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Yukon News
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Flu shots dry up Ashley Joannou
or are unable to obtain vaccination for now.” In the communities, health hitehorse has run out of flu centres are operating as usual. vaccines. Those clinics have already sent Flu clinics are closed until Whitehorse any doses they could further notice, the Yukon’s chief spare, he said. medical officer of health, Dr. BrenOn the phone today, Hanley dan Hanley, said Friday. estimates about 9,000 Yukoners “As predicted, Whitehorse have been vaccinated. has run out of vaccine, if a little On Friday, an all-day flu sooner than anticipated. This means that Yukoners have stepped clinic was set up at the Whitehorse Health Centre. Flu shots ran out forward to achieve an unprecabout half an hour before closing. edented rate of immunization At the Kwanlin Dun Cultural against seasonal influenza,” he said Centre, the last remaining vaccines in a statement. “In turn we will see better pro- were gone earlier that day. tection for those who can’t, won’t The territory has never run out News Reporter
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before, Hanley said. Yukon officials have requested more vaccine from the federal public works department, as have many other jurisdictions. “We’re basically in the same pot as everyone else,” Hanley said. The federal government is in charge of organizing vaccines across the country. It will be up to those officials to see if other jurisdictions have extra vaccines to share with those in need. Failing that, the next stage is to look outside of Canada, to Europe, to see if there are vaccines to spare. Hanley said he is hopeful there will be more flu shots in the ter-
ritory later this week. He said he doesn’t want to officially announce new clinics until he is certain. The territory bases its order for the annual vaccine on previous experiences. “We base it on demand from previous years with a certain cushion in case it’s needed,” Hanley said. In previous years the territory has used about 7,500 doses, he said. Local health officials ran dedicated flu shot clinics from about mid-October to early November. After that, vaccine clinics – for vaccinations of any kind – were
run out of the health centre every weekday morning or by appointment. Hanley called this year’s flu season in the territory “intense.” He said confirmed cases spiked in early December and again around the Christmas season. That, combined with media attention on the busy flu season in other jurisdictions, may explain people’s interest in getting the shot, he said. Updates on clinic dates and times will be posted at www.hss. gov.yk.ca. Contact Ashley Joannou at ashleyj@yukon-news.com
Yukon approves Watson Lake LNG Jacqueline Ronson
The LNG will be trucked in from a plant in Delta, B.C., just south of Vancouver. he Yukon government has Natural gas is cooled to licensed the first liquefied minus-162 C so that can be natural gas facility in the territory. trucked in a liquid state in The Yukon Electrical Company double-walled cryogenic trailers. Ltd. will soon burn a mix of natYukon Electrical expects to ural gas and diesel at its Watson bring in one truckload of LNG Lake power plant. every 10-14 days during the first First, the company must make phase of the project, and one modifications to the existing truck every five days after all of diesel generators so it is able to the generators have been retrofitburn the mixed fuel. The plan is to first modify one ted. The company must build fagenerator, and if that goes well, cilities both to store the LNG and upgrade the remaining five. News Reporter
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to vaporize it for burning in the generators. Energy, Mines and Resources has permitted the operations under the condition that Yukon Electrical closely monitor emissions from the plant. Once the first mixed-fuel generator is up and running, the company will measure contaminants in the air as well as greenhouse gas emissions. If targets cannot be met, the next phase of the project will not go forward. There has been a push in
recent years to shift towards natural gas power generation in the Yukon. Natural gas is touted as a cheaper and greener alternative to diesel. Critics, however, say that natural gas is not cleaner than diesel when you look at the full lifecycle costs, especially when the natural gas is produced though hydraulic fracturing. Two other proposals to burn LNG are currently before the Yukon Environmental and Socioeconomic Assessment Board.
The Yukon Environment Act says… “The way of life of the people of the Yukon is founded on an economic, cultural, aesthetic and spiritual relationship with the environment” F inal R ecommended Peel WateRshed R egional l and Use P lan
BALANCE MEANS PROTECTING CULTURAL, AESTHETIC AND SPIRITUAL VALUES, TOO
Talk with your friends and neighbours, and Let your community leaders and your MLA know that you… Support an on-going staking ban in the Peel Watershed Support the Final Recommended Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan F Riends
oF the
Peel WateRshed
Yukon Energy plans to replace two aging diesel generators in Whitehorse with ones that burn natural gas. And Western Copper and Gold Corp. plans to power its giant Casino mine project with a 150-megawatt LNG power plant. The mine, if it is ever built, would eat up more power than the current generating capacity of all of Yukon’s hydro, diesel and wind plants combined. It would take 11 LNG trucks per day to power the operations. Contact Jacqueline Ronson at jronson@yukon-news.com