December 19, 2014

Phot

o by

Alis

tair

Mai

tland

YUKON

A Yukon News Christmas Special

StorieS by

Yukon news staff

AdditionAl StorieS by:

keith hallidaYione Christensen

leighann ChalYkoff

MiChele genest

MiChael gates

StorieS by

Yukon news staff

AdditionAl StorieS by:

keith hallidaYione Christensen

leighann ChalYkoff

MiChele genest

MiChael gates

2 Published by YUKON NEWS December 19, 2014

2

3Published by YUKON NEWS December 19, 2014

Coming together in Carcross for Christmas

By Jacqueline Ronson

Growing up in the 1940s in Carcross, Annie Auston and her brothers and cousins made their own fun.

The girls made dollhouses from sticks and cut-out paper dolls from department store catalogues.

The boys made guns, bows and arrows from willow and string.

Thats what we used to use, in the early days, says Auston, now 76.

Didnt have all the toys and everything, like they do now.

At Christmas time, too, everything was homemade.Wed get slippers and wed get knitted socks and

scarves and knitted gloves, those kind of things.And sometimes it was little fancy things like necklaces

and stuff like that.The kids were in charge of decorating the Christmas

tree with ornaments and garlands made of crepe paper.The whole community came together that time of

year, says Auston.There would always be a big bonfire and wiener roast,

and the kids would skate on the frozen lagoon.Auston remembers being pulled around on the ice by

the bigger kids, who were on skates.Theyd pull us around on the sleigh and then theyd

let us go. The sleigh would circle around and wed go Wheeeeee!

Mom always cooked a turkey for Christmas dinner, and a fruit cake for dessert.

Youd invite anyone who might not have somewhere to go for dinner, so youd never quite know who would show up.

There was always extra, like knitted socks and things like that, so that they would get something too, Auston remembers.

One year at age maybe six or seven, Auston got a very special gift, ordered from a catalogue.

It was a pair of toy monkeys in little outfits that strap to bicycle spokes so their arms and legs would flail when the wheels turned.

Which was really cute, says Auston.But she had two and her cousin had none.My mom said, Annie, one of my cousins there didnt

have anything and she said, Annie, I think what you should do, because youve got two of them, I dont think

you need two.She said what do you think about giving one up for

your cousin there, so your cousin can have something at Christmas, too?

Thats what Christmas time was about sharing and being together, Auston says.

The community used to come together quite a bit in the early days.

That got lost, a little bit, somewhere along the way. But its starting to come back now, she says.

Auston is the oldest of her family, and her brothers still come every year for a big family Christmas dinner.

This year shes already ordered her turkey from a cousins organic farm, near Takhini Hot Springs.

Everyone chips in to help with the cooking and the cleaning.

And if there are any stray distant cousins in town without a place to go, theyre welcome, too.

Come on down, join the rest of the family, says Auston.

There will be presents for everyone.I still always have extra things, maybe a box of

chocolates or a box of cookies or something.

Contact Jacqueline Ronson at [email protected]

Alistair Maitland/Yukon News

Annie Auston, a member of the Carcross/Tagish First Nation, celebrated her early Christmases surrounded by friends, family and homemade gifts in Carcross.

Whether youve got a little or a lot, tis the season for sharing with family and friends.

3


Letters to Santa from Jack Hullands Grade 1 students

4

Cheryl BuchanTrager bodywork, NTS, RMT

is pleased to announce the new location for her practice at

Alpine Meadow Wellness Centre#3, 404 Hanson St, Whitehorse YT

New cell # 867-335-6955

Happiness is

as a butterfly which,

when pursued,

is always beyond

our grasp,

but which,

if you will sit down

quietly,

may alight upon you.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, c. 1860



Alpine Meadow Wellness Centre#3, 404 Hanson St, Whitehorse YT

New cell # 867-335-6955

Happiness is

as a butterfly which,

when pursued,

is always beyond

our grasp,

but which,

if you will sit down

quietly,

may alight upon you.

Nathaniel Hawthorne, c. 1860



Alpine Meadow Wellness Centre#3, 404 Hanson St., Whitehorse YT

867-335-6955

Happy HolidaysThe gals from The Deli and the gents from Yukon Meat & Sausage wish all of our customers a safe Holiday Season! We thank all of our customers

for their business in 2014, and look forward to serving you in 2015!

We are taking a holiday break, re-opening Tuesday Jan. 6th.


Myles Dolphin/Yukon News

Two horses graze along the Alaska Highway near the Mendenhall subdivision.

5

Holiday Hours:Monday Thursday 9aM-6pM

Friday 9aM-7pMsaTurday 9aM-6pMsunday 11aM-4pM

ChrisTMas EvE and nEw yEars EvE

closed at 4pm

Boxing day 10aM-5pM

303 ogilviE sTrEET, Qwanlin Mall Email: [email protected] phone: 867-668-7575

www.ashleyfurniturehomestore.com


A different kind of Christmas listBy Keith Halliday

Usually Christmas lists are about what you want. As a father of four, Ive seen some doozies over the years.

This year, however, Im going to do a different kind of Yukon Christmas list: what Im going to do this festive season.

