising it!

Lil was still caretaker of the store by the time Aldene came to Daw-son in 1967. Aldene’s husband Ken was a minister at St. Paul’s

and naturally she became quickly involved with the activities of the church. The Thrift Store was a logical fit and she worked along with Lil keeping the shop open and organized.

“I never felt that I had to do it because I was the minister’s wife. I really wanted to do it,” she explains.

It’s worth noting that at this time, the Thrift Store was not in its current location. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the shop was housed in the former Good Samari-tan Hospital, located directly next door to St. Paul’s, the building’s owner.

The two-storey hospital – origi-nally constructed in 1898 during the height of the Gold Rush – was also used for services every winter when the larger hall became too difficult to heat.

The Thrift Store moved to its current location in 1978 when two

buildings were brought to Dawson from Clinton Creek after the asbes-tos mining camp there closed. The two structures – one for the thrift store and one for winter services – were joined to St. Paul’s and still can be seen in the same configura-tion today. But back then, there was no oil furnace to rely upon.

“Originally they just had a wood stove in the corner where our desk is [in the middle room]. They had to get somebody to light the fire before the store could open” explains Aldene.

Yet Aldene never witnessed these drastic architectural renova-tions. She and her husband left Dawson shortly before the switch between buildings as Ken took on several ministerial positions in Whitehorse, Inuvik, and Mayo.

When the couple retired in 1998, they moved back to Dawson and, as always, Aldene returned to her old vocation at the Thrift Store for an-other stint, this time working with

Joyce Caley and, most recently, Karen Farr.

Southern Beginnings

If one peers even further back-wards into this lady’s unique life, they’ll find that a fine blend of chance and fate brought this ex-traordinary volunteer, originally from Sarnia, Ontario, to the north fifty-five years ago. It was in Sarnia that Aldene trained as a nurse before attending the Angli-can Women’s Training College in Toronto.

After graduating from the col-lege, the Anglican Church – who administered many of the hospitals in the north - gave her only two placement options: either she could work on staff at the hospital in Ak-lavik, NWT, or be stationed as the lone nurse in Hay River, NWT.

“I chose Hay River, I don’t re-ally know why”, she admits.

According to Aldene, working in the Northwest Territories in 1955 was far from a typical nursing experience.

“I operated my station without a telephone. In order to seek advice from a doctor, I had to ask a man to take a telegram across river to the army dispatch. They sent a mes-sage to the dispatch in Fort Smith [250 km away], who then would contact the doctor on staff there and send me an answer. So email is something I know nothing about!” she adds with a chuckle.

It was in Hay River that Aldene met Ken, her husband-to-be, and nine years later the couple settled in Dawson, the community that has become their intermittent home of the past forty-three years.

end of an era

Despite enjoying her service to St. Paul’s right to the end, this octogenarian has to admit that the time has come.

“Though I’m still interested mentally, my eighty-year-old back gets tired,” she admits.

Even if she is not present during the store’s business hours, Aldene will still maintain a limited role in its operations – she will continue to drop by twice a week to collect each day’s revenue and manage the books.

When queried about her “Thrift Store fame” within town, her response demonstrates a level of modesty typical of her nature.

“I know lots of faces yet not a lot of names. But I don’t need to know their names, I know we’re appreciated.”

The People are Priceless at St. Paul’s Thrift Store

Aldene Snider cuts the cake at her potluck retirement party at St. Paul’s on Januarty 8th. Photo by Dan Davidson

A photograph of the Thrift Shore’s previous home - the former Good Samaritan Hospital. The building no longer exists. (Photograph courtesty Aldene Snider).

Page 8: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN Wednesday, January 26, 2011page 8

Bookendsby Dan Davidson

By Dan Davidson

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & ClayBy Michael ChabonPicador 639 pages$22.00

The thing to know about Michael Chabon right off the top is that he is a Pulitzer Prize and Hugo Award winning novelist, and that he prob-ably values both awards equally, even if the Pulitzer is worth a lot more to the rest of the world.

Chabon, you see, enjoys stories that have plots and adventure woven into the warp and weft of their pages. He doesn’t like the modern trend towards stories that are “plotless and sparkling with epiphanic dew,” as he writes in the introduction to McSweeney’s Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales, which he edited. He’s happy to see “genre bending and stylistic play,” as he noted in his introduc-tion to McSweeney’s Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories, the companion anthology.

Oh, and he really likes comic books. So much so that this book, about the lives of two men who create comic book characters, has also spun off several volumes of collected stories featuring the Es-capist and Lunar Moth, just two of the many characters they create.

Sam Clay and Joe Kavalier come from very different backgrounds. Sam grew up in New York and was pretty much the quintessential

Jewish boy with ambition. Sam was a wordsmith, a spinner of tales who wanted, perhaps, to become a serious novelist, but nevertheless enjoyed writing the little eight page fantasies that the stories in comic books (or funny books) were in their early days.

The notion of story arcs extend-ing over many issues and leading

to republication as trade paperback graphic novels was a long way in the future in the late 1930s. Comic books may have been “all in colour

for a dime” (as the slo-gan read until the mid 1960s when the prices jumped to 12¢, 15¢ and continued up to the $3.99 that they are today) but the colour was pretty bad and the stories were very simple.

Joe, on the other hand, came from the anti-Se-mitic world of Hitler’s Czechoslovakia, and it was there, under the tu-telage of an aging stage magician and escape artist, that he learned the arts he would combine with his ability to draw to create the background for his and Sam’s signa-ture creation, the Escap-ist. His own escape from the ghetto and the fate that awaited all of his

immediate relatives in Europe is an exciting story all by itself.

Like Siegel and Shuster (Su-perman and others), like Simon and Kirby (Captain America and others), the cousins peddled their wares to a businessman who had no idea what they were handing him, and ended up getting paid peanuts for pieces of intellectual property

An Affectionate Look at the Birth of Comic Books

that made Empire Comics millions of dollars. Yet, even though they were fleeced of the really big pay-off they deserved, the pair ended up with more money than their parents had every dreamed of seeing, and had a kind of success.

Sometimes their stories run together; sometimes they don’t. Joe, obsessed by the loss of his Czech family to the Nazis, leaves the love of his life and enlists in the US army part way through the war, and is posted, of all places, to Antarctica, there to monitor Ger-man activities at the South Pole and go quietly batty when all but one of his comrades succumbs to carbon monoxide poisoning caused by a faulty stove in an airtight barracks.

