Kallan Lyons (she/her)

Freelance journalist living on Canada's West Coast. Wanderer at heart.

Journalism

Legion Magazine •

The happy pilot

On a bitter cold evening in 1944, eight men took off from Royal Air Force station Foulsham in Norfolk, England, in a four-engine Handley Page Halifax heavy bomber and ascended 6,100 metres into the dark. Rear Gunner Bernard (Bernie) McNicholl sat silent and alone in his Perspex dome, scanning the sky for any sign of a flitting shadow. Three years prior, the 15-year-old was itching to finish high school in Montreal. Now he waited for the enemy to appear—poised to fire four Browning guns that prot
Canadian Geographic •

Behind the wires: A look back at Canada’s golden age of telegraphy

On a warm August afternoon at Calgary’s Heritage Park, a crowd attending the annual Railway Days exhibition made their way to the pavilion to watch a live demonstration of telegraphy. Lavina and Earl Shaw, veteran telegraphers both in their 80s at the time, sat on stage, ready to show off their skills. On the other side of the stage stood two college students, phones in hand, eager to try their texting prowess against a master of the original instant message: Morse code.
CBC •

B.C. school holds traditional naming ceremonies for Sto:lo youth | News

Jayden Bobb-Jollimore walks counter-clockwise around a circle formed by his fellow students, teachers, and family. The 17-year-old at Seabird Island Community School is heading toward a row of blankets elders have laid on the floor of the gym.

When he arrives, he stands on the blankets and turns toward the crowd, facing east.

He has taken his last steps as Jayden.

"Kükpi! Kükpi! Kükpi! Kükpi!" the crowd calls.

Jayden now carries a new name, a Nlaka'pamux name, as Jayden's mother's side is of Nlaka'pamux descent. It's that of his late Uncle Sonny, who taught him how to hunt, fish and provide for his family. It translates to "chief."
Yukon News •

Kwanlin Dün community safety officers aim to build trust

Last year, Jesse Ryder received a call from someone who said they heard a commotion at their neighbour’s home in Whitehorse’s McIntyre subdivision.
When he arrived, he found a man who had been badly assaulted and needed immediate help.
Ryder called the RCMP, but the response time was two hours. He and his partner called an ambulance and took photos to pass on to the police. When the victim declined to take the ambulance, they stayed until they found someone in the community who could look after him.
Ryder is a community safety officer (CSO) with the Kwanlin Dün First Nation.
Yukon News •

Look who’s 40: Dawson City Music Festival still kicking

The Yukon’s “best little fest under the midnight sun” is turning 40, and festival-goers are once again ramping up for three days of musical performances in Dawson City from July 20-22.

The Dawson City Music Festival (DCMF) follows on the heels of the the Atlin Music Festival, and after doing some restructuring, including reintroducing day passes for the main stage to encourage more people to see the festival and cutting the gazebo concerts, this year’s artists are ready to rock and roll.

DCMF’s executive director, Andrea Vincent, said ticket sales are up from last year. The festival also has a surprise in store.
Yukon News •

Walmart to end overnight RV camping this summer

Maurice and Francoise St-Jules have spent many nights camped out in Walmart parking lots across the country. The couple, who said they have been been travelling their whole lives, drove their RV to the Yukon from their home in Red Deer, Alta.

They arrived in Whitehorse last week, spending one night at Walmart before taking a trip to Dawson, and then returning for another three nights.

News that the territory’s only Walmart will ban overnight camping this summer comes as a surprise to the St-Jules’. They have spent over 200 dollars at the store this trip alone, and like to stay there “because we can buy everything at our door.”
Yukon News •

New logo unveiled for 2019 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships

The new logo for the 2019 National Aboriginal Hockey Championships was unveiled on July 12, nine months ahead of the tournament’s first faceoff.
The Yukon Aboriginal Sport Circle announced in May that the 2019 championships will be held in Whitehorse. The ASC will be co-hosting the event with the Yukon Indian Hockey Association (YIHA).
The logo was designed by Mark Rutledge, a local Indigenous artist and designer.
“In the traditional territory here it’s the wolf and crow clan, so we used that to showcase the First Nation culture here,” said Rose Inglangasuk, the tournament’s vice chair of culture and ceremonies.
Yukon News •

Hitting their stride: hockey school inspires Indigenous youth

Ecko Kirk was one of the youngest players for the women’s pan-territorial minor hockey team, Team North, in 2017. Now she is one of the more advanced participants at this year’s Northwestel hockey school in Whitehorse from July 9 to 13.
The 15-year-old from Haines Junction has tried other sports, but nothing else ever stuck. “I never really found the same thing that I found in hockey,” she said. “It just kept me coming back.”
Yukon News •

Whitehorse dressage show a competition for all ages

When Laura Prentice grows up, she wants to teach horseback riding lessons. The 13-year-old has been riding English style for six years, and recently competed in the bronze level dressage show at Northern Tempo Equestrian Centre in Whitehorse.

