News

WHITEHORSE – Research on vegetation management strategies in the North is lacking and the Yukon Research Centre (YRC) is working to change this. Plant ecologist and soil scientist Dr. Katherine Stewart, and her students are examining how to best manage vegetation on power line right-of-ways in a cold climate.

Researchers will explore different techniques of managing vegetation throughout the Yukon, from cutting and mowing, to selective planting that will change the ground cover vegetation, to herbicides.

“Our research will provide new information on vegetation management techniques in cold climates, allowing decision-makers to make informed decisions in a northern context,” said Dr. Katherine Stewart, Research Associate, Yukon Research Centre, Yukon College.

WHITEHORSE – Tony Radford and Jordan Lord have spent the past three weeks testing water treatment technologies at the Yukon Research Centre (YRC) at Yukon College. The two students are seeking to discover which of three methods of removing salts and minerals from water can turn brackish water into potable water most efficiently, while creating the least amount of waste.

The results could significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the mineral resource exploration industry, or any activity that takes place in a remote location and requires a reliable source of clean drinking water. It could also have an impact on Yukon homeowners with brackish well water.

WHITEHORSE – Tony Radford and Jordan Lord have spent the past three weeks testing water treatment technologies at the Yukon Research Centre (YRC) at Yukon College. The two students are seeking to discover which of three methods of removing salts and minerals from water can turn brackish water into potable water most efficiently, while creating the least amount of waste.

The results could significantly reduce the environmental footprint of the mineral resource exploration industry, or any activity that takes place in a remote location and requires a reliable source of clean drinking water. It could also have an impact on Yukon homeowners with brackish well water.

Media Advisory – Yukon Passive Water Treatment Workshop

A workshop on passive water treatment may prompt more Yukon mines to adopt this sustainable approach to remediation. Yukon College researchers, industry, regulators, First Nations, mine reclamation practitioners and land/water managers will learn about this new technology, which focuses on biological treatment (using vegetation and bacteria to uptake heavy metals) to remove impurities from water. The Yukon Research Centre (YRC) will present case studies from around Yukon and facilitate discussions on how to advance the development of passive water treatment in the Territory.
 
   Where:   Yukon College, 500 College Dr., Whitehorse – Room T1023
   When:    Wednesday, June 4, 2014

11:45AM – 12:00PM Presentation:
Yukon College’s research initiatives to support the local mining industry by Dr. Amelie Janin

The Yukon Research Centre (YRC) has been awarded $150,000 from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) to support mine remediation research in the Yukon.

The funding will be used to build pilot-scale bioreactors at various mine sites around the Yukon and to purchase new lab equipment that will further support research in the removal of heavy metals.

Bioreactors contain natural materials like wood, gravel and peat moss that encourage bacteria to grow and eat heavy metals from soil and water. This technique is being tested by YRC researchers and local mines as a form of water treatment in the North.

“Our goal is to develop environmentally sound techniques for Yukon mines and to create scientific evidence that will be accepted by regulators in the mine closure plans”, said Dr. Amelie Janin, NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Mine Life Cycle, Yukon Research Centre.

WHITEHORSE – 23 students crossing the stage this week at the Yukon College graduation ceremony will be receiving degrees in Education, Social Work, and Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences.

The fact of the College offering degree programs alongside certificate, diploma, and trades, programs is still a surprise to many Yukoners.

“People I talk to don’t realise that it is possible to earn a bachelor degree through Yukon College without having to leave the territory,” said Dr. Karen Barnes, Yukon College President.

The degrees come from the University of Regina and University of Alberta through partnerships with the College, yet contain many courses that provide a Northern perspective on the subject matter.

WHITEHORSE- Three Grade 8 students from Vanier Catholic Secondary school will join 500 other young scientists from across Canada to showcase their scientific knowledge at the annual Canada-Wide Science Fair in Windsor, Ontario, May 10 – 17, 2014.

Representing Yukon with their original research projects are, Sophia Ross with “Hands-free Cellphones”, Isabel Magsucang, presenting “HRV Efficiency”, and KC Mooney with the results of her experiment “Do Smells Affect Memory?” 

These students were winners at the Yukon/Stikine Regional Science Fair held at Yukon College last December and have been working hard on their projects and displays. They will be competing in the Junior Division nationally.

"Participating in science fairs is a brilliant opportunity to develop life skills that are essential for the future. The three of us have been friends since grade five and as a team, we are very proud to represent the Yukon," said KC Mooney.

Whitehorse - Adult Educators and literacy practitioners from across Nunavut, Northwest Territories, and Yukon departed the first ever Northern Adult Basic Education (NABE) Symposium today feeling inspired, encouraged, and reflecting on what they heard.

"Many of us work alone, or in small groups within our communities, helping our adult learners achieve success, so it has been tremendously empowering to bring educators together to share what's working, the challenges we face, and discuss the way forward in adult basic education," said Gabriel Ellis, Adult Basic Education (ABE) Coordinator at Yukon College.

WHITEHORSE - One instructor from each of Canada’s Territorial Colleges has been named as an Outstanding Adult Educator. The instructors and their work will be highlighted this afternoon at the closing ceremony of the first ever Northern Adult Basic Education Symposium, a professional development conference held at Yukon College this week.

Adult educators perform a vital role in the north, providing adults with an opportunity to improve their literacy, numeracy and essential skills levels as they work toward employment or pursue further educational opportunities.

The award-winning instructors are Patty Moore, instructor/coordinator at Yukon College’s Haines Junction community campus, Bryan O’Hagan, Developmental Studies instructor at Aurora College’s Thebacha Campus in Fort Smith, NWT, and Rex Willie, instructor at Nunavut Arctic College’s Arctic Bay campus.

Cold Climate Innovation (CCI) of the Yukon Research Centre has partnered with the Canadian High Arctic Research Station (CHARS) and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), to conduct a technological assessment of an essential part of northern homes: the heat recovery ventilation system (HRV).

HRV’s are a vital component to maintaining the health of both a building and its inhabitants. A HRV is a mandatory requirement for new buildings in Whitehorse; it exchanges stale air in a home for fresh outdoor air in a more cost-effective manner when the machine is maintained and operating efficiently. This project aims to determine how HRVs perform in extreme northern climates and how they can be designed and installed to better meet northern needs.

WHITEHORSE-Yukon College and Nunavut Arctic College have been recognised for Northern Adult Basic Education (NABE) programs offered by each institution in 2013.

After reviewing over 100 programs across Canada, the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Essential Skills Inventory Project (FIMESIP) has selected the Heavy Equipment Operator Essential Skills program offered in Pelly Crossing, Yukon, and the NABE Enhancement initiative offered in 18 communities in Nunavut as two of 10 case studies that best embody 12 Markers of Promising Practice.

The 12 Markers include Indigenous control and ownership of the programming, partnerships, a learner-centered approach, employer involvement, and direct workplace experience.

The Northern Climate ExChange (NCE) of the Yukon Research Centre was awarded $122,502 from Natural Resources Canada to lead a cost-benefit analysis of adaptation options for a mine access road in the Northwest Territories.  This project will help the NCE take climate change adaptation planning to a new level for industry.

NCE is working with a multi-disciplinary team from Risk Sciences International, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and Nodelcorp, to study the Tibbitt to Contwoyto winter ice road.  This road provides access to three active mines in the Northwest Territories and is one of the longest and heavily used ice roads in the world.