Sam, a naïve homosexual in an era when such an orientation was still enough to make a person a social outcast, marries Joe’s Rosa in order to give her unborn child a respectable family, and perhaps to hide from his own understanding about himself and the fear of be-ing caught.

In an age when even a tinge of socialism or a hint of not being “normal” could have dire conse-quences, when Fredric Wertham’s pop-pych study, Seduction of the Innocent, could lead to the publish-ing industry’s version of the Mc-Carthy hearings, Sam spent most

of a decade being terrified. Joe coped with his own demons

in a quite different manner, and began the invention of the graphic novel while living in secrecy and seclusion in New York after he was finally rescued from Antarctica.

This is a book that works on many levels. It tells the lives of its three central characters and does this well. It is by turns adventur-ous, amusing, down to earth and fantastic. It is a novel about the early history of comic books, and a good number of the pioneers of the form appear in cameo roles. The chapters in which Chabon deals with the creation stories of the Escapist and Luna Moth are great little thumbnail scripts and it’s no wonder that various writers and artists have chosen to work with them as if the books were real, in the style of the era in which they would have been published.

Since this book, which is still readily available in stores and on-line, was published in 2000, Cha-bon has gone on to write a memoir, a Sherlock Holmes pastiche, and the Hugo Award winning The Yid-dish Policemen’s Union (in which Alaska becomes the Jewish home-land in an alternate universe).

One thing is certain about all of his work: he tells stories and strives to entertain along with whatever other motives he may have.

Office Manager Updateby Evan Rensch

Though the New Year is now almost a month old, the Klond-ike Sun is still anticipating many events of significance in 2011. First and foremost, we will cel-ebrate our twenty-second anni-versary in May – such a milestone is an impressive achievement for a non-profit newspaper that relies solely on the contributions of volunteers.

In 2010, we were fortunate to add two new board members – Megan Graham and Miles Ke-nyon - to our roster and also wel-

comed Chris Levett to the team to assist with our ongoing digital archives project. Each of these new individuals possess the skills to make invaluable contributions to the paper over the coming year - as Office Manager, I’m excited to work with them.

Yet while we continue, as always, to improve our print edi-tion, many of our goals over the next year will involve extend-ing our presence into the digital sphere.

As I’m sure many of our read-ers are already aware, a Google search for “Klondike Sun” returns

three different websites, each displaying information in varying degrees of relevance. In fact, our first page – dating back to 1996 - is part of the old “YukonWeb” network, a pioneer of internet de-velopment here in the territory.

We look to unify – or at least consolidate – this presence on the web in 2011, while remaining fully committed to the history and tradition of the printed page. We hope that the web will help us promote our publication and enhance our print edition, instead of replacing it.

And as I’ve already mentioned,

we will attempt to continue (and hopefully finish) our archival project over the coming year. Our initial efforts in 2010 were thor-oughly successful and exceeded

our proposal’s original goals and deadlines – the first nine years of the Sun’s existence can now be read in an electronic PDF file format. (The cover page from one of these issues is displayed on page seventeen.)

Yet we could not have realized this success without the help of others; as the saying goes, “it takes a village”. We have ben-efited greatly from the funding provided by YTG and the City of Dawson as well as the generosity of our webmaster John Steins. Just in case you’re unaware, archived issues of the Sun are housed at John’s blog www.cit-yofdawson.com with more papers

gradually being added.These ongoing endeavours

contain tremendous potential for extending the paper’s role within the online community. But in the meantime, the Klondike Sun has already made its first foray towards re-engaging digital technology with the creation of a Facebook group page last fall.

In today’s world, blog posts and tweets constantly intermingle with articles from heavyweight media sources. Participating in this revolution is more than a no-brainer - it’s a necessity.

We hope to engage and interact with our readers in this exciting new forum that is changing our world at an unprecedented rate. For over twenty years, this news-paper has chronicled the events of the Dawson community. It’s time to integrate this role within the online community in which we all now live.

So become a fan of the Klond-ike Sun next time you login to your Facebook account and be rewarded with news photos and head\lines, and given the opportu-nity to participate in contests and discussion forums. You’ll keep up-to-date with all things Dawson and – who knows – you might end up in the next edition.

Page 9: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUNWednesday, January 26, 2011 page 9

Arctic Inland

Dewell

Mystic Buttons

Mystic ButtonsMystic Buttons

KIAC

KIAC

Parks

Chandinder

Parks

BaikieB-Line Kennels

Baikie

Baikie

Prongers

SOVA

Dominion Shell

Dominion ShellDominion Shell

Yukon College

Yukon College

A Division

B Division

C Division

Playoffs

Teams Game 1 Game 2 Game 3 Total PointsA-1 Arctic Inland W W W 60A 2 Parks Canada L T W 30

A-3Prongers T L L 10A-4 Baikie T T L 20

B-1 (It Ain’t Ova Til It’s) SOVA T L L 10B-2 B-Line Kennels T L T 20B-3 The Mystic Buttons W W T 50B-4 KIAC L W W 40

C-1 Dewell W W W 60C-2 Chandinder L W T 30C-3 Dominion Shell Hacks W L T 30C-4 Yukon College L L L 0

W=Win, L=Loss, T=TiePoints = 20 per win, 10 per tie

Round Robin

SPORTS in the Sun:Mystic Buttons Sweep Away the Competition at the Commercial BonspielStory by Evan RenschPhotos by Evan Rensch and Megan Graham

Perhaps there is some truth to their name after all: Team “Mystic Buttons” consistently confounded their opponents at the 2011 Com-mercial Bonspiel, held January 14th-16th at the Curling Club. The squad faced some noteworthy opponents throughout their five matches, yet managed to edge past the competition due to several clutch throws that were – pardon the pun - “right on the button”.

The undefeated Buttons clinched the “A” division crown after hand-ily defeating archrival team KIAC 10-3.

According to Mystic Buttons skip Tim Jones, “It was an intense tournament - almost every game we played was very close. Al-though the score in the final game was a little lopsided, it could have easily gone either way - KIAC caught some tough luck on tricky ice conditions. In general, it was amazing to see such a high quality of play all weekend!”