Shovel a sourdoughs driveway, and not tell them who did it. Also, try to figure out something nice to do for the sourdoughs I know who have sensibly downsized into condos and dont have driveways anymore.

Go skating on a Yukon lake, and not complain if I have to help shovel it.

Get a tree that is not twice as high as my living room, and not make any species-ist comments if the children choose a lodgepole pine instead of a spruce (a topic on which I have strong feelings).

Attempt to make fruitcake with my children, using dried fruit that is as hard and Yukon-like as possible, and mail it to victims Outside.

Break my personal best on the 10-kilometre cross-country ski loop at Mount McIntyre.

Give a bottle of local hootch, Yukon Shine gin to

be precise, to some Yukoner who has delighted me with a random act of kindness this year. And give another bottle to a cheechako pining for home at Christmastime.

Not go carolling, to protect the ears of my neighbours. (I was asked not to participate in my elementary school classs production of Winter Wonderland due to the quality of my singing).

Write a cheque to a local charity that does good work. (Maybe split it between a couple that will be getting their grants cut by the scrooges on city council).

Break the no TV rule and binge-watch How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the old-school version) with my family followed by Chevy Chases Christmas Vacation. This one will probably include a cheering seasonal beverage.

Pass my role as carver of the roast beast to one of my children and teach them how to do it properly, using my grandfathers carving knife and fork with the folding safety-bar.

And one more thing: Give thanks that my family and I live in such a wonderful place. Happy Christmas to all.

Keith Halliday is a Yukon economist and author.

6

Seasons Greetings and

Happy New Year

from the staff and management at

Kluane Freight Lines

1 0 0 P l at i n u m R o a dW h i t e h o R s e , Y u k o n

667-7447


Advance Security & Automation Ltd. would like to wish everyone a

Safe and Happy Holidays.

We offer 24-hour alarm monitoring. 668-6995

Freds Plumbing & Heating#7 Calcite Business Center

151 Industrial Road667-6441

Serving the Yukon since 1965

Receive $50 off on

any labour we can

provide. Good for

one year!

A gift to you

from us.

Must bring in before

January 15 to validate.

One coupon per househo

ld.

Warmest HolidayWishes!

7

Java will be closed december 24 through January 11reopening January 12th with our annual customer appreciation day!

the crew at the

Java Connection would like to wish all their amazing customers a very

merry christmas.


Myles Dolphin

When Gaetan Pierrard steps out of the cabin he built with his own hands, 14 pairs of ears perk up.

In the heart of the Mendenhall subdivision, among the densely packed evergreen forest, his eager sled dogs emerge from their kennels and howl in anticipation.

Standing on their hind legs and held back by strong chains, theyre raring to go.

One by one, he unties them and brings them to their respective harnesses.

Despite the cacophony, Pierrard never has to raise his voice to get their attention.

Aged between two and four years old, the Alaskan huskies are affectionate animals with luxurious coats and hypnotic blue eyes.

As soon as Pierrard says ready, there is an eerie silence and suddenly theyre off in unison, pulling their master on an idling ATV.

The 38-year-old musher trains his dogs a few times a week leading up to the Yukon Quest 300, a race in which

When Santa brought a litter of sled dogs


Gaetan Pierrard of Mendenhall stands with Bunny, one of six sled dogs born on Christmas morning. He hopes to race his team in the Yukon Quest next year.

8

206 Alexander St., Whitehorse Phone: 867-668-6543

TOLL FREE 1-866-628-3468www.eriksavu.ca

Monday to Wednesday 9:30-6 Thursday & Friday 9:30-8Saturday 9:306 Sunday 11-4

Christmas Eve & New Years Eve till 4pm

Join us December 26th 9-5 For our Boxing Day Extravaganza

The Staff & Management

wish everyone a Safe &


he finished 10th this year. Their endurance is so remarkable that Pierrard thinks

they could run seven or eight hours in a row, if they had to.

Born in Belgium, Pierrard came to Canada in 2002 and hitchhiked across the country.

He discovered sled dogs on his way south from Inuvik, when he made a pit stop in Dawson City.

He fell in love with the animals and came back to Canada permanently in 2007, becoming a dog handler for Sebastian Schnuelle, winner of the 2009 Yukon Quest.

It made sense to come to the Yukon, he says. One Christmas Day, Pierrard discovered he had a litter

of six sled puppies.While Pierrard isnt a religious person, he thought it

would be fun to give some names belonging to nativity characters. So theres Jay (Jesus), Jo (Joseph) and Mad (Mary Magdalene), along with Bunny, Cute and Ninie.

Jay, who has since passed on, was a powerful dog who exuded happiness. He was able to jump into my arms to cuddle, Pierrard says.

Shortly before he passed away he was able to help another of Pierrards dogs have puppies. Pierrard called that litter of seven dogs the resurrection.

Cute is a great lead dog who can often be found playing with her brother, Jo.

She trusted me right from the start, Pierrard says. When she was a puppy shed sleep and cuddle like

there was no tomorrow.Mad is goofy while Ninie, named after the nickname

given to Pierrards little sister when they were growing up, is the alpha of the group.

Bunny is more affectionate than the other dogs. The name actually comes from ebony because she was completely black at birth.

Pierrard says he enjoys being alone with his dogs in the bush and watching them grow.

