DAWSON CITY – Percy Henry, a former Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Chief and respected elder, will receive an honorary diploma from Yukon College this evening.

The diploma will be presented at the end of year graduating ceremony for students in the Foundation Year program at the School of Visual Arts (SOVA) in Dawson City.

Eighty-five-year-old Henry is currently a Language Master for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Heritage Department working to preserve the Hän language and history. While Chief of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in from 1968 to 1974 Henry was instrumental in initiating the land claims process and was one of the Yukon Chiefs who traveled to Ottawa in 1973 to present Together Today for Our Children Tomorrow.

WHITEHORSE – Starting next month, visitors to MacBride Museum will be able to enjoy an enhanced museum experience using mobile tablet computers. Mid Arctic Technology Services has created an interactive museum tour product that will provide new information and new context in up to 48 languages.

This is just one of seven innovative ideas that have received support towards commercialization from the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) and Government of Yukon through Cold Climate and Technology Innovation at the Yukon Research Centre (YRC).

CanNor is providing $165,658 towards the projects. Funding for the projects also comes from Yukon Economic Development. Cold Climate and Technology Innovation support and in-kind contributions from developers bring the development budget to $446,750.

WHITEHORSE – Yukon College, the Justice Institute of British Columbia, and the Presidents of British Columbia Colleges (BC Colleges) representing 11 colleges in BC, announced today the formal creation of a BC Applied Research and Innovation Network (BCARIN).

BCARIN’s mandate is to connect member institutions – their students and faculty – with business and community organizations who seek to solve ‘real world’ problems which demand skill in research and innovation. 

BCARIN has launched a web site and network ‘portal’ at www.bcarin.ca and it has appointed its first executive board, co-chaired by Thor Borgford, Dean of Science & Technology at Douglas College and Margaret Heldman, Dean of Science at Langara. 

WHITEHORSE – Canada is known throughout the world as a leader in collaborative approaches to environmental conservation and wildlife management. The Canadian North, in particular, is recognized as a place where the federal government has worked closely with First Nations in the creation and management of protected areas. However, the story of how this situation developed is not well understood, either here or abroad.

When Brad Martin first learned the story of how a small group of Inuvialuit people with historic claims in the western Arctic wrestled concessions from the Canadian government over the creation of Ivvavik National Park in the northern Yukon, it led him north.

In a new book on the global spread of national park ideals Martin has now argued that this episode transformed how conservation was practiced in Canada.

HAINES JUNCTION – This summer, tourists and Yukoners will have the opportunity to rediscover the Dezadeash River walking trail in Haines Junction, thanks to a class of seven Yukon College students.

The Natural and Cultural Interpretation Essential Skills students at the Haines Junction college campus hiked the six kilometer looping river trail in February. The class then set to work researching and writing topics for a new brochure that will provide information on natural and cultural highlights as walkers enjoy the two-to-three hour self-guided tour.

“The program has been eye-opening. Learning so much about the surrounding area has given me a whole different outlook on the village,” said Marlin Charlie, a Vuntut Gwitchin citizen who has lived in Haines Junction for the past four years.

Instructor Brent Liddle is the former Chief Interpreter at Kluane National Park and one of the original proponents of the Dezadeash River Trail.

WHITEHORSE - Yukon College will present 20 Dell laptops, shoulder bags and a wireless printer to Yukon Learn later today. The portable computers will form a mobile training lab to enable Yukon Learn to offer computer literacy courses in communities throughout Yukon.

This $19,000 donation builds upon last years’ successful partnership between Yukon Learn and the College which saw the one and two-week computer literacy courses offered at the Ross River and Carmacks community campuses, with another upcoming in Teslin next month.

Yukon Learn Executive Director Debbie Parent says that this mobile training lab will give the society greater flexibility when offering the courses to the communities.

“Our funding agreements restrict the purchase of assets such as these, so it’s amazing to receive 20 laptops from the College to help us continue and expand our programs,” added Parent.

Whitehorse - Science Adventures and the Association of Professional Engineers of Yukon are pleased to welcome everyone to the 20th Annual Bridge Building Contest this Saturday, April 06, at Porter Creek Secondary School in the gym.

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the competition a new building category has been added.  The “All-CAN” bridge building category honours those engineers that built the Alaska Highway that was once called the Alcan (Alaska/Canada) Highway. There is no limit to the number of builders who can build a bridge. Teams will compete for a special, honorary trophy. 

Bridge viewing happens between 12:00 and 1:00 pm followed by bridge strength testing. This year 10 schools participated in building just over 140 different bridges. Join us to witness the loads these bridges can endure before they break.

WHITEHORSE – Ten students will graduate this week from the first offering of the Introduction to Mining Operations program at Yukon College.

The 44-day course is the result of a partnership between the college, Education’s Advanced Education branch, Alexco Resource Corp., Yukon Zinc Corp., and Capstone Mining Corp. The goal of the program is to place more local workers in jobs at the territory’s three producing mines.

Following a two-week work placement and successful completion of the program graduates will now be invited to apply for work at one of the three producing mines.

“This new program is assisting Yukoners interested in a career in the mining industry, as well as companies operating in the territory who are eager to employ local residents,” Education Minister Scott Kent said. “Our government is pleased to be a partner in an initiative that responds to emerging labour market needs and is supported by industry.”

WHITEHORSE – Dana Jennejohn and Janice Wiens will be recognized on Wednesday, March 20th with a Distinguished Service Award from the Canadian Association of Social Workers.

The award is being presented to the two Yukon College instructors, as well as Sandy Little, a social work instructor at Aurora College in Yellowknife, for their work with the Association of Social Workers in Northern Canada (ASWNC) promoting the profession of social work which includes teaching social work students in Yukon and Northwest Territories.

“Yukon College congratulates Dana and Janice on receiving this recognition from their peers,” said Dr. Deb Bartlette, dean of Applied Arts and associate vice president Academic at Yukon College. “This award indicates the high caliber of our instructing staff in the Bachelor of Social Work program.”

Jennejohn and Wiens are grateful for the award but believes that the recognition should extend beyond them.

WHITEHORSE – A year after launching Yukon Cultures Connect (YCC), coordinator Mitch Miyagawa believes the Yukon College project is helping to create a more honest conversation about cultural diversity in Yukon.

“It has been very rewarding to see the barriers come down. As well as seeing stronger connections between the diverse groups represented on our steering committee, I am seeing a shift in that intangible story people tell about Whitehorse,” said Miyagawa.

“People are more open and willing to learn about each other’s backgrounds and beliefs which is creating greater pride in the cultural diversity of our community.”