Despite the frigid weather found outside, this year’s Bonspiel gar-nered a larger turnout than the past several years with twelve teams and over fifty competitors partici-pating. Each squad played three round robin matches to determine their position within the “A”, “B” and “C” division playoffs that de-termined their final ranking. A third day of competition was added to the schedule to accommodate these final matches.

As the keyword “Commercial” may suggest, many of the partici-pants in the past have traditionally formed teams based on their place of employment. This year’s tour-nament kept to this theme and featured entries from KIAC, Yukon College, Arctic Inland Resources, Parks Canada, and Dominion Shell. Even a number of SOVA students – many of whom were first time curlers – came out to represent their school.

All teams were rewarded cash prizes based on their final record. Yet each group, as always, gra-ciously returned their winnings to the Curling Club in the same show of sportsmanship that could be witnessed throughout the entire the weekend.

Next up at the Dawson City Curling Club: the 112th Interna-tional Bonspiel, held February 4th-6th. Visit www.dawsoncurling.blogspot.com to learn more. Good curling to you all!

Mystic Buttons team roster, from top left to bottom right: Tim Jones, Jonathan Howe, Dylan Meyerhoffer, Megan Graham, and Evelyn Pollock

Matt Sarty and Eldo Enns follow the action from the comfort-able lobby viewing windows.

Dominion Shell plans their strategy in their C Division Final vs. Yukon College.

Both ices in action on opening night: Team SOVA vs. B-Line Kennels at left, KIAC vs. Mystic Buttons at right.

Page 10: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN Wednesday, January 26, 2011page 10

By Rheas Flanniagan

Well, we had fun and that’s all that matters. Team “It Ain’t Ova Til it’s SOVA” played with real heart (h-art?) at the Commercial Bonspiel hosted by the Dawson Curling Club. Though we did not manage to win a single game we did manage to give some of our opponents a rough time, and not all of our points were happy accidents.

Lead by skips by Thomas Usher and Kerry Barber, with a rotating cast of team members includ-ing Joanne Anderson, Aubyn O’Grady, Merran Smith, Jackson Lovett, what we lost in points we made up for with nice-looking sweaters.

Off the ice, in our 3D class we are working with current artist in residence Graeme Patterson on puppets that will eventually star in a short animation. We have rec-reated the space ship dance floor and beloved polished bar from our neigbbors across the way at the Westminster Hotel Lounge. The puppets range in size and in species and will be showing off their dance moves in a twenty second film loop. At 12 frames

per second, production day is going to be a true test of SOVA student stamina.

In 2D we are getting in touch with our kindergarten selves as we cut and paste our way through a col-lage unit.

In the midst of fake fur and sparkles we are also working on our transfer applications for next year. Yukon SOVA has transfer agreements in place with the four art universities in Canada: OCAD in Toronto, NSCAD in Nova Sco-tia, ACAD in Calgary and Emily Carr in Vancouver. Our English and 4D classes are focused on preparing our portfolios and art-ist statements to send with our applications.

Around Dawson, watch for SOVA student artwork in the DCAS Members show at the ODD Gal-lery and tune your radio to 106.9 fm on Sunday between three and four pm to catch SOVA Radio live on the air.

Eye on SOVAby Tim Jones

There are at least three things that the term “spring breakup” can mean. One, which Dawsonites (particularly of the Western per-suasion) been made all too fam-iliar, involves the splintering and breakdown of ice by a fast-flowing, recently-thawed river undercur-rent. It’s a spectacular show, sort of like nature’s version of bumper boats. Dawsonites are also familiar with another sort of spring breakup – the splintering and breakdown of an intimate relationship, stressed beyond repair by a long winter in close quarters.

There’s a third version that Dawsonites may not be familiar with. This Spring Breakup is a folk music duo comprising White-horse stalwart Kim Barlow and Newfoundland-based troubadour Mathias Kom. On Friday, Febru-ary 8th, the Dawson City Music Festival is pleased to present this version of Spring Breakup, live in concert at Legion #1. The always entertaining Geoff Berner will open the show at 8:00 PM.

This special and intimate con-cert will also serve as the Dawson City CD release for the duo’s new album, the aptly-titled It’s

Not You, It’s Me. Both Barlow and Kom have spe-cial memories of Dawson; the for-mer is a fixture on the Yukon circuit, and the latter has played Dawson twice in the last three years with

SPRING BREAKUP COMES TO DAWSON EARLY his main project the Burning Hell –

an audience favourite at the 2010.The duo is notable for its wry

sense of humour; songs about hard truths of Northern living are soft-ened by the puns and punchlines that pepper the punchlines. The songs are duets, joining two highly irregular voices into a surprisingly sweet if occasionally caustic de-

livery. The new CD’s song titles show Kom’s characteristic dry wit: tracks include “Never Eat Alone,” “Puppy Dogs & Rainbows,” and “I’m Sorry I Tried to Punch You in the Face.”

Given that black humour, it’s no surprise that Spring Breakup chose Vancouver-based accordion-ist Geoff Berner to accompany them on this tour. This Dawson appearance is a return engage-ment for the klezmer-inspired songwriter, following a perform-ance in October 2009 at the Odd Fellows’ Hall. This newspaper described that performance as an “auditory assault” (November 18 2009), a characterization Berner would likely welcome. Berner’s songs are polemical, occasionally

crass, always clever, and absolutely singular. His topics include the psychic dimensions of Jewish-ness, the ravages of gentrification in Vancouver, military history, the connection between self-abuse and self-confidence, and why it’s a bad idea to play cards for money with Corb Lund. It is safe to assert that there is no songwriter comparable

to Geoff Berner anywhere in the world.

By the musicians’ request, this will be an extremely intim-ate concert, with a maximum elbow-to-elbow capacity of 25. Therefore, interested Dawsonites are advised to purchase tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. Tickets are available in advance at Maximillian’s for $20. Doors open for the concert at 7:30 PM on February 8th.

This concert comprises the second of six concerts in DCMF’s 2011 concert series; to stay updated on future events, stay tuned to the Festival’s website at www.dcmf.com or phone (867) 993-5584.

Mathias Kom and Kim Barlow are “Spring Breakup”.

