Klondike Sun, April 06, 2011

The Klondike Sun Wednesday, April 6, 2011 online edition

Postmaster Robert LePage and Cpl. Karina Watson hand over the mail to Yuka Honda.

The Winter’s Last Race

VOL. 22 NO. 24

Photos by Dan Davidson

IN THIS ISSUE: 1 - Percy Pix 2 - Percy Start 3 - Thaw di Gras 4 - Uffish Thoughts 5 - Mining Letters 6 - Film Fest preview 7 - Percy Awards 8 - Water Delivery Hunter-Gatherer 9 - Guelph Visitors 10 - ODD Gallery

11 - DCMF News 12- 16 - TV Guide pages deleted 17 - Construction 18 - Signs & SOVA 19 - CFYT News 20 - Fur Show Studer Speaks 21 - Studer Speaks 22 - Cartoons 23 - Classifieds 24 - City Notices

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NEW TOYS! Come check out all the fun new stuff!

Yuka Honda begins the race.

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN

35th Percy Unseasonably Warm at the Start

by Dan Davidson

It’s not often that Dawsonites hope for a cloudy day in late March, but with temperatures hovering around -10° C, organizers of the Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race were rather hoping that the sun wouldn’t peek through the overcast. If the sun had been shining at 10 a.m. Thursday morning, it might have been too warm for the 14 dog teams about to head out on the 210 mile (340 km) round trip to Eagle.

As it was, things were comfortable for mushers, dogs and spectators alike as Gabrielle Sgaga announced the invisible departure of the first musher, Percy DeWolfe himself, for whom the #1 bib is always reserved.

There weren’t as many people as usual present to see the race start. Normally this is a school field trip for classes at Robert Service School, but RSS has chosen to follow other Yukon schools in taking a two week March Break this year, and it hasn’t ended yet.

Still, attendance firmed up considerably as the 40 minute timed start continued.

Whitehorse’s Yuka Honda was wearing bib #2 this year, and received the memorial mail sack from Postmaster Robert LePage and Const.

Karina Watson before leaving.

The postage for this year’s batch of letters was covered

In-Store Specials & Fresh Coffee every day!

by LePage and his Canada Post co-worker, Monna Sprokkreeff.

While Dawson has been clearing its other streets during the last several weeks, city crews spread fresh, fluffy snow along King Street, down to Front Street and up onto the dyke to where this year’s trail began. There was a slight alteration in the trail due to the location of this year’s ice bridge, and one team, which apparently knew the old route, had to be stopped from charging down the graveled bridge access.

At two minute intervals the rest of the teams headed on their way. The other mushers were Gerry Willomitzer, Crispin Studer, Maren Bradley, Mathias Bech, Deb Knight, Marcelle Fressineau, Jonathan Lucas of Whitehorse; Richard Todd and Karen Ramstead of Perryvale, AB; Lucy Tyrrell of Healy, Alaska; Ryan Kinna of Haines Junction; Brian Wilmshurst of Dawson; and Colin Morrison of Carcross.

All of them except Tyrrell were running with nine dogs.

She had seven.

One additional change to this year’s race is the addition of an extra two hour layover, which may be taken in Eagle, Alaska, or at Forty Mile. This is in addtion to the usual six hour layouver in Eagle in order to give the dogs and mushers a better rest.

About an hour and a half

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later, at noon, a smaller group gathered at the west end of the ice bridge to see the next two races begin.

Running on skis with four dogs each and a pulka were Darryl Sheepway and Stefan Wackerhagen, both of Whitehorse. They were bound for FortyMile and an overnight stay before coming back for a 105 mile (170 km) round trip.

This event is called the Percy Skijor Race.

The Percy Junior sled dog race was ready to go at 12:30.

This was a mass start, with one inexperienced team leaving about five minutes after the others to avoid the canine confusion caused by six teams eager to run. The mushers were Matt McHugh and Kyla Boivin of Dawson; Simi Morrison and Pierre Duc of Carcross; Luc Tweddell

Jonathan Luca’s team runs up onto the dyke.

The two skijorers, Stefan Wackerhagen and Darryl Sheepway Wanna go - NOW!

The Percy Junior’s mass start on the river, and they’re off in a flurry of snow.

and Alexandra Rochat of Whitehorse.

The route for the Percy Junior is the same as the skijor race. Mushers generally average about 6 hours for each quarter of the race, with a running time of under 22 hours for the top teams, which should arrive in Dawson on Friday afternoon.

Four teams, each two minutes behind the next, can be seen in this picture.

THE KLONDIKE SUN

Thaw di Gras brings a touch of spring Story by Dan Davidson Photos by Evan Rensch, Dan Davidson & the KVA Thaw di Gras provided a lot of activities for Dawsonites last weekend, along with some reasonable “almost spring” weather in which to enjoy them. While it may have been dipping down to -30 or so at night, most of the afternoons and early evenings ended up in the low teens or even single digits, with lots of sun and not much of a breeze.

Interested pickers were invited to join a group looking for me-

dicinal plants across the river on Wednesday.

Thursday night featured a pingpong tournament at the Downtown Hotel while, by coincidence, there was a house-concert featuring Mary Murphy and Paul Keim at Peter Menzies’ home.

Friday night brought the ever popular Adult lip sync, sponsored by the Dawson City Music Festival.

On Saturday things kicked into high gear, with more events than any family could possibly take in. The morning ended with the Humane Society Dog Show. Con-

testants began working on snow sculptures on 2nd Avenue at noon, while sports minded folks closed off 3rd Avenue in front of the Westminster Hotel and staged a road hockey game.

(They used to do this in the parking lot beside the School of Visual Arts, but someone put a Yukon College Building in there since last year.)

Down on Front Street at the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Community Hall the bi-annual Fur Show got under way and ran until about 8:30 that night.

There was snowshoe baseball in

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

the Robert Service School playing field, tavern games at the Pit, arm wrestling at the Eldorado Hotel, a Youth Lip Sync at Gerties, a Cat Show at Bombay Peggy’s, and the biggest monthly coffee house of the year at the Oddfellows Hall.

There was also a fireworks display after dark, which is getting to be about 45 minutes later each week.

Sunday started around noon with a Chilli Cook Off at the Pit and the Sunnydale Classic Sleddog Race down at the ice bridge.

By 1:30 the road hockey was under way again and the 24-hour

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snow sculptures had been judged.

That meant people could check out the One-Dog-Pull event (shades of Call of the Wild) across from the Eldorado Hotel or cruise over to the Gerties’ parking lot to view the events there, including an axe throw, Arctic Inland Log Saw, Snow Snake, Egg Toss and Loonies (that’s money) in a Haystack.

Of course, Diamond Tooth Gerties was open from Thursday to Saturday with the usual fare whenever the building wasn’t being used for another event.

Winners of this year’s axe throw from left to right: Aubyn O’Grady - 2nd, Sarah van Thielen - 1st, Bill Donaldson, 3rd

Arnold gets a little thirsty after his 1st place win at the Cat Show on Saturday afternoon.

(More photos on page 17)

It wouldn’t be Thaw di Gras without street hockey in front of the Westminster.

Growing Forward Practical and flexible programs for your farm.

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

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN

Opinions in the Sun

Uffish Thoughts: It’s Past Time to Test Mining Legislation

By Dan Davidson When it comes to beginning the process of revising the legislation that governs mining within existing municipal boundaries, especially when the proposed operation sits next to a residential area, the Yukon government has a very poor track record. So it comes as no surprise to me that the latest round in this continuing debate, the one involving Arcturus Ventures Inc. and the residents of the Spruce HillGolden Horn area of Whitehorse, has the government dithering over what to do.

It’s not just this government, by the way. No political party in the territory has anything to brag about when it comes to this issue.

There may be other instances, but the longest ongoing conflict that I am aware of can be found in Bear Creek, just south of Dawson, where there have been people living on country residential lots since well before I arrived here in 1985.

Residents there have to deal with almost annual incursions of miners or miner wannabes staking claims up to and beyond the edges of their property and claiming the cher-

ished right of “free entry” to do so.

Those lots were sold to the residents by the Yukon government, which should have settled matters relating to mining claims and the rights of landowners to enjoy their property without threat of disturbance a long time ago.

No government – not the Conservatives of yore, the Yukon Party, the Liberal Party or the NDP – has managed to sort out this mess in all that time.

The more recent case here in Dawson is closer to town, where a mine on the first bench of the Dome Road, a mine that was only marginally active for a decade, suddenly began to look like a paying proposition in 2009 when gold began to ascend to the dizzying heights of value it has since reached.

Up to that time the mine, which had been in production before the Slinky Mine bought it in 1998, had really not been an issue for those who lived along Mary McLeod Road, which runs a few hundred metres above that bench.

Suddenly there was a lot of noise.