All 14 of these dogs are mine, Ive trained them myself. They listen really well but it takes time for them to learn the difference between work and play.

Pierrard often puts younger dogs behind older ones, so they can learn to follow his commands.

Next year, his youngest dogs will be three years old, an ideal age to take part in the Yukon Quest.

Pierrard has been involved in the race before. He was the assistant race manager during this years edition.

He thinks the dogs will perform well based on their genes.

I breeded them from dogs who had already taken part in the Yukon Quest, he says.

And while genes arent everything, it certainly helps.

Contact Myles Dolphin at [email protected]

9

Office Location: 7209 7th Avenue, Whitehorse, Yukon Office Phone: (867) 668-4578Office Fax: (867) 633-4530

www.ngcbuilders.com

A Yukon Company Since 1987Bonded General ContraCtor

Commercial DesignBuildConstruction Management

Project Management Multi-Residential

Seasons Greetings from NGC BuildersMerry

Christmasfrom

Like us on Facebook

2068 - 2nd Avenue (2nd & Hawkins Street)667.2015

Holiday Hours: Mon-Wed & Sat 10 to 6Thurs & Fri 10 to 8 Sun 11 to 4

Boxing Day Sale! December 26th 10 to 6



An ornament hangs from a Christmas tree on display in the Yukon government building for Northwestels Festival of Trees.

10


11

all our customers and their families a Very Merry Christmas and a Healthy & Prosperous New Year!

Canadian Tire Store #452, 18 Chilkoot Way Whitehorse, YT | (867) 668-3652

Wishing...


Giving can be its own giftBy Ashley Joannou

As the shoppers around him go about their everyday business, Ted Garland stands next to the Salvation Army kettle as it slowly fills with donations.

This annual job is as much of a Christmas tradition for him as eggnog, carols, and Christmas cake might be for others.

Garland has volunteered to man a Christmas kettle for at least the last decade.

He smiles at everyone who walks past, whether they give or not.

Lots of people, they might not give when they go by me, but theyve already given three times before they hit the store or they may have sent in a big cheque. So I dont judge anybody, he says.

A retired teacher, Garland came up to the Yukon in 1973 to paddle a canoe trip. He never left.

This is home, he says.Garland is one of about 30 volunteers. Together, they

help watch over the round, clear kettles at four locations in Whitehorse Walmart, Canadian Tire, the liquor store and Superstore.

The campaign runs each week from Wednesday until Saturday until Christmas Eve. Garland often volunteers for a few hours each of those days.

I just think theres a huge need, its growing every year. I just do this a few days a week for a few weeks. But there are other people that are doing it full time, year-round, he says.


Ted Garland with the Salvation Army kettle at the liquor store in Whitehorse.


Ted Garland with the Salvation Army kettle at the liquor store in Whitehorse.

12

We Know You Love It Here And We Love Welcoming You!

Come Play In Our Backyard... Winter Is Waiting!

Haines Visitor Center800-458-3579

www.HainesInfo.net


So I guess I feel like Im helping the helpers.For the Yukon Salvation Armys captain, Shannon

Howard, that help is critical. All money collected through the kettle campaign stays in the Yukon. Howard estimates these funds help cover about 15 per cent of the Sally Anns yearly budget.

The goal is to raise $65,000 a year through the kettles and another $85,000 through a mail campaign that asks for donations.

The cash covers costs at the Whitehorse shelter with its 14 beds, and its 16 overflow mats that get pulled out once the beds are full as they are every night of the winter.

(The money) goes for our sleeping, it also goes for our meals. We have about 5,000 meals a month that were serving, she says. It also helps ensure the lights and furnace stay on.

The Christmas kettles have been a fixture around North America for more than a century. According to lore, the first kettle was put out in 1891 by Captain Joseph McFee in San Francisco.

As the story goes, McFee was trying to raise money for the poor and thought back to his early years in Liverpool, England. There, he remembered seeing a large kettle where passengers of boats that docked nearby were able to toss coins to help the poor.

Using that model, he set up a kettle of his own to cover the costs of Christmas dinner for those in need.

The first time a kettle was used in Canada was in St. Johns, Newfoundland in 1906. Its estimated kettles showed up in the Yukon in 1978.

Garland encourages anyone interested to volunteer, both for the sake of Sally Ann theres lots of shifts left to cover and also I just find it very gratifying.

All we really look for is someone that has a smile on their face who can say Merry Christmas.

Contact Ashley Joannou at [email protected]

13

Tammie and I send you warm Christmas greetings and wishes for a beautiful holiday surrounded by family and friends.May the spirit of peace, happiness and generosity grace your home during this season and into the New Year.

Darrell Pasloski, Premier Government


14

Thank you everyone for your patronage over the last year and wishing everyone a

Merry Christmas & the best for 2015.From everyone at Metro Chrysler.



Santa Claus shares a laugh with a family in between photo shoots during Winterval.

15

#9 Garden Road | 668-4328(Top of the South Access)

www.CertifiedHeatingYT.com

Holiday Hours

open 8-12

CLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSEDCLOSED

Wed.Dec. 24

January 5th, open regular hours Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm...to serve you with all your heating needs in the new Year!

Sun.Dec. 28

Fri.Dec. 26

Thurs.Dec. 25

Sat.Dec. 27

CLOSEDopen 8-12

open 8-5

Thurs.Jan.