Bringing Youth Towards Equality (BYTE) will present our annual Battle of the Bands in partnership with the Frostbite Music Festival on February 18, 2011. Youth under the age of 30 from across the Yukon are invited to enter their band in the battle and compete to be named number one. The Battle will take place at 7:30 at the Yukon College cafeteria. Admission for spectators is $10 at the door. First prize is free recording time in a professional studio, as well as a chance to play on the Frostbite main stage on Saturday. With Frostbite providing professional lighting, sound, and stage set-up, this Battle is certain to be exceptional! As part of BYTE’s mandate to reach all Yukon youth, we are offering funding for transport and hotel accommodation for bands who live in the communities. This is an excit-ing opportunity for musicians who live outside of Whitehorse to get widespread exposure, to showcase their talents and compete for the top spot. Historically, the Battle of the Bands has played an important role supporting the music careers of many home grown bands. Winning bands from previous years such as A Friend Called Five, Plaid, and Death in Venice are now recognized names of the local music scene and some have gone on to receive national attention. The Battle of the Bands offer an exciting opportunity for up and coming bands and young musicians to build the experience and confidence that comes with playing in a professional venue, gain wider exposure, and nurture the next generation of talent in the Yukon music community.

BYTE is currently registering youth bands (under the age of 30) for the battle. We are asking that groups submit their band name, a demo of recorded music (audio or video), or present a short performance of their music to BYTE staff before January 31th, 2011. The shortlist for bands will be made public the following week.

For more information, please contact: tobias [email protected](867) 667-7975 2-407 Ogilvie Street www.yukonyouth.com

BYTE’s annual Battle of Bands presented in partnership with Frostbite Music Festival, February 18th 2011

Page 11: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUNWednesday, January 26, 2011 page 11

Mathias Kom and Kim Barlow are “Spring Breakup”.

By Allie Haydock

Thin-Crust Pizza

I love pizza. It’s my favorite food (aside from cake). I’ll take whatever I can get, but my favorite kind of pizza is what can only be described as “Ninja Turtle Pizza” – a thin crust that can just barely hold its delicious gooiness, with slices that come away from the rest of the pie trailing soft, steaming strings of cheese – just like in the cartoon. The key to the perfect pizza is a perfect balance of cheese – don’t skimp but don’t overdo it (I like to use a light mozzarella for the base cheese), a really basic tomato sauce (I just use straight up crushed canned tomatoes as is) and a nice balance of toppings that compliment each other and again, don’t overdo it by piling on too much or it will overwhelm the taste. Other than that – go nuts.

We make pizza at least twice a month and we go about it in one of two ways – we either plan what we want and buy specific ingredients or we use it as an excuse to clean out the fridge and have come up with some really interesting combinations this way, for example: goat cheese, feta, tomato slices, sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Our favorite tried and tested toppings are: “Classic” – mushrooms, green peppers, tomato slices and pepperoni, “Classic II”- crumbled sausage, mushrooms, onion and hot banana peppers or jalapeños, “Real Hawaiian”- garlic-sautéed shrimp and pineapple, “Real Fancy”- pesto, sliced bocconcini and grape tomatoes. The combinations are infinite. I don’t own a pizza pan so I use two cookie sheets and one dough recipe is enough for two pizzas so we usually make two batches and then have leftover pizza for a few days.

This no-knead pizza dough recipe is adapted from the Moosewood Restaurant ‘Cooking for Health’ cookbook. I have had so many people ask for it and always forget to give it to them, so here it is, once and for all:

No-Knead Pizza Dough

2 ¼ tsp active dry yeast1 tsp sugar1 cup warm water2 cups and 2 tbsp all purpose flour1 tbsp olive oil1 tsp salt

- In large bowl, stir the yeast and sugar into the warm water- Set aside until the yeast is bubbly, about 10 minutes- Stir in the flour, olive oil and salt until thoroughly combined- Cover with a clean dish towel and leave in a warm spot to rise

for about 45 minutes- Once the dough has risen, brush two baking sheets or one large

pizza pan generously with olive oil- Spread the dough on the pan using a spatula or your hands- Brush the top with olive oil and use whatever toppings you

like- Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 15 minutes –

or until the top looks cooked and the bottom of the crust is browned

Hunter-Gatherer

On Thursday, Febru-ary 10th, 2011, Dawson City will at long last get to see the long-promised re-match of the Ottawa Silver Seven (The Ottawa Senators Alumni team) and the Dawson City Nuggets, in Dawson! The game will be in the Art & Margaret Fry Recreation Centre at 6pm, with an exciting day-long line-up of activities to celebrate this history in the mak-ing.

Tickets are $10 avail-able on Monday, January 24th from The Dancing Moose, Ray of Sunshine, or directly from the Old-Timer Hockey Associa-tion. A few tickets will be available at the door. Also available will be souvenir programs, posters and jerseys available for pur-chase.

The Senators arrive in Dawson on the mor-ning of the 10th, to be whisked off to the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre by dogsled for a show fol-lowed by a reception at the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in hall.

From 2-4pm on the 10th, the Senators and Nuggets would like to challenge all comers to join in as they take to the outdoor rink to be built at the corner of King and 2nd. Refreshments will be available at the Yukon Order of Pioneers hall across the street. (Should the weather not permit, the festivities will be moved to the Arena.) Festivities at the arena will get going by 5:30 with the puck drop at 6pm. After the game the players will head over to Diamond Tooth Gerties for evening entertain-ment.

Media Contact: Teresa ConkinPh: 867-993-7231T e r e sa . c onk [email protected]

The Dawson City Old Timers Hockey Association presents:The Klondike Cup – re-match of the century

Klondike Nuggets – Did you know?Dawson formed its first hockey league in 1902 after building a

large indoor arena. Dawson City challenged for the Stanley Cup 116 years ago. The Klondike Nugget hockey team left Dawson City on December

19th, 1904. They arrived in Ottawa on January 12, 1905. This was much later than expected, due to travelling delays. They requested a delay to recover before their challenge, but the request was refused.

The journey itself was epic:- Overland on foot/dog team/bicycle to Whitehorse (to keep in good condition)(365 miles)- White pass railway to Skagway (blizzard halted trains)- Steamer to Vancouver (late from blizzard, they missed their boat)- Three days later they took the next boat to Seattle. Seas were so rough that everyone was sick. - Train to Ottawa

The team was sponsored by one of Canada’s greatest entrepreneurs, Joe Boyle. • There is a plaque commemorating Joe Boyle as a Person of Na-tional Significance in front of Dredge No. 4 National Historic Site.