There were eager intruders nibbling away at the edges of some of their properties, and telling them

they had no right to complain about it because of “free entry” and the Placer Act. On top of that, the renewed interest in mining put an end to three or four years of YTG land planning that would have seen a country residential subdivision built where the Slinky Mine now wanted to operate.

When the local office of Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board ruled against both the mine and the subdivision until such time as the conflict could be resolved, the government blew its chance to work on the problem, rejected the YESAB report and ended up saying that both projects could somehow proceed.

The town found itself in a bind when it discovered that it didn’t have a bylaw to actually deal with this problem and had to spend several months getting one in place.

In the meantime the Slinky Mine carried on slashing brush, removing trees and eventually violating the town’s legal right to control the right of way connected to the Dome Road itself.

The lawsuit from the latter violation is still working its way through

the courts.

The town’s last gasp of self-defence (Dome residents say it’s too much like a gasp and not enough like a stern command) was to issue a development permit with some fairly strict conditions attached, conditions which are much stronger than those the local territorial office of Energy Mines and Resources was willing to impose. The first draft from EMR didn’t look too bad, but it went through quite a number of revisions after instructions were received from the capital city office, and it is a fairly gutless document at this point.

It’s a promising development that the City of Whitehorse has taken a strong position on the latest case from the outset. City manager Dennis Shewfelt’s statements on this matter are quite in line with a letter from YTG Community Services ADM Paul Moore, tabled at the Jan. 26 meeting of Dawson’s council.

“I can confirm that within municipal boundaries the operator of a mining project must comply with all applicable laws, including the Municipal Act, the Placer Mining Act and the Quartz Mining Act, as determined by the circumstances.

These are all Yukon legislation and, as such, apply with equal force. Depending on the facts of a given situation and the rights granted, an operator may need to obtain a mining land use approval, a water license and a development permit.”

That last item is the one controlled by a municipal government.

It may carry less weight than the senior government’s legislation, but it does grant some level of control over a developer. It may take a court case or two to determine just how much weight it carries. This is something that the government ought to be prepared to finance if the need should arise for either Whitehorse or Dawson to take that step.

As noted in commentary in the Whitehorse papers and in the many letters of protest filed with the Dawson council by irate Dome residents, it is not fitting that the welfare of homeowners should be held hostage by a set of laws and regulations that are over a century old.

Literary Society of the Klondike Well, there were no complaints about last issue’s changes to the main text fonts and the elemination of mosty photo borders. Does that mean no one cares what we do here?

Experiments will continue. Let us know what you think as the process continues. As usual, we invite you all to get involved. Have you got a great idea for a regular column?

Interesting photos or stories from local events? Send it in to us and see your name in print! Check out our WEBSITE where you will soon be able to view archived Suns from 21 years ago! Webmaster Steins is slowly but surely filling in those early years. Check us out at http://cityofdawson.com/category/klondike_sun.

This is YOUR space. Write!

Who we are: Editor/ Head Writer Dan Davidson

Advertising & Production Manager Evan Rensch Archivist Chris Levett

Subscriptions/Distribution Tara Borin, the Bandit Bookkeeping Karen McIntyre It Figures Bookkeeping

Reporters / Photographers Tara Borin, Glenda Bolt, Palma Berger, Betty Davidson, Jay Armitage & others as noted Webmaster John Steins

Published by the Literary Society of the Klondike: President: Tara Borin Vice-President: Dan Davidson Board of Directors: Florian Boulais, Miles Kenyon, Megan Graham.

Director Emeritus - Palma Berger

The Klondike Sun is produced bi-weekly. It is published by The Literary Society of the Klondike, a nonprofit organization. Letters to the editor, submissions and reports may be edited for brevity, clarity, good taste (as defined by community standards), racism, sexism, and legal considerations. We welcome submissions from our readership; however, it should be understood that the opinions expressed herein may not always reflect those of the publishers and producers of the Klondike Sun. Submissions should be directed to The Editor, Bag 6040, Dawson City, YT, Y0B 1G0, emailed to uffish20@hotmail.com, directly to the paper at klondikesun@northwestel.net or dropped off in the drop-box at our office in the Waterfront Building, 1085 Front Street. They should be signed and preferably typed (double-spaced), or saved on digital media (CD). If you can give a phone number at which you can be reached, it would be helpful. Unsigned letters will not be printed. “Name withheld by request” is acceptable and will be printed, providing the writer identifies themselves to the Sun editorial staff. A Publishing Policy exists for more details.

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

THE KLONDIKE SUN

LETTERS to the Sun Yukon’s free entry system must change Dear Editor: Imagine living in a community where a mining claim can be staked on your property, and you can’t do anything about it.

Consider a country where hundreds of square kilometres of pristine wilderness are staked for mining without the need for prior permission or any consultation.

Would you want to live in a region where the government supports the “right to mine” over and above basic human rights?

You can stop imagining, because it’s happening here in Canada’s Yukon.

Under the Yukon’s Quartz Mining Act, the “free entry system” allows any company, or indeed any person over 18, to enter private and public lands and stake a claim.

This in turn gives them rights to access the property and prospect and mine for minerals within that claim.

There are some exceptions: protected areas, farms, under homes and, ironically, mines, but in the Yukon, this currently leaves about 80 per cent of the territory open for staking.

The problems seem obvious.

The default is that mining is the

first and best use of land, above all other values and land uses.

Governments and local authorities have little or no power to refuse a claim. There is no need for prior consultation, nor compensation, when acquiring mineral rights irrespective of the number of claims.

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

Free entry does not provide for free, prior, and informed consent by affected First Nations.

The system undermines planning processes, compromising plans with unhindered third-party interests.

Mining prevails over private property interests. Most private homeowners only own the surface rights to their land and not the subsurface. Miners are not even required to notify a landowner before driving a stake through their backyard.

These issues have presented themselves throughout the Yukon.

In Whitehorse, concerns were raised when Mount McIntyre’s popular ski trails were staked.

Residents in Spruce Hill, a country residential suburb on the southern edge of the city, recently awoke to the news that their entire neighbourhood has been staked and a mining exploration application is imminent.

Residents in Dawson City have fought a long and contentious battle to prevent mining in a

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

subdivision along the Dome Road, an area zoned as residential and hinterland.

Most disturbing of all are the thousands of mineral claims staked in the pristine Peel watershed since land use planning in the region began.

There are approximately 8,431 mineral claims in the Peel; there were 1,650 when the Peel Watershed Planning Commission began its work.

One would think that the archaic and unfair practice of free entry would be an anachronism in this day and age.

The Yukon government thinks otherwise, and is “confident that Yukon has appropriate regulatory processes in place.”

This simply doesn’t wash with the majority of Yukoners who want areas like the Peel protected from this type of development, or with residents who will have to live with heavy equipment and exploration or mining quite literally on their doorstep.

Proponents argue the current system is fair and provides certainty for the mining industry, a major economic driver in the Yukon.

Mining does have a valid role to play, but not at the expense of other sectors of the economy, aboriginal rights or the rights of residents to enjoy the “peaceful enjoyment ... of property” as outlined in the Yukon Human Rights Act. Alternatives do exist that would

What to SEE and DO In Dawson Now 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 klondikesun@northwestel.net.

Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC) - ODD Gallery: Mon. - Fri. 11 am - 5 pm Sat noon - 5pm. Visit www.kiac.ca for current exhibitions and programming information.

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 - April 9-10: HP7, 2 PM. True Grit, 7 PM. Come check the last movies of the season!

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

Dawson City Chamber of Commerce - Regular meetings 2nd Wed. of each month.

Dawson City Community Library - Open Mon - Fri, noon to 6:30. Annual General Meeting April 27, 6:30 PM in the library.

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 Community Heritage meeting - Monday, April 18. TH Community Hall. “Please join us for a monthly update on what is going on in the heritage dept.”

Yukon Party Klondike Constituency meeting - Wednesday April 6th, 6 PM, RC Legion Conseration Klondike Society - Annual General Meeting, Wednesday April 20th, 6 PM. Yukon College (2nd floor).

Dentist Dr. Christopher Wisniewski will be in Dawson April 13, 14, & 15. Please call 1-800-539-1127 for an appointment.

Mosaic Workshop with Tiss Clark - April 9 & 10, 1-4 PM. $60 with all matierals provided. Call 993-6154 to enroll.

provide better equality than the current predetermination that mining is the most appropriate use of land.

The current system could be restricted to pre-approved areas only, modified to allow government to approve claim registrations subject to conditions, and a public review period could be introduced.

An approach could be taken where the government may grant staking rights subject to environmental and socioeconomic assessments.

A system like the current oil and gas process could allow proponents to apply for an exploration “disposition” for lands with the government determining who and how.

A concessions approach would give the government control over the area to be mined, and it could determine the term, rent, royalty, and work obligations through negotiation.

