Wednesday, October 23, 2013
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Yukon News
Ski hill to open this winter Jesse Winter News Reporter
M
ount Sima will open this winter. When Friends of Sima president Laurie Henderson made the announcement to a packed press conference on Tuesday afternoon, the room erupted in cheers and applause. “There is absolutely no doubt, no doubt in my mind that we couldn’t have done this without the significant support of the Whitehorse community,” Henderson said. The society plans to have the hill open for skiing by Dec. 20, assuming the weather cooperates. “In the 30 years I’ve lived here, I’ve never seen anything like this, and I’m very proud to be a part of it,” she said. Over the course of the fall, the Friends of Sima have pulled off a surprisingly successful fundraising campaign, bringing in more than 800 pledges to buy seasons passes, and amassing more commitments from local business, ski and snowboard associations, and the territorial government. But when Friends’ vice-president Rod Taylor was asked at a press conference two weeks ago how much actual cash the society had, he emptied his jeans pockets and shrugged. In order to make their scheme work, the society was hoping to make good on 85 per cent of those 800 pledges. They came close, converting 500 (or just over 61 per cent) into
City mulls changes to festival grants
Ian Stewart/Yukon News
Friends of Mount Sima’s Laurie Henderson and Rod Taylor celebrate a successful campaign to keep the ski hill alive with a prize draw on Tuesday at the Sport Yukon building. Yukon Freestyle president Lynda Harlow, right, pulls a winner. $215,000 in cash in the bank. Combined with commitments of $70,000 from the Yukon government, $20,000 each from the hill’s three user groups – Snowboard Yukon, and the alpine and freestyle ski associations – and another $70,000 from Softball Yukon, the ski society has a total commitment of around $500,000.
dation for Sourdough Rendezvous is significantly higher than the others because this will be the 50th anniversary of the The city is considering festival. changing the way it hands out The Yukon Quest, next highmoney to festivals and cultural est on the list, would get $4,900 events. in cash and $11,150 in in-kind “The grant funds have not support. The Quest had asked grown, and the number of for $15,000. event requests have increased “The in-kind requests have in recent years. That caused us been looked at critically by the to take a look in terms of how affected departments to ensure these grants are being offered that they can be accommoand handled,” Doug Hnatiuk, the city’s events supervisor, told dated within regular operating hours,” Hnatiuk said. city council on Monday. Council will vote on the The city held a meeting on June 11 to look at options, and recommendations at its next meeting this coming Monday. administration is now recom(Jesse Winter) mending that the city adopt a new funding scheme that identifies “signature events” that Public mum on could receive more funding. Ogilvie Street plans On Sept. 19, a city review committee met to look at the applications for funding for the 2014 year. There were eight eligible applicants plus two whose applications were dismissed, Hnatiuk said. If approved, the funds wouldn’t be released until January, after the city’s 2014 It was likely one of the shortbudget is finalized. est city council meetings ever. If approved, the Yukon It took just over two minutes Sourdough Rendezvous Society for Whitehorse Mayor Dan looks to be the largest recipient Curtis to open and close the of city money. City adminispublic hearing into the Ogilvie tration is recommending that Street reconstruction. Rendezvous get $15,000 in cash A proposed bylaw, which and $30,850 in in-kind contri- passed first reading earlier butions. Rendezvous had asked this month, would see the city for $30,000 total. fix up the downtown street Hnatiuk said the recommen- between Fourth Ave. and the
“We have about $500,000 and we need about $1 million to run the hill for the winter,” Taylor said. Most ski hills are lucky if they can open with 25 per cent of their total operating funds already in the bank, he added. The trail to Tuesday’s announcement wasn’t a smooth run.
BRIEFS
Originally, the Yukon government’s contribution had depended on a “significant” contribution from the City of Whitehorse. Earlier this fall, the society had approached the city asking for $72,000 to help run the hill, but the city refused. After that disappointment, Softball Yukon stepped into fill
Peel, a group of researchers has found. “This failure has left planning process participants with clay cliffs, and charge affected the perception that they have property owners a fee to cover been denied both respect and part of the cost. the ability to have their voices When Curtis asked if anyone heard within land use planwished to speak to the issue on ning for the region,” wrote the Monday night, his only reauthors of a paper to be pubsponse was silence. lished in the upcoming edition of Northern Review, a peerThere was one written subreviewed academic journal mission that Robert Fendrick, produced by Yukon College. director of corporate services “In short, this process director, said was against the did not involve active, open proposed bylaw. The street is in a serious state debate – a crucial part of how decisions should be made in of disrepair, with numerous a democratic natural resource potholes and other problems. management context.” The work proposed by the The authors recommended city would see the street torn that clear ground rules be esup, the water and sewer mains replaced along with the fire hy- tablished for making decisions drants, and the whole thing re- within the land use process, paved. Street lighting would be and for dealing with disagreement between affected parties. improved and there would be The paper suggested that space for bike lanes and sidean external body would be walks. The project is expected useful to deal with come of the to cost about $3.7 million, the conflicts that arise during the city has said. implementation phase. Ballots were mailed out to The Peel Watershed Planresidents and property owners ning Commission filled this on the street. The deadline to role during earlier phases, but submit votes is Nov. 1. that group disbanded after de(Jesse Winter) livery of its final recommended plan. Researchers blast The researchers recomYukon’s actions on Peel plan mended reviving the commission to oversee the impleThe Yukon government mentation of the plan, or failed to sufficiently take pub- equipping the Yukon Land lic and First Nation interests Use Planning Council to fill a into account during the land similar role. use planning process for the (Jacqueline Ronson)
the gap, offering a $20,000 gift and a $50,000 one-time loan, and the Yukon government promised to honour its commitment with or without the city. “As you know, taking over from (the Great Northern Ski Society) has been a bit of a challenge,” Henderson said. “This is not risk free, what we’re doing. Opening a ski hill of this magnitude is a complicated thing. We have Don Wilson, who has long been involved with the hill. He has agreed to be our acting general manager. Snow, weather … we have to keep those things in mind,” Henderson said. The society will continue its fundraising drive. Taylor said until now, the society had focused on approaching businesses with a close connection to the hill because they wanted to avoid asking for too much before they could commit to opening the facility. With that promise now made, he said the society will be looking to the broader business community for sponsorship, and hopes to keep selling season passes as the winter gets closer. The current price for season passes - $395 for an adult - will remain in place until Halloween. Starting Nov. 1 it will be going up, Henderson said, though she didn’t say what the increase would be. Contact Jesse Winter at jessew@yukon-news.com
Leef named chair of northern caucus Yukon MP Ryan Leef has a new job description. Along with his regular duties as the territory’s member of Parliament, Leef is the new chair of the government’s northern caucus. “Essentially, I’m now responsible for organizing the group and the agenda items, the meeting times and stuff. It’s a small group, small but mighty,” he said. The northern caucus includes Leef, Environment Minister Leona Aglukkaq, Yukon Senator Dan Lang and Nunavut Senator Dennis Patterson. Senator Patterson was the previous chair. The N.W.T. isn’t part of the northern caucus because it has an NDP MP, Dennis Bevington, and a Liberal senator, Nick Sibbeston. “We meet on a weekly basis to talk about pan-territorial issues. We each have an appreciation for what’s going on in our territories. We combine common themes and advice to the prime minister and the federal ministers to enhance their understanding of the North,” Leef said. The group isn’t directly connected to the Arctic Council, but Aglukkaq chairs that group. Being able to discuss Yukon and northern issues with her means she can forward concerns to the Arctic Council, said Leef. (Jesse Winter)