• “Klondike” Joe Boyle was known as the “King of the Yukon.” He transformed the Klondike goldfields from the domain of individual miners on claims to a multi-billion dollar corporate venture. He did this by fighting to consolidate claims and then bringing in massive gold dredges to comb the bedrock up and down the Yukon creek bottoms.

Yukoners followed with rapt attention every step (and mis-step) of “their boys.” News came through on the wire daily, with some despatches written by Joe Boyle himself.

From Yukon Sun, Jan. 22, 1905Seven brave Klondike boysStarted for the cupThey travelled many a weary mileTill they were ‘most done upThey met the champeens in their mightAnd fought them brave and trueThey ended badly in the fight – 23 to 2.The Nuggets were inducted into the Sport Yukon Hall of Fame in

1989.The Nuggets’ Stanley Cup challenge helped bring about changes

in the hockey rules, requiring challengers to have established cre-dentials against established competition. The pro-amateur dispute continued until a few years later with the formation of the profes-sional hockey league.

The Nuggets brought the Stanley Cup to Dawson City in August of 2008 to commemorate the 100th year anniversary. From the Klon-dike Sun, Rod Dewell says, “It’s a big score, to get the Stanley Cup into Dawson. You should have seen – they were lined up on the street to get in here.” The cup, as well as the Hart, Con Smythe and World Cup trophies hit just about every place in town for a photo opportunity!

Page 12: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN Wednesday, January 26, 2011page 12

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.

Page 13: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUNWednesday, January 26, 2011 page 13

Story By Dan DavidsonPhotos from Glenda Bolt

From November 1-10 two Yukoners who are intimately involved with museums and culture in the Yukon got the opportunity to travel to the United States as part of the International Visitor Leadership Program which is sponsored by the United State Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and arranged by the Institute of International Education.

Glenda Bolt is the Manager of the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in in Dawson City. Cathie Richie is the Collections Management Advisor of the Museums Unit for the Government of Canada and was formerly the Assistant Director/ Curator at the Yukon Transportation Museum.

For Bolt this was the opportunity she had been waiting for.

“Our entire heritage Dept. had been desirous to go and see the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian since it opened.”

Not really sure if she would be accepted for the trip, and in the middle of volunteering for the Dawson City Music Festival, Bolt nevertheless got an application submitted with the support of her superiors at the TH Heritage Dept. Two days later she had a telephone interview, during which she felt the differences between First Nation (Canadian terminology) and Native American (US standard) were muddling her attempts to make herself clear. There was a second telephone interview after the DCMF weekend “when they might as well have been interviewing a dishrag” but apparently she came across just fine, although it was the middle of October before she found out she had been accepted and had 10 days to get ready to go.

The trip included visits to three

cities, Washington, San Francisco and Seattle.

The 17 institutions Bolt and Richie got to visit were: the National Archives, the Museum of the American Indian, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, the Library of Congress, the Cartoon Museum, the San Francisco Airport Museum, the California Academy of Science, the Legion of Honor, the Charles Schultz Museum, the Frye Art Museum, the 911 Media Arts Center, the Seattle Art Museum, the Burke Museum, the Wing Luke Asian Museum, the Tacoma Museum of Glass, the American Museum and Library Services, and the American Association of Museums.

“This 10 day program afforded me the opportunity to examine innovative methods of exhibition, public programming and outreach as well as the urgent importance of preserving and caring for collections held in the public

trust,” said Richie. “Meetings with our

American colleagues provided insight, clarification and sometimes astonishment at the accomplishments achieved by and the resources available to these specific U.S. museums. What we quickly realized, however, was the commonality between the challenges that museums face regardless of the level of human and financial resources. Engaging

community and audience, keeping up with technology, online content vs. onsite care, attempting to be all things to everyone – these themes resonated throughout our visits.”

The trip was filled with long days that had the Canadian “Group of Seven”, as they called themselves to the complete mystification of their American hosts, up and on the road by 8 a.m. daily and seldom back before 6 p.m., with evenings filled by dinners and casual sightseeing.

“I had two very special experiences on the journey,” Bolt said. “The first was meeting Terry Snowball, the Repatriations Officer at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian in Washington DC. Terry and his wife came to work on a Sunday to meet with me and have a visit. They were pleased to accept a Finding Our Way Home K’änächá Scrapbook as a gift and it was good timing as they were leaving a week later to attend meetings

on addressing Mission Schools in American Museums. “

“The American Indian Museum itself was amazing. It was designed by Canadian First Nation architect Douglas Cardinal with four floors filled with exhibits that speak about the traditional and contemporary life of First Nation people in North America. I spent an hour with a tour guide chatting and viewing his favorite areas of the museum and talked about the role and challenges of Interpreters in museums.”

Richie emphasized the different perspective “museum geeks” (her term) have when they are visiting places.

“(We) are looking at exhibits, art and artifacts in a different way from most. We want to see not only the art or artifacts on display but we want to analyze how things are displayed - how objects are mounted; the use of lighting and signage; is the object at risk; how to integrate

Two Yukoners Visit American Museums

technology; the incorporation of educational components, etc. Participation in this program afforded me the opportunity to do just this at a variety of amazing institutions. I can then in turn share my new found knowledge with my colleagues, clients and fellow geeks.”

Bolt agreed, recalling the startled expressions of some guides as she bent under things to see how they were mounted or suspended.

There are Yukoners everywhere it seems . Bolt wasn’t totally taken by surprise when the home visit “to meet an American family” in Santa Rosa turned out to be in the

home of a Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in citizen, Shirley Whitehouse-Reed, who has made a number of donations to the TH archives over the years. Whitehouse-Reed had phoned her in great excitement before she left Dawson.

“It was by far the most fun the group had on the trip and Shirley and her family made us feel welcome and at ease. We met many of her friends and neighbors who like Shirley, volunteer in arts and cultural activity. Our group really enjoyed her lovely home and the two hours flew by far too quickly. Again, it’s a small world.”

Cathy Richie and Glenda Bolt in front of the Whitehouse.