Prentice won the title of champion in Training Level Junior, first for the Prix Caprilli Test 2 Junior, and for a second time received the Lorene Robertson Award, awarded to the competitor who demonstrates a high score, dedication, persistence and good horsemanship.

Prentice has been riding her horse, Highland’s McDuff, since October and said the bond between a horse and a rider is an important part of competing.
Yukon News •

Jessica Frotten captures 4 medals at Canadian Track and Field Championships

Jessica Frotten is back full force after crashing in the Commonwealth Games in Australia in April.

The wheelchair racer from Whitehorse won gold in the the 5,000-, 800- and 400-metre races at the Canadian Track and Field Championships, beating the runners-up by 2 minutes and 4 seconds, under half a second and 2 minutes and 26 seconds in the respective races. She also won silver in the 1,500-metre run with a time of 3:53.99, seconds behind gold.

The championships were held July 3-8 in Ottawa.

Dawson runner Jack Amos, 17, got bronze in the under-20 5,000 metre race. His time was 15:23.68, approximately half a second behind silver and seven seconds behind gold.

Back in April, Frotten crashed during the 1,500-metre race at the Commonwealth Games, and had to remove herself from the marathon.
Yukon News •

Fox family in Whitehorse neighbourhood could face removal this fall

A family of foxes are no strangers to residents of Copper Ridge in Whitehorse.

The fox den, located near a fenced-in water supply reservoir in the neighbourhood, has existed for the last ten years.

But this year the mischievous pups have been stealing shoes, gloves and items of clothing from their neighbours, and may be responsible for getting into altercations with local pets.

Peter Coates has lived in Copper Ridge for the past 15 years. He said his cat disappeared a few weeks ago.
Yukon News •

Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in government eyes solar for Moosehide

The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in government is investing in clean energy and has plans to install solar power by October.

The Yukon government issued a tender for contractors to bid on building a solar array at Moosehide Village. The project was identified by the First Nation as a priority, and is expected to cut approximately 5,000 litres of diesel per year.

“Apart from offsetting the fuel consumption, it also means a lot more environmental safety,” said Peter Marangu, director of housing and infrastructure for the First Nation.

“We have to transport the fuel over to Moosehide normally by boat, which adds to the risks of spills or things like that.”
Yukon News •

Takhini Hot Springs condo project gets approval

Takhini Hot Springs Ltd. will resume building a new resort after an almost 16-month delay, according to the company’s president Garry Umbrich.

Umbrich received confirmation from the Yukon government cabinet on June 27 that his rezoning application has been granted. The news came on the same day Umbrich issued a press release that said cabinet’s inaction was causing construction delays and headaches.

“We’re super happy that they responded very quickly to our press release stating this is (taking) too long,” said Umbrich.
Yukon News •

Dennis Shorty’s symbol of residential school experience among new additions to the Yukon’s art collection

Shorty was eight years old when he started making sculptures. He used to watch his father carve toys for him and his siblings, and one was a float plane.

In 1963, a float plane came to Jackfish Lake near Ross River and took him to Watson Lake. He was five years old and his final destination was the residential school at Lower Post.

Engraved in his artwork are the letters LP and the number 282.

“The LP on there stands for Lower Post, and 282, that’s me, that’s who I was in mission school,” Shorty said. “That was my number.”

Shorty’s wooden float plane is one of five three-dimensional art pieces recently acquired by government for the collection.
Yukon News •

Whitehorse basks in 24 Hours of Gaylight

A sea of colour wound its way down Main Street in Whitehorse on June 23 — hundreds of people parading their way to Shipyards Park as part of this year’s 24 Hours of Gaylight celebration.

The location switched from Rotary Park because Pride keeps growing, said Stephanie Hammond, president of the Queer Yukon Society. Prior to the first official Pride in 2013 there were Pride picnics, but they were much smaller and more private, she said.

In its sixth year, Pride celebrations started a day early.
Yukon News •

Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation plugs in Old Crow solar power project

Last December, Old Crow faced a fuel shortage after the delayed opening of the ice bridge on the Dempster Highway. The fuel was transported and flown from Dawson City instead of Fort McPherson, N.W.T., at “significantly higher costs,” said Vuntut Gwitchin Chief Bruce Charlie at the Canadian Electricity Association Symposium on June 20.

“Developing renewable … electrical generation that does not rely on the transport or burning of fossil fuels will increase our energy security and long term sustainability of our community, and will decrease the environmental threat of transporting fuel long distance by air,” he said.

Construction of the solar site will begin this year. The location allows residents to continue picking berries alongside the solar array, a value identified by the community.
Yukon News •

Yukon Liquor Corporation delays plans to hike booze prices

Officials with the Yukon Liquor Corporation (YLC) say they will not be increasing the retail price of liquor without further community consultation.

The original changes, which were supposed to come into effect July 1, angered local business owners who said they were caught off guard and would lose money.

The corporation is going to release new markup rates by the end of next week, said president Matt King. The changes will be available for review by local manufacturers, licensees and suppliers to give feedback. Officials are hoping to implement a new markup structure by the end of the summer.