1

Tues.Dec. 30

Mon.Dec. 29

Fri.Jan.

2

Wed.Dec. 31

CLOSEDopen 8-5

Wishing you

the Warmth of Christmas All Year

!

certifiedHeating & Service


By Ione Christensen

I arrived in Fort Selkirk in June of 1935 when I was just 19 months old. We left the town in August of 1949 when it closed due to the Dawson-to-Mayo highway making the steamboats obsolete.

Of the 14 Christmases we had there, I was away for six of them because of schooling: two in Dawson City and four in a boarding school on Vancouver Island. But the important years, the years when I still believed in Santa and his reindeer, were all spent in Selkirk.

Being a very small community, Christmas dinner was a never-ending feast, starting at one home and moving each and every night. Anywhere from three to five turkey dinners were consumed. Lots of wood-splitting and running with the dog team followed to work off this week of gluttony.

All the gifts would have come on the last boat of the season, ordered with care from the Eatons catalogue, then hidden away till Dec. 25.

The week before Christmas, Dad, Mom and I would take one of the dogs with the small toboggan and head out in search of the perfect tree. It would be a big one and once home it was hauled into the kitchen to thaw. In the morning, all the snow and ice having melted, the kitchen floor was swimming with water and spruce needles. But the rich, wonderful smell of the spruce filled the house and set the stage for the coming week of festivities.

Then the decorating. Without electricity, there were no lights. Dad would not allow candles, and for good reason: fire was an ever-present threat and we did not need a sap-rich tree flaming up in the living room. I helped to make popcorn and paper chains and we adorned the tree with tinsel, glass balls and other special decorations, topped

off with an angel. Dad would lift me to make that final placement.

Then it was Christmas Eve. Had I been a good girl all year? Well, it all depended on what Santa would consider a transgression. Having gone through this agonizing exercise, Mom and Dad would agree that, yes, Santa would most likely come, and he would have at least part of my rather extensive list to leave under the tree.

Then Dad would help me prepare a big cup of hot cocoa and a cookie to leave for Santa. Sleep was a long time coming but at last I would drift off to dream land. Mom and Dad could then get on with the task of wrapping and putting gifts under the tree.

Christmas morning was like all such mornings

Christmas memories of Fort Selkirk

Submitted photo/Yukon News

Martha Cameron, her dog Blackie and Ione Christensen head out to find a Christmas tree.

16

Light Up your CHRISTMAS and NEW YEARCelebrations with... FireworksKits CherryBombBoxes RomanCandles FloralShells SoundShells Mines Barrages ChineseFlyingLanterns VerticalCakesComets

ChuckTel:[email protected]

Fax: 867-633-4621

GreatGiftIdea!

10%OFF

Dec. 21st-31st

2014

SKYBLASTERSFIREWORKS* Note: Fireworks are not permitted within the Whitehorse City Limits

Fireworks!


throughout the land. I was up at 5 a.m. First I would find that Santa had enjoyed my cocoa and left a quarter under the cup to show his appreciation. Then, because I could not open any gifts till both Mom and Dad were up, I would ask in a very loud voice, Are you awake?

Each year I could count on Santa bringing me a doll with hand-knit clothes. (Mother so wanted a little girl who liked dolls, but I would rather have a toy gun, or storybooks about dogs and horses, or even a toy horse. I did so want a real horse, but I knew that even Santa couldnt manage that.)

Christmas was the time of year all the Selkirk First Nation residents would come into town to sell fur, stock up on needed supplies for the trapline and have a big Christmas feast at the chief s home. There would be a dance and everyone was invited. Depending on the weather this would be just before the 25th or just after. While the home was one of the bigger ones in town it was still full to overflowing, but an event looked forward to by all.

Christmas was a wonderful break at the darkest and coldest time of year. Temperatures of -45 to -50 Celsius were more the norm than the exception, and as they said, hard on the old woodpile. It was a time of getting together in friendship, sharing stories and eating wonderful food.

It would be very rare for any alcohol to be served. Not that people didnt drink, but it was just not available, and what we had was used for emergencies only, like the rum when Dad had to pull a tooth.

Dinner started with shrimp in a spicy tomato aspic. There were no greens for salads. The main course would be mashed potatoes, mashed turnips, (just maybe some canned peas,) Yukon cranberry sauce, a large turkey from Burns Meat Company in Whitehorse, lots of wonderful spicy dressing and brown, rich gravy. Then the dessert, a steamed plum pudding, which had been aging for the last two months, served with a white hard sauce, flavoured either with brandy or rum and then covered in a hot rum sauce. For those who still had an empty space, there was shortbread and fruitcake.

After all this wonderful food, I can remember laying

on the rug in the front room, the fire crackling, the room warm, cosy and filled with happy conversation. I would then drift off to sleep and Mom or Dad would carry me off to bed.

Ione Christensen has served as a justice of the peace, a judge of the juvenile court, the mayor of

Whitehorse, the commissioner of the Yukon and as a Canadian senator, among other roles in public life.

Submitted photo/Yukon News

The Christmas tree at the Cameron house. The two little owl ornaments are still being used today.

