Whitehorse, Yukon – At a ceremony in Ottawa today, Yukon College was one of the first Colleges in Canada to sign an historic Indigenous Education Protocol presented by Colleges and Institutes Canada’s (CICan). This aspirational document reaffirms the colleges’ commitment to Indigenous education and provides a vision of how it will strive to improve and better serve Indigenous peoples.

Co-Chair of Yukon College’s President’s Advisory Council on First Nations Initiatives and Gwitchin elder Annie Bernard, is in Ottawa along with Yukon College president Dr. Karen Barnes, and the College’s Director of First Nations Initiatives Tosh Southwick, to sign the protocol and bring it back to Yukon.

WHITEHORSE – Trays of colourful butterflies and other insects, bird specimens, and pressed dried plants, have found a home at the Yukon Research Centre (YRC) at Yukon College. These collections will be curated and made available to the public for research and education purposes thanks to the support of EDI Environmental Dynamics Inc. (EDI), Environment Canada, and Government of Yukon.

The importance of Yukon natural history collections was brought to the attention of the College through a 2004 research needs assessment survey initiated by Yukon College.

Whitehorse – Yukon College has announced the top three submissions to the Design Your Campus ideas competition for how best to use the 97 hectare land reserve around Ayamdigut campus. The winning ideas included greenhouse corridors to connect buildings submitted by Dawne Mitchell, a sacred space on campus submitted by Tosh Southwick, and an outdoor nature centre open to students and the public submitted by Dorothy Bradley.

The top three will be displayed alongside all submissions at the Land Use Plan “Big Ideas” open house taking place Tuesday November 25, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Kinnikinnick Kaff at Yukon College’s Ayamdigut campus. Mitchell, Southwick and Bradley will receive gift certificates to Staples, Coast Mountain Sports, and Canadian Tire valued at $300, $200 and $100 respectively.

WHITEHORSE - At 10 p.m., when many people in Yukon are getting ready for bed, Yukon College instructor Everett Igobwa, is getting ready to teach a music class in his apartment in downtown Whitehorse. He does not need to worry about waking up neighbours because his students are 13,370 kilometres away, in Nairobi, Kenya, where it is 9 a.m. the next morning.

Igobwa uses web conferencing software to direct the combined Nairobi School (NS) and Precious Blood Secondary (PBS) orchestra via blended learning, and surprisingly the distance between teacher and his students is not the most challenging aspect of this endeavour.

Yukon is home to a new innovation that has the potential to benefit placer miners around the world. Randy Clarkson, of Klondike Placer Miners’ Association has developed a simple method of removing fine gold particles from difficult concentrates in an economical, lucrative and environmentally-friendly way.

After two years of research, prototype development and field testing, Clarkson is able to upgrade difficult gold concentrates by taking advantage of the malleability of gold. This technique uses a small rod mill to grind the brittle waste minerals to powder in a few minutes while only flattening gold particles. The ground slurry is then washed through a fine screen capturing the flattened and polished gold particles.

News Release
For Immediate Release

Harper Government announces support for Cold Climate Research
Government of Canada supporting research to improve life in Northern communities

November 13, 2014 – Whitehorse, Yukon – Office of the Honourable Leona, Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) and Minister for the Arctic Council.

Today, on behalf of Minister Aglukkaq, Yukon MP Ryan Leef announced new funding for Cold Climate Innovation and Technology Innovation at the Yukon Research Centre at Yukon College. The Government of Canada is making this new investment to support Yukon innovators and businesses developing and commercializing products and services designed for the cold climate of Canada’s northern territories.

Media Advisory – Cold Climate Innovation announcement from federal government

Please be advised that MP Ryan Leef, on behalf of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Environment, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) and Minister for the Arctic Council, will make an important announcement related to Cold Climate Innovation, and Technology Innovation at the Yukon Research Centre.

MP Leef, the Honourable Currie Dixon, Minister of Economic Development, and Stephen Mooney, Director of Cold Climate Innovation, of the Yukon Research Centre will be available to media following the event. Media should assemble no later than 8:45am. Past and present Yukon innovations will be highlighted at the event, ie. the Northwestel solar/diesel hybrid power generation project, and the aeroponics dome technology that addresses food security in Yukon.

Yukon College research remains in the national eye. Yukon Research Centre (YRC) made the top ten for both research funding and intensity for the second year in a row in Canada’s Top 50 Research Colleges list.

The Yukon Research Centre’s 2013 research income totals $4,256,000, according to Research Infosource Inc. More impressive is that the YRC ranked second in the entire country for research intensity with $472,900 per faculty member compared to $138,500 per faculty member at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, who ranked first for research funding.

“Our researchers are continuing to lead the country in northern research and innovation”, said Dr. Karen Barnes, president, Yukon College. “Our funding success is a testament to our commitment to solve northern problems with northern expertise in our journey to becoming a university”, said Barnes.

WHITEHORSE- Yukon College is pleased to announce the Design Your Campus project, a collaborative community planning initiative to build on the success of the Ayamdigut campus and create a new master plan for its future.

“Ayamdigut campus is a community resource. We need the wider Yukon community to be involved in the discussion around the use of this land reserve and our future development,” said Dr. Karen Barnes, Yukon College president.

“With the creation of the land reserve by the Government of Yukon last year, and the Centre for Northern Innovation in Mining building starting construction next year, now is the perfect time to look at our needs and opportunities, and to develop a more compelling campus experience for students, faculty and the broader Yukon community,” added Barnes.

ROSS RIVER - Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd., the Yukon Mine Training Association (YMTA), Ross River Dena Council and Yukon College’s Ross River campus have teamed up to deliver an eight week life and career coaching program.

Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd. is sponsoring the $55,488 cost of the program, with the Ross River Dena Council and Yukon College providing in-kind support. The course is led by Yukon College instructor and YMTA careers coach, Margot Neely.

“Selwyn Chihong is committed to local education and training, to helping our current employees advance in their careers, and to working with community residents to explore their career options,” said Richard Li, Selwyn Chihong Mining Ltd. CEO.