But of course, the most effective method is simply to have land use plans in place prior to considering

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opening areas for development.

Changes to the current system will require amendments to legislation and will take time; something the Peel watershed plan doesn’t have.

While pursuing a change in Yukon-wide mining legislation, the Yukon Conservation Society and CPAWS-Yukon are advising holders of mineral claims and leases in the Peel watershed that they have a choice: pursue development or sale of risky and socially unacceptable industrial ventures in the remote Peel River region, or contribute to high-profile conservation and corporate stewardship.

Both organizations are calling upon companies with mineral claims and leases in the Peel watershed to relinquish their holdings, and benefit from widespread, positive public recognition for corporate stewardship.

Jim Taggart Yukon Conservation Society Dawson City

Open letter to Jim Taggart, Yukon conservation Society Mr. Taggart:

If you do not approve of the way that mining companies are allowed to do business in the Yukon then please allow me to make the following suggestions to you.

1 - Run for office during the next Territorial and or Federal election on a platform to reform the Yukon mining laws.

2 - Live in an area where there is no mining industry.

3 - Live in an area where people don’t use things that come from a mined resource.

As a Yukon Conservation Society member and employee,your paycheck and livelihood are just as dependent on the Yukon mining industry as mine are, Mr. Taggart,for if it were not for all the supposed wrongs being committed by mining companies operating in the Yukon, then the Yukon Conservation Society would have no reason to exist, and that means that you, Mr Taggart,would have to find a way to make an income by criticizing another industry of which you, as a consumer of the earth’s resources, are totally dependent upon.

How about using newspapers and print media, such as the Yukon News, for example,which are made from trees of course,to attack the Canadian pulp and paper industry?

Jon Wilkie Dawson City

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

in OUR community

Fire up the popcorn:

by Evan Rensch Glimmers of spring are in the air: the days are longer, the snow is melting and the Dawson City International Short Film Festival is only two weeks away!

This year marks the 12th edition of this annual event that has increasingly become a highlight of the town’s active cultural calendar.

Always scheduled to coincide with the Easter weekend, the 2011 festival will take place from April 21-24.

According to festival producer Dan Sokolowski, over one hundred short films are scheduled to screen during the four days of programming, including over forty films by Yukon artists.

“Every year, the quality of our submissions gets better and better, making it a harder pool to choose from”, explains Sokolowski.

Responding to the excitement surrounding the festival, he replies: “Despite the internet’s popularity, its still always fun to get together and watch projected movies in the dark, picking and arguing over your favorites.”

While the multiple programs of shorts make up the bulk of the recurring content, every year the festival invites several special guests who infuse each installment of the event with its own special character. This year is no exception.

Special visitors include St. John’s-based composer Rozalind MacPhail, who will open the event on Thursday night with a live sound performance accompanied by the work of eleven Newfoundland filmmakers on screen.

Traveling from Toronto are actor and director Michael Greyeyes, who will lead a workshop on actor-director communication techniques, and executive director of Bravo!FACT, Judy Gladstone, who will discuss the in’s and out’s of producing and marketing their short film.

Sokolowski is personally excited about the Friday workshop entitled “From Documentary to Documentary Opera”, given by documentary filmmaker and York University professor Brenda Longfellow. Longfellow will work with participants to create a short collaborative film over the course of an afternoon, screening the final product later that night.

“The project is so interactive in nature – I think it will be really exciting”, he remarks.

And that’s not all in terms of

THE KLONDIKE SUN

The 12th Annual Dawson City International Short Film Festival set to light up screens around town

special events: currentKIAC artistsin-residence Marcia Connolly and Angela Joosse plan to debut a film created during their seven-week stay in Dawson this spring. Also of note, renowned author Gwynn Dyer will speak about his latest book in the ODD Fellows ballroom on Saturday, April 23.

Despite the excitement created by all of these special visitors, local filmmakers maintain a prominent place within the festival’s programming. Every year, the winners of KIAC’s 48 Hour Film Competition held in January are selected to screen at the DCISFF. This year’s winners - Forty-Eight Hour Sonnet by Kit Hepburn and Soft Spoken by Evan Rensch and Aubyn O’Grady – are set to make their festival debut. Other emerging artists screening their work include Trina Buhler, Nathan Bragg, Reno Lazdins, Holly Haustein, and Kirsten Lorenz.

They are joined by established local artists Lulu Keating, Veronica Verkley, Meg Walker, Chris Levett and Charles Stankievech.

Also noteworthy is the return of former Dawson resident and ODD Gallery director Mike Yuhasz, whose film Istvan – even there no kiddin is on the schedule. Over the weekend, the ODD Gallery is set to project a series of films by Vancouver artist Isabelle Pauwels for those itching to take a break from the ballroom screenings

Opening night in the ODD Fellows Ballroom at last year’s festival (Photo by Jay Armitage) upstairs.

A few changes and additions to the normal routine will keep things fresh: the children’s screening, previously held at SOVA, will now be moved to the Museum.

An outdoor barbeque is planned for Sunday afternoon on Princess St between KIAC and Bombay Peggy’s, offering filmgoers a break from the theatre’s dark confines to enjoy the spring weather. The festival will also debut a new hard-

drive based projection system, eliminating the quirks of fiddling with camera tape decks.

For Sokolowski, this is his fifth time around directing the festival.

His film Laurie’s Garden was shown at the very first DCISFF in 2000, prompting him to make his first trip to the Yukon and attend the event in person. After multiple return visits to Dawson, he took over the role of festival producer in 2007, a job that occupies his

time from September to May each year.

As is the case with most events held in Dawson, Sokolowski acknowledges the efforts of many local volunteers that help out – from taking tickets to serving popcorn.

He invites local residents to “come out, get involved, and participate in an event that celebrates the vitality of Dawson’s art community.”

THE KLONDIKE SUN

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

in OUR community

Studer Takes the Percy Story & Photos

By Dan Davidson Crispin Studer moved up from second place to first and improved on his 2010 running time by about two minutes to capture the trophy in this year’s 36th running of the Percy DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race. His winning time was 20 hours and 23 minutes. This is a couple of minutes shy of the course record of 18 hours and 46 minutes, set by Brian MacDougall in 2003.

Gerry Willomitzer pulled in an hour and a quarter later, followed about two hours after that by Mathias Bech, mushing with Willomitzer ‘s other team.

Studer thanked his wife from prodding him to run the race this year.

“I truly wouldn’t have made it here without here because I was pretty sick back home. She loaded my stuff into the truck and loaded the dogs. I was sitting in the passenger’s seat all the way up here.

“She kicked my ass to make sure that I would go to the (mushers’)

meeting and sign up. She woke me up in the morning to be sure I would put my parka on. I really didn’t feel like it, but I’m really happy that I did.”

He was feeling fine and beaming as he hefted the moose antler trophy.

Before any of the main race teams got back, however, the Percy Junior racers, led by Luc Tweddell and Pierre Duc pulled in shortly after 2:30 on Friday afternoon, with Kyla Boivin arriving not long after Studer.

The main race concluded in the following order: Brian Wilmshurst, Maren Bradley, Yuka Honda, Deb Knight, Marcelle Fressineau, Colin Morrison, Jonathan Lucas, Ryan Kinna, Richard Todd, Karon Ramstead (Red Lantern).

One musher, Lucy Tyrrell, decided to scratch at Eagle when she realized that her older dogs were not recovering well from the first half of the race. She didn’t even want to run the risk of bringing them back at a slow pace, so she arranged for a plane and flew herself and her dogs back to Dawson.

Crispin Studer, John Borg and Anna Claxton

Crispin Studer arrives in Dawson on Friday afternoon at 3 o’clock.

The remaining places in the Junior Percy were Alexandra Rochat, Matt McHugh and Simi Morrison (Red Lantern).

The two-man skijor race was won by Stefan Wackerhagen, whose total time of ten hours and ten minutes beat Darryl Sheepway by nine minutes. Both agreed that the overnight trip to Forty Mile and back was a lot more run than running distances in and out of Dawson for two days as in the past.

Other awards at the banquet included the junior and main race Vet Awards, presented to Alexandra Rochat and Maren Bradley; the Rookie of the Year, which went to Mathias Bech; Sportsman of the Year, which went to Gerry Willomitzer.

The DeWolfe Committee presented a special recognition award to race marshal John Borg, who has served in all 36 races and has managed to make it to the closing banquet all but twice in all those years.

“John is the only person who has been involved in every single running of the memorial mail race,” said committee president Anna Claxton. “We thought we’d recognize him with a picture from

this year’s race. It’s a picture from the start, which you never get to see, ‘cause you’re always helping out in Eagle.”

“I certainly appreciate this,” Borg said. “I thought it was my retirement cheque. I’ve been here 34 out of the 36, One year I made it

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part way and got caught in the bad weather, and the other year I was flying out of Eagle the next day, so I’ve got legitimate excuses.”