17

95 LEWES BOULEVARD, WHITEHORSE, YUKON Y1A 3J4PHONE: 668-4628 WWW.PEAKfITNESSYUKON.cOm

Holiday Hours: Christmas EvE - DEC 24 - 8am - 4pm

Christmas Day - DEC 25 - ClosEDBoxing Day - DEC 26 - ClosED

nEw yEars EvE - DEC 31 - 8am - 4pmnEw yEars Day - Jan 1 - ClosED

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

from the staff at Peak Fitness


18

Buds ndustrial nstallationsServing Yukon Since 198411 Lorne Road, McCrae Y1A 5S7 tel. 667-4880 fax. 668-5193

Garage Doors, Openers and Controls, Specialty Doors, Industrial Doors & Operators, Counter Shutters, Rolling &Sliding Grills, Electric Gate Operators, Dock Levelers, Scissor Lifts, Door Seals & Dock Bumpers, Specialty Doors - Fire, Impact, Sliding, Rolling Steel & Hangar.

RESIDEntIAL, COMMERCIAL, InDuStRIAL

i

By Michele Genest

For our Parksville tourtire we made a lot of pastry and filling, because we werent

sure what we were doing, and ended up with one 24-cup (6-L) tourtiere, three nine-inch (22.5-cm) pies and two five-inch (13-cm) square single-serving pies. Thats a ton of tourtire! Here Im going to provide the recipe for just the 24-cup (6-L) amount of pastry and filling, more reasonable for first-timers.

La pt

Instead of using commercial lard I rendered pork fat from a local pig wed purchased in Whitehorse in the fall this was time-consuming but rewarding. The rendered fat was beautiful: snowy white, aromatic and good enough to spread on toast.

5 cups (1.2 L) All- purpose flour

1 Tbsp (15 mL) Baking powder

2 tsp (10 mL) Salt

1 Tbsp (22 mL) Brown sugar

1 lb (455 gr) Rendered pork fat or commercial lard, chilled

1 Egg yolk

cup (125 mL) Milk

1. Whisk together dry ingredients. Cut pork fat into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter or two knives until the fat pieces are the size of peas and there are some larger pieces here and there.

2. Combine egg yolk and milk and stir into dough with a fork just until it holds together.

3. Shape dough into a rough ball, cover with plastic and refrigerate at least one hour. You can do this step the day before you make the tourtire.

Filling

The right amount of stock to use was disputed in Parksville. My brother Paul felt the pie could have used a touch more. Marlynns instructions were to fill the stock up to within about 12 inch of the top of the filling, but other cooks cover the meat. Friends who grew up near Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean say the idea is for the stock to be fully absorbed by the time the tourtire is cooked. So Ive stuck with what we did.

1 lbs (680 gr) Beef (preferably a marbled cut)

1 lbs (680 gr) Pork tenderloin (preferably with some fat attached)

Tourtire for 10

Cathie Archbould/Harbour Publishing, 2014


19

HEY MOM,Take a Break

Tonight!

Our place or yours, our delicious Italiancuisine and hand-tossed pizza make it easy

to enjoy a family meal without the work.

Pizza Pasta Wings Donairs Calzones & Much More!Full Menu online @ www.tonyspizzeria.com

668-2225113 Copper Road

Licensed Dining& Off-Sales

Open Mon - SatMon-Thur.......11-8

Fri...................11-10Sat..................4-9

Closed Dec 21-Jan 4

Dine inTake out

or

Gluten FreeOptions

Available!

1 lb (455 gr) Moose8 oz (225 gr) Grouse breast, duck leg or breast, or chicken legs or breast, removed from the bone2 Yellow onions, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced2 Tbsp (30 mL) Fresh thyme, leaves removed from stems (or 1 Tbsp/15 mL dried)1 tsp (5 mL) Ground black pepper2 lbs (910 gr) Russet potatoes1 tsp (5 mL) Salt3 cups (710 mL) Beef, bison or moose stock1 Egg, beaten (for brushing)

1. Cut meat into 34-inch (2-cm) cubes and combine with onion, garlic and thyme. Add ground black pepper and refrigerate eight hours or overnight.

2. When ready to assemble, preheat oven to 400F (205C) and grease a covered 24-cup (6-L) roasting pan or Dutch oven. Remove the dough from the fridge about 10 minutes before youre going to roll it out.

3. Peel potatoes, wash, dry and dice into 34-inch (2-cm) cubes. Combine with meat mixture and add salt.

4. Cut off one quarter of the dough. Roll out the larger piece on parchment paper. Check the size against your cooking vessel to make sure youll have enough.

5. When it is large enough to line the bottom and sides with some overhang, flour the top of the dough so that it wont stick to itself. With a spatula, loosen any dough that might be stuck to the counter, and fold the dough into thirds, like an envelope.

6. Drape the envelope of dough crosswise over the pan. Peel the parchment paper from the outside of the dough envelope. Youll need help to lift the dough

briefly while you peel the paper from the underside, and then youll need to lift the uppermost flap of dough to unpeel the parchment paper underneath.

7. Let the folded envelope settle gently into the pan, then unfold the flaps. The entire piece of dough will now be sitting loosely in the pan. Press dough gently into the bottom and sides of the pan and patch any holes. Cut the overhanging pieces so that theres just a lip remaining over the rim of the pan.