Taken at the “meet and eat with Americans” lunch party at TH citizen Shirley Whitehouse Reed home. Shirley has contributed to the TH Archive collection and volunteers within the heritage/arts

community in California.

‘The Group of Seven’.Curators and programmers from across Canada standing in front of the Museum of the American Indian. It is an amazing

museum...and cafeteria with First Nation foods from all over.

Page 14: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN Wednesday, January 26, 2011page 14

By Michael GatesYukon News, Dec. 10, 2010

History Hunter: Death in Dawson

S-T-R-E-T-C-HA Fulda climber

seeks a purchase on the cliff face at 39°C

below zero.

Photo by Dan Davidson

We don’t have permission to use History Hunter online.

Page 15: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUNWednesday, January 26, 2011 page 15

By Dan DavidsonPhotos courtesy of the Writers’ Trust of Canada

The annual Berton House Gala was held in Toronto’s Berkley Church on Tuesday, November 30, 2010. The festive event brought together friends and admirers of Pierre Berton to raise funds in support of Canadian writers-in-res-idence at Pierre Berton’s boyhood home in Dawson City, Yukon.

The evening included fabulous entertainment from host Vicki Ga-bereau, musician David Warrack, and CanCan girls. Writers-in-resi-dence were also involved: eminent historian Charlotte Gray talked about her Yukon experience and the book she wrote while at Berton House, Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike; and cur-rent writer-in-residence Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail was Skyped in to talk about what its like to live in Dawson City as winter approaches. (see separate item).

Silent and live auctions featured the most exciting prizes this side of the treeline, including fine wines and scotches, vacation experi-ences both northern (a one-week Klondike Adventure Summer Getaway in the Yukon for two) and southern (access to a luxury

Berton House Gala Supports Residency Programvilla situated between Manual Antonio National Park and the town of Quepos, on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast), and a buckskin coat designed by Canadian fashion icon Linda Lundström.

The Klondike adventure was won by Lynn Bevan of Kleinburg, a childhood friend of the Bertons. She has travelled to the eastern Arctic several times in her role as a mediator, but has never been to the Yukon.

James Davies, with the Writer’s Trust of Canada, which manages the Berton House program, reports that Bevan said she had “wanted to do this (go to the Yukon) her whole life.” The prize has a $6,000 value and includes air travel, hotels and vehicle rental. Bevan plans to make the trip in July.

We offer our gratitude to the nu-merous sponsors, table and ticket buyers, and auction-item winners and donors who through their generosity have supported this pro-gram. All the expenses aren’t in at this point, but it believed the event raised just over $30,000.00.

The Writers’ Trust of Canada thanks the Berton House Writers’ Retreat Gala committee for their continued dedication in putting together this fantastic event.

Photo Captions

* This year’s gala took place in Toronto’s Berkley Church.

* Jay Mandarino & Char-lotte Gray. Gray is wearing a jacket that was one of the auction items.

By Danielle Metcalf-ChenailPhoto by Dan Davidson

When technology works i t ’ s a g l o r i o u s t h i n g . No, the Writers’ Trust of Canada hasn’t managed to snag a Star Trek teleporter, but they did use Skype to successfully beam me all the way from Dawson onto a 15-ft screen at the Berton House Gala in Toronto on November 30 - which, if you’ve had any experi-ence with Skype, is nothing short of incredible.

Apparently I came in loud and clear to the host, Vicki Gabereau, and the 200-odd attendees. And I could hear Vicki great too, but it was really eerie not being able to see anyone while I was up there on the big screen...

I was pretty nervous leading up to my interview, even if it was only to last a few minutes. After all, I used to watch Vicki’s talk show all the time in university and have always admired her. I’d also heard I’d be following a slideshow by Charlotte Gray about her time in Dawson and her recently released book, Gold Diggers: Striking it Rich in the Klondike. Gulp...no pressure, eh?

I don’t actually recall much of what I said - which is often the case when adrenaline and nerves are at play - but near the end I did gather my thoughts enough to give a shout-out to my wonderful men-tor Dr. Desmond Morton, who was in attendance. And I mentioned

that I’d carefully squeezed my book in next to Charlotte’s on the Berton House bookcase. Dorky, but true... and something about snowpants, I think. Double dorky.

The amazing thing is a few minutes after I signed off with Vicki my phone rang. And it was Charlotte on the line! Again, I was so starstruck I don’t really remember what she said, but I’m pretty sure the phone call actually took place.

They also let me hang out on Skype afterwards, and I listened to a recording of Pierre Berton recit-ing Robert Service’s poem, “The Shooting of Dan McGrew”, and David Warrack on the piano enter-taining folks as they mingled after the program was done. It was quite magical, and if the people physi-cally there enjoyed themselves half as much as I did virtually, the night was a smash success.

Thanks to all the folks who made my Skype attendance possible!

Ed note: Danielle blogged about her Skype adventure on her web-site.

Beaming in to the Gala

Ottawa Senators

Kevin Kemp - 2John Barrett - 3Corey Foster - 4Brad Marsh - 5Rick Smith - 6

Mark Paterson - 7Murray Kuntz - 9

Chris Valentine - 10Doug Smith - 15 Ted Bulley - 16

John Payette - 17Shawn Rivers - 19

Gerry Armstrong - 30Fred Barrett - coach

Klondike Nuggets

Richard NaganoDaniel Green

Brent MacDonaldTony Thomas

Brad WhitelawPeter Nagano

John FlynnBruce TaylorDave Procee Dale Kulych

Kevin AndersonFrank Kormendy

Duane TaylorFred Farr

Troy SuzukiMark Wierda

Peter BrokkingWes Patterson – coach

Pat Hogan – General Manager

The Klondike Cup

Team Rosters

Page 16: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN Wednesday, January 26, 2011page 16

Bogus $ 20 Bill Found at CIBCby Dan Davidson

Counterfeit twenty dollar bills have arrived in Dawson.CIBC manager Joseph Cooke sent the word around to businesses via

the Chamber of Commerce mailing list on Thursday, January 20, that $20 bill with the serial number ARD4089894 had been found in a cus-tomer’s deposit. It was spotted by a clerk.