The closing awards dinner was held at the Oddfellows Hall on Saturday night.

John Borg receives a photo from Anna Claxton honouring his 36 years of service with the race.

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

City controlled Water Delivery to Continue to those Off-Grid Hunter

By Dan Davidson The issue of water delivery for Dawson residents who are not on the piped water and sewer system has been simmering for several months now. March 31 marked the end of the current contract; while the bylaw, which enabled the delivery service, was not due to expire until April 30. While the town’s administration first brought this incongruency to the council’s attention on December 8, 2010, it came down to the wire on the evening of March 30 before a decision was made as to what course to take.

In the end council signed a new agreement for water delivery services with Grenon Enterprises to cover the next three years.

The cost of this service to consumers was not available at press time, but a letter (as noted on the City Back Page) was mailed to affected residents on Friday and should be in their hands by now.

Successive councils have been whittling away at the subsidy provided to those residents in the town core and in the Dome subdivisions who are on trucked water delivery, with a goal of moving to full cost recovery.

Over time, residents on water delivery have seen the cost rise to 50% cost recovery, then 70% and 85%. This year’s plan, previously announced, would have taken the amount to 100%, at which point the city’s contention is that it would most likely be cheaper for the resident to deal directly with the company that actually delivers the water.

This was the last of five options for service that council presented to a meeting attended by about 20 people on March 30 and it was a non-starter for all of them.

Long term Dome residents each had a prospectus, issued by the town and signed by the mayor of that day, Peter Jenkins, also the current mayor, indicating that the town would provide that water delivery to those lots. The price of the service, which has only ever been for the delivery, not the water, has increased considerably since then, but residents felt the town was still obligated to provide the service.

“We hoped that the city would stand by its word,” said Bill Bowie, a Dome resident and former town councillor.

Shirley Pennell, also a former councillor, expressed the same feeling, that the town should be required to continue the service by the terms of the original prospectus.

Even after Mayor Jenkins conceded that the town was obligated to continue arranging for the water delivery in some fashion, the question of cost remained.

Residents on the piped water system will be paying an annual charge of $1,060 for the combination of water and sewer services.

Those on water delivery, who do not use sewer services as they have septic field systems, could be paying as little a $107.93 (delivery every other week) or as much as $624.00 (two deliveries a week) a month on the Dome, or as little as $97.75 and as much as $624.00 in the downtown area (mostly in the North End). This would mean an annual

bill of anywhere from $1173.00 to $7488.00, just for having water delivered to a home.

The cost of delivery has jumped by 30% on the tender submitted by Grenon Enterprises due to a raft of new regulations which involve training for workers, more stringent testing of the water being delivered and a separate building in which to house the delivery truck.

While people understood the reasons for the increase, the general mood in the room among the audience and, indeed, most of the council, was that such bills were not sustainable.

Several Dome residents said they would have to haul their own water at rates like those.

“Are you nuts?” Helen Bowie asked town manager Jeff Renaud, who smiled and said he would take that as a rhetorical question.

Bowie wasn’t the only one to use strong language at the meeting.

Councillor Rick Riemer had calculated that his family’s yearly bill might run to $2400.00 “It’s crazy,” he said, indicating that he was one of those who would haul his own water at those prices.

Both Bill Bowie and Bill Holmes expressed a concern that rates like these could do nothing but drive young families away from the area.

Riemer suggested that the town ought to look into a uniform rate for everyone, with the shortfall spread across the tax base.

Jenkins felt that the territory might be asked to consider stabilizing rates across the communities. He said that some of the unorganized communities in the territory have water rates that are under $10 a month.

“It’s unbelievable what they’re paying. It’s very heavily subsidized and the Yukon government does not want to talk about it.”

Councillor Kendrick suggested setting a flat rate up to a certain amount of use for water delivery customers and then charging a higher rate beyond that, something like what happens with electricity bills.

The meeting closed with residents not knowing just what the situation would be on April 1, but that something would be worked out over the intervening 36 hours.

Happy 16th Birthday Charlie!

THE KLONDIKE SUN

Gatherer

By Allie Haydock This past weekend we had some friends for dinner. Initially it was suggested that since that weather has been so beautiful a ceremonious barbeque to kick off the new season was in order.

Then one of our guests mentioned that although it was tempting – we would be barbequing very soon (and for mostly every meal) and that we were still in a quickly closing window of time when we can still comfortably bake things in the oven. So she baked a lovely lasagna and once the sun disappeared and it was too cold to sit on the porch, we ate a wonderful warm dinner and all lay around in a delightful food-coma, basking in the warmth from the woodstove, happily enjoying the last moments of winter.

With this logic in mind, here is a very warm, satisfying baked casserole, one that you probably won’t want to make much longer as the weather warms, but which would be a perfect dinner now that it’s still kind of cold at night.

Chris and I recently watched the entire ‘Sopranos’ series and we came up with this recipe to satisfy our cravings for the cheesy, gooey, saucy, Italian-American Sunday Dinner classics constantly showcased that drove us so crazy. I doubt it comes very close to an actual traditional dish, but it turns out very well and to be quite a lot of food. Since there are only two of us, when we made it we immediately froze half the casserole in individual portions and then still ate what was left for almost a week. Months later, the frozen portions heated, covered in the oven tasted as good as freshly baked.

I love the way this tastes – there’s not much to it but I like the way the simple flavors and textures go together. Although you could easily build on this recipe, adding vegetables like mushrooms, spinach, zucchini and eggplant. Cooked sausage or ground beef would surely work as well.

Since this casserole is quite rich, I recommend serving it with a fresh green salad with a light vinaigrette.

Baked Ziti - 1 pkg. ziti or penne noodles, cooked to al dente - 1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced - 2 tbsp olive oil - 1 tbsp butter - 2 cloves garlic, minced - 1 large can crushed tomatoes - 1 large container ricotta cheese - 2 cups grated mozzarella cheese - heat the olive oil and butter in a pan - add the onions and cook for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring frequently until caramelized - in the last few minutes of cooking add the garlic - empty the canned tomatoes into a large bowl and add the onions and ricotta, stirring to combine - season with salt and pepper - toss the cooked pasta with the sauce mixture and spread in an 9 x 13 glass baking dish - top with the grated cheese and cover with tin foil - bake at 400 degrees until heated through, remove tin foil and bake until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned

THE KLONDIKE SUN

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

Guelph Students Visit RSS This month, 13 students from Guelph, Ontario made the trip to Dawson as part of the Canada Youth Exchange program, an initiative funded by the federal government and Heritage Canada. The group of students - all from Guelph Collegiate - were accompanied by three teachers and their leader, Brian Cluff and were billeted by local residents. Over the course of their ten day stay in Dawson, they experienced Moosehide, went skiing on the Yukon River, visited the gold fields, and made the voyage up to Tombstone Territorial Park. In April, a group of Robert Service School students will complete the exchange by making the eastward journey to Guelph. The following paragraphs recollect the experiences of one particular student, Beverly Martin: Marnie Cornett

My first impression of Dawson City was that it was a small old fashioned town, a definite tourist town. Dawson City is a much more isolated city than the students of Guelph are used to. The splash of colour used for the buildings is eye catching. The scenery of Dawson is beautiful and such a change of landscape compared to Southern Ontario.

I have enjoyed learning about the different stories and interesting facts about Dawson and the local First Nation’s people from the Danoja Zho Cultural Centre. The views from Crocus Bluff were indescribable as are the views from the Dome and the Moosehide Village. I learned many facts about the city itself from the scavenger hunt. By doing the scavenger we got to talk to the helpful friendly locals who knew where everything was because of the town is so small. We are looking forward to visiting Dempster and working on gold panning.

Teresa Duck, teacher Lloyd Lewis, and group leader Brian Cluff

The group at Moosehide.

Johnson’s Annual Break-up Prediction Graph

Stephen Johnson’s break-up graph shows a definite trend towards earlier break-ups over the life of the chart. Don’t take it for gospel though. Last year it happened sooner than he predicted.

DAWSON CITY WATERFRONT

MAY 28TH, 2011: NOON UNTIL MIDNIGHT CANCER SURVIVORS Please register for some pampering at this inspirational fundraising event!!

We need to plan appropriately for “you”.

Contact the Relay for Life “lead volunteer” lynnrear@gmail.com or 993-6444

VOLUNTEERS If you would like to volunteer at this event please contact “lead volunteer” Hannah @ h.cheshire@hotmail.com one day....one night....one community....one fight

www.yukonrelay.ca

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

New show at the ODD Gallery turns pictures into protest

by Evan Rensch The American critic Dave Hickey once remarked that one of art’s most beneficial qualities is its ability to peacefully facilitate the resolution of conflict without to actual violence. By expressing feelings of protest and outrage within the framework of a painting, sculpture or photograph, an artist can engage their antagonist diplomatically, and the artwork becomes a forum for negotiation.