8. Fill the pastry with the meat and potato mixture, leaving an inch (2.5 cm) of headroom at the top. Pour stock over until it reaches 12 inch (1 cm) below the top of the filling.

9. Roll out the remaining piece of pastry to fit the top of the pan. Lay it over the meat mixture. Fold the overhanging pasty over the top, making a tight seal.

10. Brush pastry with the beaten egg and cut three or four vents in the pastry to allow steam to escape.

11. Cover pan with lid and bake for 1 hour. Reduce heat to 300F (150C) and bake for another 2 hours, then reduce again to 275F (135C) and bake for another 2 hours. Remove lid and bake for a final hour, for a total baking time of 6 hours.

12. Let the tourtiere sit for 20 minutes before serving to allow juices to fully absorb. Serve at the table so everyone can enjoy the magic moment when the interior is revealed.

Makes 10 servings.

From Michele Genests The Boreal Feast: A Culinary Journey through the North (Harbour Publishing). Genest lives in Whitehorse and is passionate about using northern

ingredients in her cooking.



Amberley Cooke makes her own Christmas decorations at YuKonstruct.

20


By Michele Genest

Egg liqueur

Those who love advocaat or Eierlikor will recognize this old favourite, though generally the eggs come from chickens, not ducks.

Here the liqueur is spiced with a splash of birch syrup and a scrape of vanilla. Choose amber rum for the best results darker rum will overtake the fresh, custardy flavour. This a great substitute for eggnog, but not to be taken in the same quantities. Too rich!

5 (chicken) Egg yolks cup (125 mL) Sugar cup (125 mL) Whipping cream-inch (1.25-cm) Length of vanilla pod, sliced in two1 tsp (5 mL) Birch syrup cup (125 mL) Good quality amber rum

1. Beat egg yolks and sugar in small bowl until thick and light.

2. Beat in cream.

3. Scrape vanilla seeds into the mixture and add the birch syrup.

4. Pour mixture into top of double boiler. Cook over simmering water until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Dont let it boil or it will curdle.

5. Remove from heat and strain. Pour in the rum and mix well.

6. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in a sealed bottle or jar. Let sit for a day to allow flavours to blend. Serve in small glasses for a holiday treat.

Makes about two cups (475 mL). Will keep for up to three weeks in the fridge.

Johan Agrells Kolakakor

cup (125 mL) Butter cup (60 mL) Sugar1 Tbsp (15 mL) Birch syrup

tsp (2.5 mL) Baking soda1 cup (250 mL) plus 2 Tbsp (30 mL) Flour

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.

3. Sift dry ingredients together.4. Add birch syrup to butter mixture. Add dry

ingredients and mix thoroughly, using your hands as necessary to form a ball.

5. Transfer dough onto a piece of plastic wrap on the counter and shape into a rough 10-inch (25-cm) log. Wrap log and roll with your hands until rounded. Unwrap and slice into about 20 pieces. Arrange pieces on baking sheet.

6. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Makes 20 cookies.

Egg liqueur and boreal biscuits

21

FROM

SEASONSGREETINGS

206 Main St Whitehorse 456-4228

Senator Daniel Lang1-800-267-7362

[email protected]

Merry Christmas and all the best

for the New Year


Wyatts

colouring

page

22

open 10-3

Wed.Dec. 24

CLOSED

Thurs. - SunDec.

25 - 28open 10-2by appT. OnLy

Mon.Dec.29

Horwoods Mall 121-1116 First Avenue (867) 393-4967Mon-Fri 10:00am - 5:30pm Sat 11:00am - 3:00pm

Like Us on Facebook

CLOSEDopen 11-3

Thurs.Jan.

1

Tues.Dec. 30

Fri.Jan.

2

Sat.Jan.

3

Wed.Dec. 31

open 11-3

open 11-3

open 11-3

We look forwardto seeing you

in 2015!

Alpines BraBoutique

Beauty, Comfort & Mobility...

all in one place!

The Yukon Beer Festival Society would like to recognize our sponsors who helped make this event successful.

A huge thank you goes out to:Aasman Brand Communications

Town and Mountain HotelIntegraphics LtdP&M Recycling

Midnight Sun Coffee RoastersNorthern Front Studio

GBP CreativeG&P Distributing

Unity ClothingYukon SpringGoodys Gas

Daves Trophy ExpressPizza Hut

Yukon BrewingNorthern Industrial Sales

KBL EnvironmentalRobbyns Street Grill

Picaroons Traditional AlesColor Bar Hair Resort

Icycle SportRod Savoie

Northland BeveragesEarls

The Wayfarer Oyster BarThe Gr8tful Spud

Northern Vision Development Corp.


23

414 Baxter Street, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2T5 Phone: 867-668-6068 | Fax: 867-668-6052

Theres no place like

Home for the Holidays



A view of Grey Mountain.

24

To All of Our CustomersMerry Christmas

KFC Gift Cards available now.

Give the gift thats always in good taste.

