1968
The Whitehorse Star Reports in 1968
| January | |
| January 6, 1968 | It is announced that the Canadian Forces base at Whitehorse will be officially closed on July 1, 1968. The Whitehorse Star issues a special edition on January 8, 1968. |
| January 13, 1968 | After renovation, the log skyscraper is being used again. The property was purchased by Paul White and Earl Bennett and one-room appartments with modern conveniences have been installed. |
| January 18, 1968 | The election of Bert Wybrew as Mayor of Whitehorse are declared void by Mr. Justice John Parker. It was proven that at least two voters were not eligible to cast their ballots (see also December 1967). |
| January 20, 1968 | Goldrush pioneer Charles Herbert Hamilton, passes away in Calgary at the age of 95. |
| February | |
| February 1, 1968 | John Allan MacDonald is appointed Deputy Minister of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. |
| March | |
| March 4, 1968 | Gorden A. McIntyre is appointed to the newly created position of Regional Director of Resources for the Yukon Territory. He was born in Dawson City in 1910. |
| March 7, 1968 | The first annual Polar Games are held in Whitehorse with 200 hundred high school students from Alaska, NWT, Northern BC and the Yukon participating. |
| March 7, 1968 | Commissioner James Smith announces that Walter Troberg is named Administrator for Dawson City. The municipal election at Dawson City were declared void by Mr. Justice John Parker in December 1967. |
| March 11, 1968 | Commissioner James Smith and owner Bill Sheffield of Alaska cut the ribbon to open the new Travelodge Hotel in Whitehorse. |
| March 18, 1968 | Bert Wybrew takes the oath of office as Mayor of Whitehorse on March 15, 1968. He won the municipal by-elections held on March 14, 1968. |
| March 28, 1968 | The Whitehorse Star issues a special edition on the occasion of Hougen's grand re-opening on March 29, 1968. |
| April | |
| April 11, 1968 | Retiring Mayor Howard Firth is honoured at the city council. He is the only man in the world who has been mayor of both Dawson City and Whitehorse. |
| April 25, 1968 | The first 70 miles of the original Canol Road (Yukon Highway Number 8) are to be re-opened. Approval by Ottawa is however still pending. |
| April 25, 1968 | At request from Ottawa, the Engineering Department of the Yukon Territory appoints number to the Yukon Highways. |
| May | |
| May 6, 1968 | Erik Nielsen is nominated as the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party's official candidate on May 4, 1968. |
| May 9, 1968 | The old Whitepass Engine No. 51 is moved to a place beside the old MacBride Museum on First Avenue. |
| May 16, 1968 | Approximately 230 visiting Lions attend a three day convention in Whitehorse. |
| May 16, 1968 | Prime Minister Trudeau arrives for a visit in Whitehorse on May 11, 1968. |
| May 30, 1968 | The 77 foot river boat "Hootalinqua" is transported on wheels through Whitehorse, on its way to Carcross. The sternwheeler is the last of its kind. Built in 1946, the Hootalinqua hauled freight up the river, after which she was named. |
| June | |
| June 10, 1968 | The Ministers of Northern Development and Industry, Arthur Laing and C.M. Drury, issue a bulletin June 7, 1968 according to which all surplus housing units at the Hillcrest subdivision above the Whitehorse airport are to be sold. |
| June 13, 1968 | White Pass & Yukon Route announce the construction of a second 6000-ton container ship for the Vancouver Skagway service. It is named the M.V. Frank H. Brown. |
| June 20, 1968 → October 28, 1968 |
Mayor Bert Wybrew announces that he would seek approval from Whitehorse City Council for a plebiscite on the parking meter system. Whitehorse City Council decides on October 28, 1968 not to hold a plebiscite. |
| July | |
| July 11, 1968 → July 18, 1968 → August 26, 1968 → August 29, 1968 |
Erik Nielsen is elected Member of Parliament, defeating Chris Findlay in a close race. The Progressive Conservative won with 63-vote majority. Shortly after (July 18), The Liberal party contests the results and asks for a recount. On August 26, 1968, Erik Nielsen is sworn in Ottawa as the Yukon's Member of Parliament. The Liberal Party announces to proceed to file a petition to controvert the election results. The petition filed on August 29, 1968 cites 99 persons as improperly casting their votes. |
| July 22, 1968 | Prime Minister Trudeau is on his second visit to the Yukon during the summer 1968. |
| July 25, 1968 | An aerial survey for a railroad to move Yukon's mineral resources to the continental market is announced by the Department of Northern Development. |
| July 29, 1968 | Construction starts of a new Toronto-Dominion building at the corner of Second and Main. |
| August | |
| August 1, 1968 | Jean Chretien is appointed Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in the newly elected Trudeau government. |
| August 8, 1968 → August 12, 1968 |
Arctic Gold & Silver Mines Ltd., located eight miles from Carcross, is officially opened August 10, 1968. Jean Chretien, on his visit to the Yukon, participates in the official opening of the Arctic Gold & Silver Mines Ltd. |
| September | |
| September 5, 1968 | Earl K. McArthur, former manager of the Transport Division for Cassiar Asbestos Corporation and United Keno Hill Mines, leaves the Yukon for a new job in Quebec city. |
| September 9, 1968 | The historic Bank of Montreal closes its doors in Dawson on September 30, 1968 after 70 years of service. Reason is the declining population. |
| September 12, 1968 | WHTV announces a second black and white television channel on the cable system. The $15 rate remains the same. The CBC Frontier package is also added bringing the total channels available to cable subscribers to three. |
| September 19, 1968 | J.O. Hutton's announces his resignation as city manager. City council is not sure whether or not to continue this position. |
| September 30, 1968 | Dr. William Carr and Associates complete an economic study for the Yukon Government that forecasts a Yukon population of 57,000 people by 1985. |
| October | |
| October 3, 1968 | The German president Dr. Eugene Gerstenmaier arrives October 4, 1968 for an official visit to the Yukon. |
| October 17, 1968 | The Porter Creek School is named for Jack Hulland, the former school superintendent, who served in that capacity from 1938 to 1955. He saw the school system grow from 200 students in six schools to 1414 pupils in 15 schools. |
| October 21, 1968 | Jean Chretien is in the Yukon again, this time to consult with local Indians. Among them Chief Charlie Abel of Old Crow and Chief Frank Sidney of Teslin. There will be sixteen Indian delegates to discuss changes to the Indian Act. Elijah Smith is elected to represent them at future meetings in Ottawa. |
| October 24, 1968 | Yukon Indians agree to form a new Native Brotherhood. Elijah Smith is the first president. The Brotherhood's goal is to work for equal rights for status and non-status Indians, payment for Indian land, and the teaching of the Indian language and culture. |
| November | |
| November 12, 1968 | CBC's Northern Service celebrates its 10th anniversary. |
| November 18, 1968 | George and Angela Sidney celebrate their (delayed) 50th wedding anniversary. |
| November 18, 1968 | A feasibility report gives green light for the Venus Mine. |
| December | |
| December 16, 1968 | B.C. Premier Bennett releases the brief his government will present at the federal-provincial constitutional conference. In the proposal B.C. would annex the Yukon and parts of the N.W.T. |
| December 30, 1968 | CRTC approves Rolf Hougen's application for a commercial radio station. |