With these thoughts in mind, the current exhibition on view at the ODD Gallery could easily be described as a warzone, minus the bloodshed.

Entitled “Rituals of Identity, Tactics of Resistance” the gallery presents a series of large-scale photographs by the Montreal-based artist Eva Quintas. For the past ten years of her career, Quintas has examined and questioned the ways in which a society subjugates those minority groups that often differ from the dominant forces guiding our “global village”. The eight particular images shown in Dawson can be viewed as an excerpt from this long-term project, and in this particular installment, Native Americans – from both Canada and

abroad - comprise the artist’s rebellious protagonists.

Begun in Mexico City during a residency at the National Arts Centre, the body of images initially developed from the artist’s interaction with costumed Aztec warrior dancers. Through Quintas’ lens, these costumed performers come to be viewed as rebellious archivists, recording the rites and rituals of their threatened cultural practices. Upon her return to Quebec, the artist continued the pursuit of this subject to include native communities found closer to home.

No matter the particular geography guiding each image, Quintas’ choice of composition remains a constant throughout the work: a stoic, isolated figure stares defiantly back at the viewer, demanding the recognition of their own individualilty. The artist places these ‘figures of resistance’ against a violent and abstract environment, brimming with symbols and graphics from modern urban society.

It becomes immediately apparent that Quintas is indebted to the artistic predecessors of this foreign culture she is exploring: Mexico has a long history of politicallymotivated artistic practices, dating back to the famous twentieth-cen-

tury painters Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo and their contemporaries.

While Quintas cannot quite mimic the vast scale of their works, at certain points the density of her compositions comes close. In The Fifth Race, for instance, the sheer volume of visual information envelops the viewer within a world that spans a range of cultural evolution within a single static image.

In her own particular way, Quintas attempts to tackle the age-old dilemma of what makes a person an individual, but this time with twentieth-first century technology at her disposal. Though they still photographs at heart, each image has been subject to a painstaking digital manipulation that allows the artist to collage her seemingly disparate characters and environments at will. Quintas consciously prints her images on large folds of stretched canvas rather than paper, creating defined dialogue between the history of painting and photography.

Yet despite their dual nature, Quintas’ work still embodies photography’s fundamental characteristic - its uncanny ability to record the likeness of the external world.

In her hands, photography retains those nineteenth century roots that

THANK YOU! The Dawson City Music Festival would like to thank the 2011 Lip Sync sponsors:

Aurora Office, Bombay Peggy’s, Bonanza Market, Dawson City International Short Film Festival, Dawson Trading Post, Danoja Zho Cultural Centre, Downtown Hotel, Eldorado Hotel, Hair Cabaret, Jimmy’s Place, The Klondike Sun, Klondyke Winemakers, Klondike Visitors Association, Maximilian’s, ODD Gallery, Peabody’s Photo Parlour, The Raven’s Nook, Sandy McClintock, and Yukon Brewing We would also like to extend special thanks to:

The staff of Diamond Tooth Gertie’s, CIBC, Jesse Cooke on sound, Peter Menzies behind the curtain, and our 50-50 sellers.

WE APPRECIATE YOUR SUPPORT!

THE KLONDIKE SUN

The Fifth Race, inkjet print on canvas, 2004-06.

viewed the medium not as art, but as a scientific tool for studying the surfaces and façades around us.

It’s true that many viewers may find these images to be cold and overly intellectual at times. But at their core, the works presented at the ODD Gallery are tremendously compassionate: one can immediately recognize the intense connection Quintas maintains with her subjects. Through this bond, she continues the strong relationship between the photographer and human subject - a relationship guiding so many memorable artistic portraits from the past.

In the end, Quintas’ complex images resist any narrow interpretation. By digitally cutting and pasting her characters within the scenes they inhabit, she seemingly alludes to the multi-faceted nature of human character. Putting away her scissors and glue in favour of a mouse and keyboard, Quintas reinvigorates this historically political medium and carries the battle into the twenty-first century.

“Rituals of Identity, Tactics of Resistance” will be on view at the ODD Gallery until Saturday, April 23rd.

THE KLONDIKE SUN

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

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

Artist Profile: Tanya Tagaq

Artist Profile: Yukon Blonde It’s clear from their band name alone that these Kelowna-born alt-rockers are under the Spell of the Yukon. Their name and their sound evokes that romanticized Northern ideal – unbroken wilderness, bright lights, and endless possibility. Yukon Blonde has a beautiful and wide-open approach to making music.The album’s arrangements are joyful and spot-on, evoking the sonic bliss of Supertramp or ELO. (“Mr. Blue Sky” wouldn’t sound out of place on this album – the songs are equally buoyant, bouncy, and danceable.) The vocal harmonies evoke Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, or maybe today’s peers like Fleet Foxes. In person, however, the retro comparisons cease (despite the bands ‘70s style – the long hair, beards, and double denim certainly aren’t helping).

No mere Retro throwback, though, Yukon Blonde is very much their own band. Their hippie and ‘70s influences help shape the sound but, never dominate. Instead, their enthusiasm and talent is influencing others in the amazingly fertile Vancouver music scene. They deserve the appreciation. Their debut album is a shockingly well-crafted album, for such a young band. That precision is well-earned – their chops have been honed on the road after a long apprenticeship on the Kelowna scene and a national touring career launched by a stint as backing band for Jon-Rae Fletcher (DCMF 2007).

Now comes the payoff: in addition to Dawson, Yukon Blonde are playing Mariposa, the Ottawa BluesFest, and other high-profile shows this summer, and are poised to break through to the mainstream. Keep an eye on this fast-rising band – they’ll be soundtracking beach parties, road trips, and campfires across Canada for the next ten years, and keeping the word “Yukon” on everyone’s lips. This band is living the dream!

Born in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, Tanya Tagaq is an experimental throat singer and multi-disciplinary graphic artist. Although Inuit throat singing is a very traditional, convention-bound form, Tagaq didn’t start doing it until she went away to art school as a young woman. Unsurprisingly, she’s taken it in a whole new direction, using throat singing’s sonic palette to invent a new musical form.

Supposedly Tanya sings from her throat, but we don’t believe it. Listening to her it sounds as though those sounds come straight from Tanya’s heart. They ebb and flow, a sonic translation of pure emotion. That sounds a little abstract but it’s hard not to get abstract when you’re talking about Tanya. Her sounds are transportative and dream-like.

Good thing her performance is so riveting (hard to float off to a dream-world when she’s throwing herself around the stage!). Her highly embodied, deeply hypnotic performances have attracted global attention, leading to collaborations with the Kronos Quartet and Bjork.

Speaking of abstract: at DCMF, the Yellowknife-based Tagaq will perform with accompaniment from two of Canada’s most creative improvising musicians: Toronto percussionist Jean Martin and Vancouver violin genius Jesse Zubot. The founder of Barnyard Records, Jean Martin is a leader and figurehead in Toronto’s avant-garde musical underground. Playing with a constantly shifting range of projects, Martin’s main gig is Barnyard Drama, but you’ll find him backing up true jazz heavyweights like Evan Parker on their Toronto visits.

Vancouver’s Jesse Zubot is a violin wizard and a true instigator of Canadian creative music. A producer, bandleader, and sideman extraordinaire, Zubot’s lent his tremendously sensitive hands to many projects. No stranger to DCMF, he’s been up as part of Great Uncles of the Revolution, Zubot & Dawson, and Jim Byrnes’ band.

Like Martin, Zubot is freed by Tanya’s expressive and emotional approach to explore the creative height of his improvisational musical practice. In other words, the trio’s improvisations go very, very far out – to the point where half the audience leaves the room and the other half breaks down in tears of joy. We’re not joking. If you think you know Tagaq, or throat singing, think again! We guarantee you’ve never seen anything like this trio performance.

Klondike Development Organization Pleased with Survey Response Dawson City – Eightyseven households comprising 204 people responded to the Klondike Development Organization’s (KDO) housing survey launched last February in response to Dawson City’s housing crunch.

Results of the survey were shared with the community at the KDO’s housing-information fair last Tuesday, March 29, from noon–7:00 p.m., at the Downtown Hotel.

“We’re extremely pleased so many people took time to share their thoughts,” said Mark Wickham, KDO Project Manager. “It confirms that housing is a critical issue facing our community and possibly inhibiting growth.”

The feedback helps establish an understanding of the issues facing residents and will be useful for land planners and property developers, added Wickham.

“A vast majority of renters and half the homeowners we heard from want a new home,” said Wickham. “Not surprisingly, we also found that lack of land and houses, as well as affordability of new construction, are proving real barriers to realizing that goal.”

Half of respondents are looking for homes in town, while the other half are looking for country-residential options. A significant amount of households would also consider cooperative and strata options.