2230 2nd AvenueMon. to Sat. 9am to 6pm Christmas Eve & New Years Eve closed at 4pm

Closed Boxing Day 205 Black Street (in the Black Street Centre)

Cell Phone Central is your Authorized Bell DealerCell Phone Central for all your Cellular Needs

from the Staff & Management of


www.yukonminers.ca

Seasons Greetingsfrom Board of Directors

at the Yukon Chamber of Mines

25

Wishing you & your familiesGood Health & Happiness in the New Year.

Grand Chief Ruth Massie, Executive Office, Education, Finance & Administration, Circumpolar Relations, Natural

Resources & Environment, Self Government Secretariat, Justice, Health & Social and Yukon Native Language Centre.

from the

Council of Yukon First Nations

Council of Yukon First Nations

from all of us atYukon Council ondisABILITY

2-211 Wood Street Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2E4Phone: (867) 668-6703 Fax: (867) 393-4992

Our office will be closed from 12 p.m. Dec. 24 until 9 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 5th, 2015.


By Leighann Chalykoff

They were cold, isolated, and far from home. Many of the U.S. Army personnel stationed in the Yukon during the Second World War working on the

Alaska-Canada Highway and the CANOL Project were more than 5,000 kilometres away from friends and family.

Though the highway was opened for military use in a dedication ceremony on November 20, 1942, there was still a lot of hard work to do by both American and Canadian contractors to keep the rough, crooked road passable. Hundreds were still stationed in the Yukon years later.

Americans and Canadians, young engineers and old northerners took time for dinner and talk and here and there for a little singing, David A. Remley wrote in Crooked Road: The Story of the Alaska Highway. There were acts of kindness, humour, and the pleasure of making simple things. There were popping hot barrel

Soldiers struggled through Yukon yuletides

Gene Tunink collection/MacBride Museum of Yukon History

The U.S. Armys 18th engineers F company display their frozen laundry during the construction of the Alaska Highway.

26

867-393-7050 www.yukonndpcaucus.ca

Liz Hanson, Leader of the Ocial Opposition

From our families to yours, the Yukon NDP wishes you

a Merry Christmas and a Happy

New Year!

Sandy SilverLeader, Yukon Liberal Caucus

Merry Christmasto all from the

Yukon Liberal Caucus.


stoves and plenty of cigars. But Christmas working on the Alaska-Canada Highway

in the 1940s was a mixed bag depending on the regiment, where they were stationed, and unfortunately for some, the colour of their skin.

It was a lonely Christmas for the 97th A company at Beaver Creek during in 1942, wrote author John Virtue in The Black Soldiers who Built the Alaska Highway. The regiments commander tried to boost morale by ordering a plane to drop frozen turkeys for dinner. With temperatures dropping below -40 degrees Celsius, the turkeys didnt unfreeze in time and the men ended up with a meal of hash and Spam instead.

Meanwhile, in Whitehorse black members of the U.S. Armys 93rd company shared dinner with Canadian personnel after white American soldiers refused to eat with them. It was a cruel thing, one man says in Virtues book. The white American soldiers were standing around outside waiting for us to finish.

A year later in 1943, army troops stationed at Brooks Brook used the holiday as an opportunity to celebrate. A sergeant drove into Whitehorse to buy Christmas decorations for the mess hall, but was disappointed to find the town sold out. You can imagine their dismay when they found not a single decoration available not one red bell, holly wreath or tinsel star! Cecil E. Barger wrote in the Alaskan Sportsman in 1946.

The men made do with what they could find. They bought rolls of yellow, purple, pink, orange and brown paper, and then they used it to turn the mess hall into a riot of gay colour. Buoyed by the effect, the men decided to decorate a tree along the highway. With no manufactured Christmas lights available, they painted light bulbs yellow, blue and green, and then strung them on a line with homemade wiring.

On Christmas Day they sat down to a hearty dinner and spent the evening talking as a warm fire crackled in the oil-barrel camp stove. Even though it was several degrees below zero (Fahrenheit) outside, I felt warm and mellow as I climbed into my sleeping bag that night. It had been a wonderful Christmas, wrote Barger. After a Christmas way up yonder in the Yukon on the fringe

of the North Pole, I know I shall have to go back to find another Christmas equal to it.

Leighann Chalykoff is a history buff with MacBride Museum.

Gene Tunink collection/MacBride Museum of Yukon History 1989-53-17

The U.S. Armys 18th engineers F company during construction of the Alaska Highway.

27

211 Black St. | 393-3360Dec 15 noon to 6pm Dec 22 noon to 6pm

Dec 24 Noon to 6 pm Dec 25 closed Dec 26 Noon to 6 pm Dec 31 noon to 6pm Jan 1 2014 closed

JOY LOVE PEACEHope your holiday, has it all!

With best wishes and heartfelt thanks from

Must be 19 yrs.

JOY LOVE PEACEHope your holiday, has it all!

With best wishes and heartfelt thanks from

www.whitehorse.ca

The City of Whitehorse wishes our residents a safe and healthy holiday season, and all the best in the New Year.

Season's Greetings from Mayor and Council.

Happy Holidays


By Michael Gates

It was 1894, and Emilie Tremblay couldnt have chosen a more remote place to celebrate Christmas.

She was a newly-wed who had chosen to join her husband in one of the most isolated places in the country Miller Creek in the Fortymile district of the Yukon. Emilie was one of the first white women to come over the Chilkoot Pass into the interior of the Yukon.

