Sara Connors

Whitehorse

National Reporter Correspondent at APTN National News

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Articles

Julienne Chipesia says graduating with law degree ‘most significant’ moment in her life

2 weeks ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

A 24-year-old from Inuvik in the Northwest Territories is the first person of Gwichya Gwich’in descent to earn a law degree. Julienne Chipesia received her Master of Laws degree from the University of Manchester in England last week. “It’s always going to be the most significant moment in my life,” Chipesia told APTN News. “I’m also very proud of the fact that I’ve made it this far, especially coming from a single parent household.
Kluane First Nation harnessing the wind to help power community

3 weeks ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

The blades of a wind turbine belonging to the Kluane First Nation in western Yukon are now spinning. Constructed last year, the Kluane Wind project is a 77-metre-tall wind turbine off the Alaska Highway in the community of Destruction Bay, about a three hour drive west of Whitehorse. The project became operational in early April and is now helping power Destruction Bay and the nearby community of Burwash Landing where the Kluane First Nation is located.
Former Kwanlin Dün chief running to lead Yukon Liberals

3 weeks ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

A former chief of a First Nation in the Yukon is running to be the next leader of the Yukon Liberal Party – and if successful, would be the territory’s first Indigenous premier. Doris Bill, who was the chief of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation in Whitehorse from 2014 to 2022, announced her candidacy for the role on Monday. “I truly believe that now is the time for us to come together to build a territory that is fair and sustainable and one that everyone can thrive in,” she said.
Artist Megan Jensen longlisted for prestigious Sobey Art Award

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

Art is a sacred practice for Megan Jensen. Jensen, who is Tlingit and a Carcross/Tagish First Nation citizen and lives in Whitehorse, is perhaps best known for her formline art. Much of her work focuses on personal stories – stories she tells with paintbrush and canvas in the traditional artform of her people. “When I’m painting, or I’m drawing, I just feel so connected with a past, with the voices of my ancestors,” she told APTN News. And her talent hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Yukon RCMP officers cleared of criminal wrongdoing in 2023 arrest

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

A police watchdog agency has found officers with Yukon RCMP not criminally liable in an incident in 2023 in Whitehorse which resulted in an Indigenous teenage girl breaking her leg – though a justice advocate and the girl’s family feel the the force should be held accountable. The investigation was triggered after the girl, who is Inuk-Dene and was 17 years old at the time, sustained injuries following an altercation with the RCMP in Whitehorse on April 8, 2023.
Liard First Nation faced $5.2M funding freeze due to missing reports

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

The federal government threatened to “turn off the taps” on the Liard First Nation’s funding earlier this year after the band failed to file multiple financial reports and audits spanning several years, APTN National News has learned. According to a firm hired to assist the band with its finances, it failed to file 103 financial reports with the federal government, as well as six audits between 2019 to 2024, resulting in the government withholding $5.2 million in funding.
First Nation in Yukon says Whitehorse dam license renewal decision falls short on salmon protections

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

A First Nation in Yukon says a decision giving the Whitehorse dam the greenlight to proceed to the next phase in the relicensing process doesn’t go far enough to protect Chinook salmon. Built in 1958, the dam is an important piece of infrastructure for the Yukon, generating around 75 per cent of the territory’s energy needs in the summer and 40 per cent during the winter months. Operated by Crown corporation Yukon Energy, its 25-year licence for the dam is set to expire on May 31.
Agency that runs housing, shelter in Whitehorse 'has to go' says MLA

1 month ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

A Yukon NDP MLA says the Liberal government must replace a non-profit agency responsible for operating a Whitehorse shelter and a halfway house and supportive housing program following the release of two independent reports into how they’re run. “I do feel like Connective has to go,” NDP MLA Annie Blake told APTN News.
Liard First Nation deputy chief, councillors push back against chief using band money to help family member

2 months ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

The deputy chief of Liard First Nation and four of its councillors are accusing their chief of trying to use band money to pay for his sister’s partner’s legal fees. The allegations are contained in a notice posted on social media by Deputy Chief Harlan Schilling and four other councillors about Chief Stephen Charlie. It alleges that Charlie used a band council resolution to hire a lawyer to defend a charge of wasting meat against Perry Wolftail.
Yukon exhibit showcases First Nations ‘Bougie’ jewelry

2 months ago | aptnnews.ca | Sara Connors

A new art exhibit in Whitehorse is celebrating Yukon’s iconic bedazzled earrings. My Big Bougie Beaded* Earrings, which is being held at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, features 21 pairs of earrings made by First Nations artists living in or from the territory. Kwanlin Dün First Nation citizen Teagyn Vallevand is the curator behind the exhibit.