The bill has been turned over to the RCMP for further investigation.Cooke says it is only the second time that a bogus bill has been de-

tected here since he arrived last April.During the fall the Chamber had an information session with RCMP

and an official from the Bank of Canada on how to detect bad bills.Cooke says anyone who thinks they might have one is welcome to

come over to the bank and have someone there check it out.

Yukon Historic Resources Fund supports Dawson cemetery projectPress release

The Yukon Historic Resources Fund is contributing $15,300 to five projects that further the preservation, interpretation and appreciation of the territory’s historic resources.

The projects receiving funding range from conservation and com-memoration work at three Dawson City cemeteries to the production of an illustrated publication about Yukon sternwheeler and Whitehorse waterfront history.

Another publication project to receive money is the second phase of Erin McMullan’s work to write and publish a biography on longtime Yukoner Evelyn Mae (Babe) Richards.

McMullan is a Whitehorse-based writer and editor who focuses on community history.

“The Yukon Historic Resources Fund was the first to support The Unsinkable Babe Richards: An Extraordinary Yukon Life as a viable and valuable story to share,” McMullan said last Friday.

The $2,000 grant will result in a completed manuscript to submit to potential publishers.

“The funding support helped to give the project momentum, helped convince other funders to get on board, but most importantly, it made the dream of an 86-year-old Yukon pioneer real—a woman who had given her lifetime to her community, family and friends.”

Here is a list of the other grant recipients and their projects:• the Whitehorse Cross Country Ski Club, $2,000 to document the

club’s history to upload it onto the club’s website;• the Miles Canyon Historic Railway Society, $3,000 for improved

interpretation at its Copperbelt Railway and Mining Museum;• the MacBride Museum of Yukon History, $4,000 for an illustrated

book about Yukon sternwheeler and Whitehorse waterfront history; and

• Ed and Star Jones, $4,300 for Dawson cemeteries restoration and commemoration activities on three historically significant cemeteries: Hillside, Bet Chaim and Yukon Order of Pioneers on Eighth Avenue.

The annual application deadline for the Yukon Historic Resources Fund is Oct. 15. All applications are assessed by the Yukon Heritage Resources Board, which makes its recommendations to Tourism and Culture Minister Elaine Taylor.

Those eligible to apply include private citizens, groups, First Nations and municipalities.

“The Yukon government, working with the Yukon Heritage Resources Board, is pleased to support projects aimed at preserving important ele-ments of Yukon history,” Taylor said.

“Each unique voice, each unique story, each unique project comple-ments the important historical legacies that might otherwise be lost.”

The fund is an annual program that supports the objectives of the Yukon Historic Resources Act.

Monday, January 24 – Architect and founder of the Cana-dian Centre for Architecture Phyllis Lambert was born in 1927 at Montréal. Tuesday, January 25–In 1876 missionary George McDougall was lost in a prairie blizzard during a buffalo hunt and froze to death. Wednesday, January 26 – Famed neurosurgeon Wilder Graves Penfield was born in 1891 at Spokane, Washington. Thursday, January 27 –The Great Western Railway opened its main line between London and Windsor, Ontario, in 1854. Friday, January 28 –Nellie Letitia McClung and other suffrag-ettes held the Mock Parliament, in Winnipeg in 1914, to agitate for votes for women. Saturday, January 29 – The Victorian Order of Nurses was founded in 1897 in Ottawa with the aid of Lady Aberdeen, wife of the governor general. Sunday, January 30 –The federal government unveiled a new metric policy in 1985 under which businesses would be allowed to sell and advertise food, gasoline and home furnishings in imperial measurements in addition to the mandatory metric units.

This Column has Seven Days

Families and communities across Canada count down to Family Literacy Day

(Toronto, ON - January 20, 2011) – The count down is on with seven days remaining before Canada comes together to celebrate Family Literacy Day. ABC Life Literacy Canada is encouraging all Canadians to make family literacy a priority on January 27 by participating in a Family Literacy Day event or activity in your community or in the home.

Canadians have stepped up in record numbers to rally around the cause as they paint Canada orange by registering their community and family events online at FamilyLiteracyDay.ca. <http://www.abclifeliteracy.ca/en/fld/events/> With 846 events currently registered, it is not too late to plan your own event or activity or plan to participate in one in your area.

Now in its 13th year, Family Literacy Day was developed by ABC Life Literacy Canada in 1999 to celebrate adults and children reading and learning together, and to encourage Canadians to spend at least 15 minutes a day enjoying a learning activity together. Family Literacy Day provides focus and encouragement on the issue and with recently released opinion data collected by research firm Ipsos Reid, showing that a high percentage of Canadian adults lack confidence in helping their children with homework, engaging in this celebration is a great way to foster a love of learning within the home.

“As Canadians Play for Literacy this year, we are encouraging adults to have fun with learning through the use of play-centered activities which will help inspire a love of learning in their children,” commented Margaret Eaton, president of ABC Life Literacy Canada. “Literacy continues to be an important issue in Canada as four out of 10 working age Canadians struggle with low literacy and Family Literacy Day provides national focus on the cause.”

Play for Literacy can include all types of play that encourages literacy and numeracy development as well as comprehension skills, such as board games, card games and imaginative self-created activities and games. Games, and the carefree act of playing, provide a fun outlet in which individuals of all ages can engage in activities that inherently provide new learning or opportunities to improve one’s reading, writing, math and comprehension skills.

Communities from coast to coast to coast are finding fun and engaging ways to celebrate together such as:

· Mother Mary Greene Elementary School in Calgary, AB is asking their staff, students and volunteers to come to school dressed as their favourite story

character. Throughout the day each class will play and focus on reading through play. The chief superintendent of the school district will also attend.

· Terrace Community Literacy in Terrace, BC will be playing First Nations games as well as card games, word games, participating in writing exercises, a puppet show, and lots more.

· The Winnipeg Public Libraries invite families to travel between multiple stations, taking part in exciting games and creative activities that promote the playful use of reading, writing, and language skills. Each family will receive a “passport” that is stamped after each station is visited and the activity is completed.

· The Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick Ltd. is partnering with Frontier College to host a Family Fun Day. They will have a story corner, crafts, active games, science games, dance instruction, BINGO, colouring station,

face painting and special guest readers.

· J.J. Curling Elementary School in Corner Brook, NL is hosting a game-a-thon. They will have board games placed throughout the school with volunteers at all the stations to instruct and get students playing. They will also have other planned activities focusing on Literacy such as writing and reading events and special guests.