Charlotte Bompas, the wife of the Anglican bishop stationed at Fortymile, had preceded Emilie by two years. On Christmas Day of 1892, a deputation of miners presented her with a gold nugget weighing about three ounces, in honour of her being the first white lady to winter over so far north. Up to that date, Christmas was often celebrated with a meal and lots of booze, which the miners regretted for days after.

But the presence of a woman had a civilizing influence on everything that the miners did. The first thing that Emilie had to do with her Miller Creek home was subject the little one-room log cabin to an industrial-strength makeover to make it liveable.

Life on Miller Creek was a difficult adjustment. Among the thousand of prospectors in the entire Yukon valley

at that time, there may have been two dozen other white women scattered thinly throughout the region. Emilie was the solitary woman living on this Sixtymile tributary,

Christmas on Miller Creek

Goetzman photo/Michael Gates Collection

A miners cabin before the Klondike Gold Rush would have been a place of isolation, hardship and deprivation at Christmas.

28

8673342289Repairing a broken industry.

Sell Your House. Pay Yourself.

With Wishes Warm & BrightWe look forward to helping all future

home sellers in the upcoming year save thousands on real estate costs!

2101A Second Avenue | 867.668.2867

Joyeux Nolet Bonne Anne

Maligayang Pasko atManigong Bagong Taon

Feliz Navidady Feliz Ao Nuevo

Wishing you a Mummers Christmas!

Merry Christmas andHappy New Year!

/Faro Travel Services Ltd. DBA Marlin Travel


which the miners felt was no place for the fairer sex. She was further isolated by the fact that she did not

speak any English, but Emilie started working on her grammar and vocabulary, and her English gradually improved.

In December, being the only woman on the creek, she took on the responsibility of preparing a Christmas dinner for the miners living nearby. This in itself proved a challenge as there were none of the usual amenities to make a Christmas dinner a success. They improvised and made invitations written on birch bark. The guests were told to bring their own utensils to eat their meal.

The task was further complicated by the fact that she could only cook dishes which were small enough to fit into their tiny oven. Lacking the amenities of civilization, she adapted a long skirt to serve as a tablecloth in her log home.

The Christmas menu was made up of the food available to her in this isolated place: stuffed rabbit, roast caribou and brown beans in broth. There were King Oscar sardines, evaporated potatoes, sourdough bread and butter, cake and a plum pudding with blueberry sauce for dessert.

Just before the end of the meal, a latecomer arrived with a bottle of rum to add to the festivities. He had walked all the way to Fortymile and back, a considerable distance, to obtain the liquor. After the meal, they played

cards and filled the cabin with tobacco smoke and good cheer.

Just two years later, gold was discovered, 50 miles up the Yukon valley. Civilization quickly followed, but no Christmas was ever so grand as that gathering on Miller Creek.

Michael Gates is a Yukon historian and sometimes adventurer based in Whitehorse. His latest book,

Daltons Gold Rush Trail, is available in stores.

Veazzie Wilson photo/Michael Gates Collection

Emilie Tremblay was the only woman on Miller Creek during the Christmas of 1894.

29

ECO OC NY Levee 3.375x4.625 N.indd 1 11/27/13 2:05:19 PM

You are invited to attend the Commissioners New Years Levee,Thursday, January 1, 2015 25 p.m.

Westmark WhitehorseSeasons greetings to all from

Commissioner of Yukon Doug Phillips

Best wishes for a wonderful holiday season!

And remember, now is a great time

to bring your boat to us for Aluminum Consoles,

Pass-thrus & Windshields and sAve with

Winter rates!

106 Copper Road | Whitehorse, Y.T. | 867-667-6613www.duncansltd.com


30

Happy Holidays!

3173 3rd Avenue Whitehorse PH 667-4275 Reg Hours: M-F 8-5:30 Sat 8:30-4

We will be closed at 12:00 PM on December 24th & 31st, Closed on Christmas Day,

Boxing Day & New Years Day.

Need a taxi?

CallOn your mobile

Any cab. Anywhere. Anytime.www.poundtaxi.com

#8 2 9 4

T A X I

* A charge of $1.25 to $2.50 applies to all wireless accounts

Presented in Association with:


The Christmas tree in front of the White Pass building lights up during Winterval on December 6.


31

...wishes all our customersPast, Present and Future...

A Merry Christmas& A Very Happy New Year!

Machining Hydraulics Welding & Supplies

ManufacturerS of:oxygen, acetylene & commercial Gases

4269 - 4th avenue, Whitehorse, Yt(867) 667-7606 [email protected]

JacobsIndustries Limited

70 Years serving the Yukon

In the s

pirit of

the Sea

son, the Y

ukon News wishes you and yours many blessings this coming year.

211 Wood Street, Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 2E4 | Phone: (867) 667-6285 | Fax: (867) 668-3755 | www.yukon-news.com

Thanks to all my clients for another great year of assignments!

32

QualityProducts for Christmas

[email protected]

Phone: (867) 334-2194 anytime

H o r s e , S t o c k , C a r g o , F l a t - D e c k & R e c r e a t i o n a l Tr a i l e r s

YUKONS TRAILER SPECIALISTS

December 19, 2014

Documents

Transcript of December 19, 2014