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Yukon

January-February 2018

How a Yukon prison failed its highest-profile inmate

Michael Nehass spent more than 2,000 days in the Whitehorse Correctional Centre—almost entirely in solitary confinement

Emily Blake

In the winter of 2011 in the small town of Watson Lake, a popular tourist destination near the B.C. border known as the gateway to the Yukon, an arrest warrant was issued for a 27-year-old Tahltan man. He had previous brushes with the law, mainly assault charges. This time, the man was wanted on eight […] More »
July-August 2017

Why are First Nations men overrepresented in the Yukon’s penal system?

No formal Gladue report system currently exists in the territory, which could help reduce recidivism among Indigenous offenders

Rhiannon Russell@rhrussell

This year, Canada celebrates its 150th birthday. Ours is a country of rich history—but not all Canadian stories are told equally. In this special report, This tackles 13 issues—one per province and territory—that have yet to be addressed and resolved by our country in a century and a half In 2015, the auditor general of […] More »
January-February 2017

2017 Kick-Ass Activist: Charlotte Hrenchuk

In her nearly 30 years in the Yukon, Charlotte Hrenchuk has fought to improve the lives of women

Rhiannon Russell@rhrussell

When Charlotte Hrenchuk moved to Whitehorse in 1988, she didn’t intend to stay. She and her husband had been living in Alberta, and when he got a job with the Yukon government as a wildlife technician, she followed him north—“a very non-feminist thing,” Hrenchuk says with a laugh. They planned to move back south after a […] More »
September-October 2015

Tories in review: The North

We ask: Does Stephen Harper's professed love for Canada's North runs any deeper than his annual photo op tour?

Rhiannon Russell

THERE ISN’T MUCH OF A GROWING SEASON in Old Crow, the Yukon’s northernmost community. Yet a vegetable garden has flourished there for the past three years, thanks to the efforts of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation and funding, in part, from the territorial government. In June, residents planted cauliflower, garlic, kale, cabbage, onions, potatoes, lettuce, […] More »
November-December 2010

Why First Nations struggle with some of the country’s dirtiest water

Ashly Dyck

If you were to turn on a tap in the First Nation of Little Salmon Carmacks, Yukon, your cup might run over with gasoline, fecal matter, and worse (yes, there’s worse). It’s been this way for years, at least going as far back as 1991—the first year of comprehensive water testing. The problems in Little […] More »
January-February 2011

Province-like clout for Northwest Territories brings prosperity—and power struggles

Herb Mathisen

[This article has been updated since its January 2011 publication; please see 3rd paragraph] Territorial devolution is key to a successful North… After decades at a frozen impasse, it appears the federal government’s position on devolving province-like responsibilities and powers to the Northwest Territories has finally thawed. In October, a draft agreement-in-principle between the feds […] More »

How privatization will make food less affordable in the North

dylan c. robertson

Changes to the government’s food subsidy program are making some in Northern Canada fear higher prices and fewer small, local stores. The Food Mail Program was axed last October, to be replaced by a redesigned initiative in April 2011. The program, jointly run by Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Canada Post, and Health Canada, provided food […] More »

EcoChamber #20: This Thanksgiving, participate in a 350.org climate action where you live

emily hunter

As of today it’s official: every province and territory across Canada is on board with the 350.org climate movement. This Sunday, 350.org events will be held throughout Canada and around the world. Last year, we saw the beginning of this movement. On Oct. 24th, 2009, several thousand youth took over Parliament Hill in Ottawa to give […] More »
January-February 2010

Midwifery is ready for delivery, but mainstream public health lags

Chris BenjaminWebsite

In March 2009, Nova Scotia became the seventh province to incorporate midwifery into the public health care system. Instead of paying and arranging for the service privately, residents now have it covered and regulated by the provincial government. Midwifery should be seen as the progressive (yet traditional) and cost-effective method of childbirth in Canada. But […] More »

Friday FTW: A new bill proposes environmental rights for Canadians

kim hart macneill

The tide may finally be turning on environmental action from the Canadian government. The Canadian Environmental Bill of Rights had its first reading in the house yesterday afternoon, and our fingers are crossed. Ecojustice, formerly the Sierra Legal Defense Fund, drafted similar legislation last year, in hopes of giving Canadians a legal means of protecting […] More »