“The survey also found that many residents are in a good position to acquire a home, but they lack the information they need to pursue home ownership,” said Brian Stethem, KDO President. “The KDO Housing Fair will begin addressing this knowledge gap.”

The Fair featured presentations from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) and Yukon Housing Corporation about the programs they offer. The City of Dawson was on hand to speak to development regulations, available building lots and subdivision planning. Financial institutions and realtors were also present to offer advice.

“We’re also inviting contractors and developers,” added Stethem. “We hope residents take this chance to learn how they can build a home for themselves in Dawson City.”

The KDO will spend the next several weeks analyzing the housing-survey results and developing a communityhousing strategy, which will be completed by the end of April.

Below: Oro Construction shows off its techniques and plans.

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN

Construction Hammers to Start Banging Soon

By Stephen Johnson, DCWWTP Construction Manager

It is that time of year when the sun graces the winter snows with its heat and gives a promise of a new spring and construction season.

Dowland Construction’s activities at the new apartment complex at Turner Street and Fifth Avenue are winding down just as their activities at the new hospital location begin to get into high gear. While the new Wastewater Treatment plant has been in hibernation, activities behind the scenes have declared a formal start of construction to begin April 28 with the excavation for a new influent sump. Scheduled completion of this task is May 9.

The reader may have noticed the Yukon Energy crew installing 4 power poles and stringing new power cable during the week of March 21. That was an important part of preparing for the influent sump as we will have to excavate below where the power line used to feed the Screening Plant. Also, NWTel will be replacing the underground line that runs along the fence line by the construction site and stringing it temporarily along the new power line. This is a

Thaw di Gras

major 400 pair trunk line that supplies telephone and internet services to the south part of town including the RCMP detachment. Once this portion of the project is complete, the temporary power and NWTel lines will be placed underground and the power poles removed.

Gammie Trucking will begin excavating the area for the new influent sump that is part of the new sewage treatment plant as the first part of getting activities underway. At present, the water table is at about 314 m elevation or approximately 5.0 m (16.4 feet) below the basic ground elevation of 319 m. The fiberglass influent sump will be attached to a concrete platform with a bottom elevation of 310.6 m. Therefore, the water table must be lowered some 3.4 m (11.2 feet)! That will require a number of pumps and a long (1,100 feet) 12” diameter black plastic pipeline that will extend to “Norm’s Hump” at the dyke where clean water from the site will discharge into the manhole that links to the outfall to the river. The photo shows 3 alternate routes that the pipeline will take. We will decide which route is most efficient and least disruptive once the dewatering contractor arrives on site. At present, route 2 seems to “fill the bill”.

The total depth of excavation will be some 8.4 m (27.6’). In order to work safely at the bottom of the excavation, the slopes or bank must be cut back quite significantly. In doing so, the excavation limits will cross well into Fifth Avenue and likely, will require that Fifth Avenue be closed off to traffic for a good portion of this task or

approximately 8 to 10 days. We will make every effort to keep the closure to a bare minimum.

A Dawson City Development Permit has been applied for due to the anticipated closure to Fifth Avenue and the associated pipe works shown in the photograph.

Events

Funding is available for: • Professional Sound Recordings (6 tracks or 20 minutes) • Professional Demo Recordings (2 tracks or 5 minutes)

(from pg. 3)

Next application deadline:

May 2, 4:00 p.m.

Things get heated during the bartender olympics at the Pit.

A half dozen sculptures were made at the 24 Hour Snowcarving competition.

Applications can be picked up from the Yukon Film & Sound Commission office at 101 Elliott Street or online at www.soundyukon.com Completed applications can be dropped off at our office or mailed to: Yukon Film & Sound Commission Box 2703 (F-3) Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2C6 Phone: 667-5400 Toll Free: 1-867-661-0408 ext. 5400 Email: sound.yukon@gov.yk.ca Web: www.soundyukon.com

Seaching for loonies in a haystack on Sunday afternoon..

The weekend’s messiest event: the egg toss.

THE KLONDIKE SUN

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

Signs of the Times

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If Klondike MLA Steve Nordick got many confusing calls on April 1, he can blame it on this sign at the foot of the Dome Road. The “Active Mine” notice on which the sign was placed belongs to the Slinky Mine, which has the rights to mine the bench on the road just below the intersection with Mary McLeod Road. One of the options the Yukon government might have pursued when it wanted to develop a subdivision on that mining claim was to buy out the claim, an option even suggested by the miner.

Sandy Silver reports that several politicians in Whitehorse were taken in by this item when it appeared in the Whitheorse Star last Friday.

Artistic Signs

by Jen Laliberte, Yukon School of Visual Arts One of the most interesting things about teaching in an art school is the creative energy and experimental adventurousness that the students bring to the SOVA Foundation-Year Bachelor of Fine Arts program, especially one in a location as unique as Dawson City.

Assignments become projects that take many forms, sometimes incubated within the SOVA building, cleanly displayed in gallery walls or plainly typed on lettersized paper.

In some cases, however, our students seek to present their work in the public sphere, utilizing not only the fascinating natural and constructed landscapes of Dawson City, but also involving the community as the viewers, interpreters, and decoders of the artistic messages. Public Art has a reputation for challenging the expectations of its viewers and bring forth important questions about what art is and does.

One such example emerged from a recent Text and Image project for my SOVA ArtWords

English class, wherein student (and born-and-raised Dawsonite) Kerry Barber took the project outside...in a big way.

Kerry’s work took its cues from innovative contemporary artists like Jenny Holzer and Barbara Kruger, who employ text as a visual medium to convey meaning.

Kerry’s piece Sleep used multiple languages and phrases to capture the hibernation mode of Dawson City in the winter time, and as such, she chose to use one of the many seasonal businesses as a venue for this work.

Kerry phoned the Midnight Sun Hotel’s owner and proprietor Haine Wing in B.C. to get permission to use the building’s south side to hang her large-scale work and installed the piece on March 28th.

Within two days, the City of Dawson received a complaint about the work and informed Kerry she would have to take it down. Before she got the opportunity, however, the artwork was removed from the exterior of the Midnight Sun Hotel by an unknown party late in the evening on March 30th.

Kerry says her goal with the

Photo by Glenda Bolt

work was not only to make “people to feel tired after they read it [because] we all hibernate in the winter”, but also to draw attention to the seasonal rhythms and cycles of Dawson City, and to demonstrate the kind of work SOVA students produce.

For Kerry, public art is a way of sharing the products of her education and artistic practice, and it helps to “show people that what we do here at SOVA is just as impressive and ‘big’ as what goes on down south at the art schools.

This is university, and we are serious about our work and trying new things to create”.

I think Kerry’s point is a good one, and her project was able to very prominently and visibly demonstrate just what does go on at the Yukon School of Visual Arts, and how our students respond to and interact with the town they create in.

Art can take many forms, and getting it out of the gallery is one way of sharing the message and meaning with a broader audience, so I hope some of you got the chance to be part of that broader audience in viewing Kerry Barber’s Sleep.

Eye on SOVA

by Rheas Flanagan

APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 15, 2011

2 col x 5"

It’s our final month at SOVA and we are anxiously awaiting our next Over the Wire Project. Charles has not given out any clues as to what our project might entail, but he has disclosed who we will be partnering with: The Centre for Land Use Interpretation (CLUI).

CLUI is a research and education organization interested in “understanding the nature and extent of human interaction with the earth’s surface, and in finding new meanings in the intentional and incidental forms that we individually and collectively create (from the CLUI website)”. We’re a pretty lucky group being able to work

with them.

We’re channeling spirits, or at least washing our brushes with them, in Veronica’s class, as we start our final 2D unit: painting. Students have been mentally preparing themselves for the heartbreak and awkwardness involved in showing off our painted self-portraits.

We finished a controversial text and image unit this week in Jen’s English class. SOVA students works have been spotted all over town, including Kerry

Barber’s sleepy words making a brief appearance on the side of the Midnight Sun. Her spray painted sheets woke townsfolk out of their winter slumber and back into the public complaints forum.

In our 3D class, we’ve starting a prosthetics unit, so if you are short an appendage or are looking for an enhancement now is your chance to get some free custom work done.

Things are starting to wrap up at SOVA; the end of the year show is just around the corner it’s shaping up to be a good one.

Mark the last weekend of April on your calendars for a once a year opportunity to see some of the best student artwork in Dawson.

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN

CFYT 106.9 FM Program Profiles In each issue of The Klondike Sun, we’ll be profiling programs on CFYT 106.9FM, Dawson’s community radio station. You can listen to CFYT on your FM radio, the DC TV Channel 11 Rolling Ads, and online at http://cfyt. ca. This issue, get to know Jen Laliberte of Cave of Spleen and Julie Leclerc of Francopen.