· The community of Norman Wells, NWT is hosting two games night where for everyone to enjoy. A variety of different games are offered for play and enjoyment.

A complete list of events in communities across Canada, as well as resource materials and the Family Literacy Day online activity book presented by HSBC can be found at FamilyLiteracyDay.ca <http://abclifeliteracy.ca/en/fld/tips-activities-and-resources> .

Enough with the Cold and Ice Fog ALREADY!

How much snow has fallen lately?The top layer (about half) of the mound on this unique lawn

ornament is of recent vintage. Can you see it?

Page 17: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUNWednesday, January 26, 2011 page 17

Enough with the Cold and Ice Fog ALREADY!

Humane Society Dawson

Roache’s Corner by Mike Roache

Tundra by Chad Carpenter

Elwood by Bryley

Cartoons!

Nemo’s Notions

The Dawson City Community Library will soon host their annual “Double Bob” potluck, in celebration of the birthdays of Robert Burns and Robert Service.

The event will be held in

the Ancillary Room at Robert Service School on Saturday, January 29th at 6:00 PM. Join the fun, which will include Scottish music and, of course, a haggis.

You are welcome to recite a

favorite poem! For more information, please

call the Library at 993-5571.

Norma TindallDawson City Community Librarian

VOLUNTEER

OF THE MONTH

Breanna is our Volunteer of the Month, but really she should be the young volunteer of the year. Bre-anna has spent a great deal of her summer vacations volunteering at the Shelter and now, she comes al-most every weekends and Wednesday afternoons. Her passion for animals is strong and she loves them all no matter what

they look like or where they come from. She helps walking the dogs, feed-ing the cats and is willing to participate in various chores like getting the ken-nels ready for an animal`s stay, moving dogs from one run to the other, help-ing with fundraisers etc. Breanna is very keen to learn about animals and her curiosity seems insa-tiable! She would like to be a veterinarian when she grows up and there is no doubt that she could be a very talented vet. Her

dedication to the She l ter and the ani-mals is very inspiring and she has been b r i n g i n g a couple of her friends some-t i m e s w h o are also very energetic and helpful kids. The Hu-

m a n e S o c i -e t y D a w s o n would like to thank you Bre-anna for your dedication and awesome work at the Shelter. Valérie would like to thank you personally for your help with the dogs and cats, your outgoing personality and car-ing attitude always makes her look forward to Wednesday.

Want to become an HSD volunteer too? It`s easy, just follow Breanna`s ex-ample!

We don’t have permission to use Tundra online.

Page 18: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN Wednesday, January 26, 2011page 18

Churches

Klondike Sun Classifieds

Business DirectoryAdvertise your business and services with The Klondike Sun!

Submit your business card at a normal size of 2” x 3.5” Cost is $20.00 per issue and yearly billings can be arranged.

K l o n d i k e O u t r e a c h Job Board

For more information on these and other positions, come into the Klondike Outreach office next to the

Territorial Agent/Liquor Store (853-Third Street).Klondike Outreach hours:

Monday-Friday 9-noon and 1-5 pmClosed weekends and Stat. Holidays

Phone: 993-5176 ~ Fax: 993-6947Website: www.klondikeoutreach.com

E-mail: [email protected]

DAWSON COMMUNITY CHAPEL

Located on 5th Ave across from Gold Rush Campground.

Sunday worship at 11 am.Everyone is welcome.

Pastor Ian Nyland 993-5507ALCOHOLICS 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, 2nd floor (use outside stairs). Call 993-3734 or 5095 for info.

Sunday Services1st and 3rd Sundays:

10:30 am - Morning Prayer2nd and 4th Sundays - 10:30

am - Holy Eucharist5th 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.W e a r e a n o n - p r o f i t 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 CHURCHCorner of 5th and King

Services: Sunday mornings at 10:30 am, Sat. & Tues. 7 pm,

Wed. to Fri. 9:30 amAll are welcome. Contact

Father Ernest Emeka Emeodi for assistance: 993-5361

ST. PAUL’S ANGLICAN CHURCH

FOR SALE BY OWNER1 1/2 COMMERCIAL LOTS

On 3 r d Ave nex t t o t he Westminster Hotel.

Call 993-5346

Support Real Estate

Rental Wanted

Equipment for Sale

Additional TV Channel Listings

7 - Dawson Dome Camera9 - Preview Guide11 - Rolling Ads

Your Business Card Ad could be in

this space

The Klondike Sun’s deadline for ad and story submissions is 12 noon,

Friday, February 4, 2011 for the Wednesday, February 9, 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:After School Program TeacherBank ManagerBartendersChildcare WorkerCommercial Sewing Machine OperatorHousekeepersHVAC Technician (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) JourneymanOutreach Family Support WorkerStats Canada Census 2011 positionsPlumber – journeyman

Positions with Closing Dates:Special Events Coordinator: Jan 26 @ 4:30Elders Support Worker: Jan 28 @ 4Events Coordinator: Feb 4STEP Student jobs: Feb 18

Positions Out of Town:Human Resources Manager: Jan 31Executive Assistant: Feb 10CookAssistant Crusher OperatorsEMR/OFA 3 AttendantMill Feed OperatorsMill Assistant OperatorsUnderground Chief GeologistUnderground Production GeologistSafety CoordinatorMine Technical AssistantIndustrial Electrician

12 & 13 - Possible Local Programming

April 1st - October 31st, 2011. One bedroom, self-contained. Max $400. References available. Contact [email protected] .

-Professionnal video camera canon XL2 : $2300-Professionnal video tripod : $250 -Waterproof Pelican case model 1550 : $200-2 Grumman canoes ( aluminium) 17 foot : $900, $700-Waterproof “North Face” backpack size L , black: $200

Contact: [email protected]

Page 19: Klondike Sun January 26, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUNWednesday, January 26, 2011 page 19

Klondike Sun Classifieds All Powered Up

Yukon Energy’s press releases indicate that the cold weather has been taxing its capacity and causing the Whitehorse-Aishihik grid to run more diesel power that usual. Here in Dawson our diesels have had to run to provide power to the new Bellekeno Mine in Keno City. Photo by Dan Davidson

In spite of the cold, the sun is returning.