Name of DJ: Jen Laliberte Name of Show: Cave of Spleen Day and time the show airs: Saturdays, 7pm -9pm On CFYT since: The land before time.

Description of your show: “Unnumber’d Throngs, on ev’ry side are seen, Of Bodies chang’d to various forms by Spleen.

Here living Teapots stand, one Arm held out, One bent; the Handle this, and that the Spout: A Pipkin there like Homer’s Tripod walks; Here sighs a Jar, and there a Goose-pye talks;” Genres of music typically played on your show: pop, rock, pop-rock, oldies, noise, folk, experimental, heavy metal, traditional, dance, rap, club hits, yacht rock, gospel, instrumental...you can have whatever you like.

What are your some of your current favourite albums?: Right now I am really grooving upon these albums: White Hills – White Hills, Tusk – Fleetwood Mac, Swim – Caribou, Going Swans – Yellow Swans, Original Soundtrack – Cats the Musical (Andrew Lloyd Webber), Diane – Kyle MacLachlan/Agent Cooper What are your top 5 “desert island” albums?: Trans – Neil Young, Band on the Run – Wings, Tigermilk – Belle & Sebastian, Floodland – Sisters of Mercy, The Glow Pt. 2 – The Microphones What do you like best about being on CFYT?: Listening to music really loudly and paying attention exclusively to the music rather than having it on while doing something else; I like the devotion of musiclistening during radio broadcasts. Getting calls and feedback from listeners is also a great component of the experience and so much fun!

CYFT 106.9 FM: Dawson City Community Radio

What has been your favourite on-air moment?: They are all pretty great, but I think the live coverage and interviews from Moosehide Gathering last summer are right up there. That was a pretty fun time in the blazing hot sun! I also like hearing the KIAC Kid’s Art Camp broadcasts, and the Station IDs that DCMF performers and volunteers record for us each year always make me giggle.

What do you do when you’re not on the air?: Mostly I just lean back and enjoy my previous radio shows, whilst thinking abstractly and theoretically about the next ones...

I’m kidding, I’m kidding; I work, I work! In addition to working a lot, I also like walking, writing, researching, cooking, photographing, drawing, printmaking, cats, and plants.

Do some online spelunking in the Cave of Spleen at http://cfyt.ca/?page_id=1321.

Name of DJ: Julie Leclerc with transients Name of Show: Francopen Day and time the show airs: Sundays, 2pm – 3pm On CFYT since: Summer 2008 Description of your show: This show was the initiative of a young French transient that wished he could share and hear French music on CFYT. So this show is to promote the French cultural/musical scene. We put forward new artists from Canada but also revisit old classics and artists coming from over 55 French-speaking countries.

Genres of music typically played on your show: All types go, too! Folk, Pop, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Oldies, Urban, International and Country.

What is one of your favourite songs of the moment?: Bernard Adamus - Brun What are your top 5 “desert island” albums?: Edith Piaf, La foule; Bia Krugger, Cœur vagabond; Jorane, Evapore; Malajube, Montréal -40; Martin Léon, C’est ça qui est ça!

What do you like best about being on CFYT?: The fact that it has a committed board of directors, it is community oriented, live on the web, and user friendly.

What has been your favourite on-air moment?: When I invite someone in that figures out that it is not that complicated to do and that it wants to do it more.

What do you do when you’re not on the air?: I love being in nature in summer or winter, taking walks, biking around or even boating around! Just watching nature be is mostly humbling. I like to play instruments, and accordion is the latest one I am practicing. I like to putz around and do artwork. Even if I do talk lots, I am a bit secretive and it’s not so easy to get personal stuff out of me! Time is my friend and the Yukon reminds me of this every second and that is why I love my town!

Check the CFYT schedule in the Klondike Sun or at http://cfyt.ca for the next edition of Francopen.

“The Spirit of Dawson” Thursday, April 7th 6:00-7:00 7:00-8:00 8:00-10:00

Jenna - Spires and Spindles Rosie and Capri- Queens of Dawson City Ben- Party Time Machine

Friday, April 8th 1:00-3:00 3:00-5:00 5:00-6:00 6:00-8:00 8:00-9:00 9:00-10:00

Jay - The Theme Scheme John- On The John Tara- Tara’s Show Old Fashioned Gumption Sonny Boy Williams- Rockin’ Blues Show Jim- Psychedelic

Saturday, April 9th 10:00-12:00 12:00-1:00 1:00-2:00 2:00-3:00 3:00-4:00 4:00-5:00 5:00-7:00 7:00-9:00

Jason - Foxy’s Breakfast Simon - The Story Hour Nathan and Steve - Sports Talk Radio John - Hours on the John Freddie - The Howling Revivalists Hour Of Power Tim and Megan - Nuggets Molly - Shore ’nuff Jen - The Cave of Spleen

Sunday, April 10th 12:00-1:00 1:0-2:00 2:00-3:00 3:00-4:00 4:00-6:00 6:00-8:00 8:00-10:00 10:00-12:00

Mike- The City Mic CKLB - Ends of the Earth Julie - Francopen Kerry and Jackson - Yukon SOVA Radio Program Matt and Aubyn - Diff’rent Strokes Kit - Meat and Potatoes Ben and Brendan - The Kings of Dawson City Charles - The DEW Line

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

THE KLONDIKE SUN

March was a Good Move for the Fur Show

Story & Photos

By Dan Davidson

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

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this year, as Jack died just a few weeks before the show and there wasn’t time to have it made.

Jack trapped in this area for over 50 years, and was the creator of the original Fur Show in the mid-1990s, reviving the idea in 2004 when he sat on the DDRRC. This year’s event was dedicated to his memory, with this notation on the poster: ‘Jack will long be remembered not only for his contribution to trapping, but also for his never failing courtesy and sense of

Moving the Dawson Fur Show from January to March seems to have been an excellent idea.

Linda Taylor, the secretary of the Dawson District Renewable Resources Council (DDRRC), says that the attendance at this year’s event was the largest ever.

There were nine trapper entries, said coordinator Our own Rosemarie Gassner wuth her display of hats and mitts.

Miranda Meade, up two from the last show, but the big increase was in the number of people who attended the show.

The Fur Show was included in the Thaw Di Gras schedule this year and became part of the spring carnival program. So people who were already out looking at things added a trip to the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Community Hall to their plans.

Where it really showed up was in the Stew and Bannock meal at 4 p.m., when thirteen gallons of prepared stew Alex Van Bibber looks over the fur tables.

Bill Kendrick, Georgette McLeod, Marielle Vielleux and Shelly Brown on the catwalk. vanished in about 45 minutes.

Tables lined with furs were humour.”

“The award is not necessarily on display for much of the Story & Photo of 26:24. The next year, 2009, the distance – in just about an afternoon, as were tables of for the best trapper,” said

By Dan Davidson fur goods: hats, mitts, and Linda Taylor, “but the best allshowed dramatic improvement, hour and a half longer, placing round trapper, someone who moccasins. as he ran the main race – twice seventh.

Judges Ryan Seely and Alex enjoys the lifestyle, loves the Swiss born Crispin Studer Van Bibber prowled the tables land, passes on knowledge to has been working his way of sable, lynx, fox, wolf and others.” up the pack in the Percy The YOOP trophy will be wolverine pelts and came up DeWolfe Memorial Mail Race available next year, but the with this list of winners. since 2003, when his first st nd DDRRC and the Fraser family Sable: 1 – Mel Besarah; 2 run saw him place eleventh. wanted to do something this and 3rd – Klaus Schytrompe That was an exceedingly fast Lynx: 1st – Darren Kormendy; year, so they bought a small year during which the top 2nd - Mel Besarah; 3rd – Cor take-home plaque or this year, and this year’s winners will be Guimond three mushers all arrived Fox: 1st – Jack Fraser placed on the big trophy next back in Dawson in under 20 (posthumous); 2nd Dan Reynolds; year. hours. The website does not, Other events at the show 3rd - Klaus Schytrompe however, have running times Wolverine: 1st, 2nd and 3rd – included films on trapping in for that particular race, so the wall tent, which was also the Dan Reynolds Studer’s time that year isn’t st nd rd Wolf: 1 , 2 and 3 – Dan scene for kid’s videos and crafts. recorded.

There was live music, door Reynolds Five years later he returned There was no junior trapper prizes, a kids’ jigging contest, and a trap setting contest. award this year. to run in the Percy Junior, with After supper there was a fur A new award was added to the a respectable running time Crispin Studer begins his race on March 24. cont’d on p. 21 list by the DDRRC and the Yukon fashion show, featuring new Order of Pioneers (YOOP). The works from local and visiting and heirloom Jack Fraser Trapper Award was designers, presented to Peggy and Steve clothing as well.

Kormendy. There was no trophy

Studer has worked his way to the top of the Race

“Like” the Klondike Sun on

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

Studer Interview cont’d from p. 20

In 2010 Studer placed second, with a time of 22:35, and this year his first place running time of 20:23 was over an hour ahead of the second place team.

That’s good progress for the 30 year old, who started mushing in 2002 as a handler for Frank Turner on the Yukon Quest. Since that time he has run in many of the races in the Yukon and Alaska, winning the Carbon Hill Race three times in a row, as well as running in the Quest.

“There’s a small dog mushing scene in Switzerland, but I never stood behind a dog sled there,” he said, thinking back to his homeland.

Studer came to the Yukon when he completed his first year of engineering studies and had determined to take a year off before he decided if he would continue.

“I wanted to learn English,” he said, “and I always wanted to see a real adventure. It was Russia, Alaska or Canada, and I liked Canada better. The mentality fitted me better. I decided to come here and I liked it so much that I moved here a few years later.”

His day job, so to speak, is in mineral exploration, a summer occupation that leaves him free to run dogs in the winter.

“I was super happy with my team this year. They were going at 10 miles an hour, average, the whole race, which is pretty fast.

My leaders really impressed me. I knew they were very good, but I didn’t know they were that good.

“I had four pretty young dogs in there that were doing very well too, so I was very happy about that.”

Warm temperatures were a factor in this year’s race.

“I thought I would struggle more with the heat. The sun was out on the first day for a few hours. I liked last year’s bitter cold better.

This year I tried a few things to see how the dogs responded to the heat. I stopped a lot more, every few miles, gave them a short pet and kept running. They did really well on that. It was nice to see.”

Studer had planned for what looked like a warm race, leaving all his darker coated dogs at home.

Personally, Studer was suffering from a lingering stomach flu “My kid had it about 10 days ago, just in time for me to get it. In Eagle I ran to the vet and she gave me some anti-diarrhea stuff. I was afraid I would have to run back with my pants down the whole way. That wasn’t my plan.”

Coming back, Studer had to carry one dog in the basket.

“He had a kind of a sore wrist and he was a young dog.”

He wasn’t happy with being pulled from the harness.

“He was screaming to get out, so I let him run a tiny bit and put him back in the sled. He was screaming like hell again. For him there was no way he would sit in the sled while the other dogs were running. Why would he sit if somebody else is allowed to run?

“At one point I put my iPod in my ears because I was tired of hearing him screaming that loud.”

After a day’s rest the dog was fine and running around with the others when Studer let them loose for a while.

THE KLONDIKE SUN

THE KLONDIKE SUN

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

Cartoons

Roache’s Corner by Mike Roache

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Elwood by Bryley

Tundra by Chad Carpenter We don’t have permission to use Tundra online

Nemo’s Notions

FILM SCREENING AT: An inspirational documentary about a group of Wadowden, northern Manitoba school students who have been empowered to grow their own local sustainable gardens in their backyards with the help of their teacher Eleanor Woitowicz.

Follow their journey throughout the growing season.

10:00 AM - 12:00 PM COME OUT AND LISTEN TO EXPERIENCED YUKON GROWERS SPEAK ON ORGANIC AND MARKET GARDENING IN THE NORTH. 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM ENJOY A FREE LUNCH, MADE FROM LOCALLY GROWN FOODS. 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM BRING YOUR FAVORITE SEEDS ALONG TO EXCHANGE AND SHARE WITH FRIENDS. CHECK OUT OUR DEMONSTRATION AND KIDS ACTIVITY TABLES. BUY ORGANIC HEIRLOOM SEEDS, ORDER PLANTS AND SIP SOME LOCALLY GROWN TEAS.

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WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

THE KLONDIKE SUN

Klondike Sun Classifieds

Churches ST. MARY’S CATHOLIC CHURCH Corner of 5th and King Services: Sunday mornings at 10:30 am, Sat. & Tues. 7 pm, Wed. to Fri. 9:30 am All are welcome. Contact Father Ernest Emeka Emeodi for assistance: 993-5361

Support

Real Estate

FOR SALE BY OWNER 1 1/2 COMMERCIAL LOTS On 3rd Ave next to the Individual, couple, family, or Westminster Hotel. group counselling. A highly Call 993-5346 Many Rivers Counselling and Support Services

confidential service located in the Waterfront Building.

We are a non-profit organization with a sliding fee DAWSON COMMUNITY scale. To make an appointment call 993-6455 or email CHAPEL Located on 5th Ave across dawson@manyrivers.yk.ca. from Gold Rush Campground. See our website at www.

Sunday worship at 11 am. manyrivers.yk.ca/.

Everyone is welcome.

Pastor Ian Nyland 993-5507 ST. PAUL’S ANGLICAN CHURCH Sunday Services 1st and 3rd Sundays: 10:30 am - Morning Prayer 2nd and 4th Sundays - 10:30 am - Holy Eucharist 5th Sundays - 10:30 am Special service.

Alcoholics Anonymous

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

Free Equipment HONDA 1988GL1500 MOTORBIKE FOR FREE. IF INTERESTED CONTACT b.kyle95@yahoo.com

This Could Be Your Classified Ad!!

Only $6 per 50 Words.

Klondike Outreach Job Board Open Positions: Automotive Mechanic Barista/Front Counter Person Bartenders Carpenter Cashier/Clerk Childcare Workers Commercial Sewing Machine Operator Cooks Deli Person Desk Manager Dishwashers Driver Guides Enumerators Exploration Field Assistants Fleet Detail Crew Housekeepers/Room Attendants HVAC Technician (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) Journeyman Labourer Monitor Operator Night Auditor Oil Burner Technician Servers Swamper Tombstone Guide

Positions with Closing Dates: Bank Cashier: April 7 @ 4:30 Dealer: April 7 @ 4:30 Door Security: April 7 @ 4:30 Director of Human Resources & Community Training: April 8 @ 4 Customer Service Representative: April 8 Forest Fire Crew (anticipatory): April 8 Administrative Assistant: April 13 Positions Out of Town: Finance & Administration Manager II: April 15 Various Mining Positions Mine Technical Assistant Industrial Electrician

Student/Youth Positions Special Events Coordinator: April 20 @ 4:30 Tour Guide

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 pm Closed weekends and Stat. Holidays Phone: 993-5176 ~ Fax: 993-6947 Website: www.klondikeoutreach.com E-mail: info@klondikeoutreach.com

Business Directory Advertise 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.

Your Business Card Ad could be in this space

Support your community newspaper & subscribe to

The Klondike Sun!

Only $44 per year! (see page 4 for details)

Additional TV Channel Listings 7 - Dawson Dome 12 & 13 - Possible Local Camera Programming 9 - Preview Guide 11 - Rolling Ads

The Klondike Sun’s deadline for ad and story submissions is Friday, April 15, 2011 at Noon for the Wednesday, April 20, 2011 edition.

Ad rates available upon request. Classified ads are $6 for 50 words per issue.

Email: klondikesun@northwestel.net Telephone: (867) 993-6318 Fax: (867) 993-6625

THE KLONDIKE SUN

WEDNESDAY APRIL 6, 2011

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P.O. Box 308 (1336 Front Street), Dawson City, Yukon Y0B 1G0 Tel: (867) 993-7400 ~ Fax: (867) 993-7434 NEW WEBSITE: www.cityofdawson.ca (updated regularly)

SPECIAL NOTICE

Water Delivery will be continuing with minor changes, and a letter was mailed out to water delivery customers on Friday, April 1, 2011.

Digital Cable is now available. Kindly contact the City at 993-7400 for details on packages and setting up accounts. Please also note the schedule will be posted on the City webpage www.cityofdawson.ca on Monday, April 4, 2011.

RECREATION DEPT. NEWS The Art & Margaret Fry Recreation Centre has closed for another winter. Thanks to all of our patrons for another great season. See you in the fall.

The Recreation Department would like to thank to following for helping making the 2011 Youth Lip Sync a success:

There is a leash law in the City of Dawson!!

Bylaw#08-10 states; “No owner of an animal shall permit such animal to be upon any public or private property within the municipal boundaries of the City, without the property owner’s consent, unless such animal is on a LEASH held at all times by the owner. The animal shall be confined by the owner holding the leash within a one (1) meter radius when other persons are in the immediate vicinity of the animal.”

• The Wolf Pack organizers & volunteers • KVA & Diamond Tooth Gerties Staff • Jesse Cook • Peter Menzies • Guy Chan • The Judges Franny Krivensky & Stephanie Davidson • All of our Participants

This includes the upper Dyke area as well as the rest of town!

The definition of Leash is as follows; “means a restrictive device, which may include a spool type leash, adequate to control the animal on which it is attached, and which shall be of a maximum length of four (4) meters.”

PLEASE HAVE YOUR DOG(S) LEASHED WHEN NOT ON YOUR PROPERTY.

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