1979
The Whitehorse Star Reports in 1979
| January | |
| January 11, 1979 → January 12, 1979 |
Dawson's city manager Stan Richardson is asked by mayor Vi Campbell to leave the job. Richardson refuses to resign. Dawson Mayor Vi Campbell and deputy mayor Frank Barrett resign January 15, 1979 over "administrative problems within the city office". Stan Richardson resigns as Dawson's city manager, effective March 31, 1979. No official reasons are provided. |
| January 30, 1979 | U.S. funding of the Shakwak Project to pave the Haines Road and the upper Alaska Highway in Canada is threatened to cease past 1979 with the approval of President Carter's 1980 budget. |
| January 30, 1979 → June 4, 1979 |
Yukon MP Erik Nielsen reconsiders his decision to leave federal politics after being promised a cabinet post by Conservative leader Joe Clark. Yukon MP Erik Nielsen becomes the first Yukoner ever named to the federal cabinet when he is appointed Canada's minister of public works on June 4, 1979. Another Yukoner, George Black, was speaker of the House of Commons in the 1930s. |
| February | |
| February 1, 1979 | The Yukon's health minister, Grafton Njootli steps aside from his official duties after learning he is under police investigation in connection with a forgery incident. Klondike MLA Meg McCall replaces him. |
| February 2, 1979 | Don Branigan is the new mayor of Whitehorse. He defeated Orvin Chippett in a by-election. |
| February 6, 1979 | Willard Phelps becomes one of the Yukon government representatives at talks in Ottawa this week to decide the role the Yukon government will play in land claim negotiations. |
| February 8, 1979 | Gold prices are at a record high. |
| February 8, 1979 | Another era of transportation history comes to a close at Skagway with the final voyage of the M.V. Frank H. Brown with a full crew. |
| February 19, 1979 | Iris Warner is given the 1979 Yukon Heritage Award by the Dawson Museum Society. Warner has been extensively involved in collating and researching historical material for over 20 years. |
| February 22, 1979 | SuperValue expands it 30,000 square store in Quanlin Mall by 10,000 square feet. Official opening is February 28, 1979. |
| February 26, 1979 | Debbie Kerr is Rendezvous Queen 1979. |
| February 27, 1979 | Doug Graham is sworn in as the newest member of Yukon's Executive Committee by Commissioner Ione Christensen. |
| February 28, 1979 | 7.5 earthquake on the Richter scale in Alaska is felt throughout the Yukon territory. |
| February 28, 1979 | A new federal government policy on satellite reception will allow Whitehorse television viewers to watch more live stations rather than videotaped shows. CanaSat, a joint venture between Northern Television and Total North Communications already built such a station in Faro. However, it is still illegel since the station picks up an American Channel. The new policy allows Canadian channels only. |
| March | |
| March 13, 1979 | Public drinking in the streets of Whitehorse will be banned following a decision by City Council members. The drinking ban does not apply to the Indian village as it is considered private property. |
| March 15, 1979 | Sister Eva of the Sisters of Providence is selected citizen of the year by the Whitehorse Kiwanis Club. |
| March 19, 1979 | A Whitehorse recreation complex with an Olympic size swimming pool is proposed to the city. |
| March 20, 1979 | White Pass makes its first move to carry out its threat to close the Yukon's railway by giving six months notice to Faro's Cyprus Anvil mine whose ore it hauls out to the coast. |
| April | |
| April 6, 1979 | Commissioner Ione Christensen presents a cheque of $5,000 to mayor Don Branigan to relocate and preserve some of Whitehorse's historic buildings. The houses at 105 Elliott St. and 306 Steele St. are two of nine that are designated for preservation by City Council. |
| April 9, 1979 | Al Lueck is elected the Yukon Liberals' candidate for the upcoming federal elections. |
| April 12, 1979 | Following a civic election, Vi Campbell is Dawson City's new mayor. |
| April 16, 1979 | The Standard Oil Company has an agreement to purchase Cyprus Anvil Mine from it's parent, Cyprus Mines of Los Angeles. Andy Von Kursell is Vice-president of Yukon operations. |
| April 16, 1979 | The Selkirk Indian Band at Pelly Crossing considers leaving the territorial education system if Ed Remple is not reinstated as principal of the Pelly River School. |
| April 16, 1979 | Canadian Satellite Systems applies for an experimental license to provide one extra television channel to residents of Dawson. |
| April 17, 1979 | It becomes known that Whitehorse's log skyscrapers on Lambert Street will be torn down when the lot they are standing on is sold. City Council will not save them. City Manager Dave Gairns noted the historic committee said "because they are not regarded as historically significant". |
| May | |
| May 3, 1979 | "Disaster" is the headline in the Whitehorse Star. A raging flood bursts through the Yukon River dyke at Dawson shortly after midnight. Buildings float. No injuries or fatalities are reported, but damage is estimated at over $5 million. Approximately 80 per cent of the houses are damaged. |
| May 8, 1979 | The Carcross to Skagway Road is opened to the travelling public Monday 7, 1979. |
| May 14, 1979 | The Yukon Arts Council announces the beginning of a fund drive May 12, 1979 to cover some of the costs of a new performing arts centre for Whitehorse. |
| May 22, 1979 | A fire destroys the DCW Trading Post in Dawson City May 19, 1979. |
| May 23, 1979 | For the first time in 16 years the Yukon's government party is also the federal party. |
| May 23, 1979 | Hougen's Ltd. celebrates its 35th anniversary. The Whitehorse Star issues a special 24 page addition to its paper. |
| May 25, 1979 → May 31, 1979 → September 24, 1979 |
Health Minister Grafton Njootli is again the subject of a police investigation. RCMP investigate a complaint that Njootli physically assaulted a female cab driver. Shortly after, Klondike MLA Meg McCall fills the Executive Committee post vacated May 29, 1979 when Grafton Njootli resigned as Minister of Health and Human Resources. On September 24, 1979, Grafton Njootli is asked to resign from the Progressive Conservative caucus September 23, 1979, after he refused to give an unconditional undertaking to support government legislation. |
| June | |
| June 11, 1979 | The Whitehorse Maryhouse marks its 25th anniversary. |
| June 15, 1979 | Executive Committee member Howard Tracey announces June 14, 1979 his resignation from his job. |
| June 21, 1979 | The Whitehorse branch of the Royal Canadian Legion elects Billy Osborne to become president, the first woman president in its 52-year.history. |
| July | |
| July 3, 1979 | The Carcross Community Education Centre closes. Founded by Rev. John Frame, Anglican bishop of the Yukon Diocese, the Chooutla residential school claimed to give its students academic education as well as practical outdoor and vocational skills while living as a tight-knit community with parent-members who were responsible for guiding and serving students. The closure is due to a lack of students. |
| July 6, 1979 | Barry Stuart is appointed chief magistrate for the Yukon. |
| July 11, 1979 | The residents of Elsa and Keno renovate the old Keno Hill Community Hall to set up a mining museum in an effort to preserve the mining history the Keno Hill area. |
| July 16, 1979 | The Klondike Visitor Association spends $15,000 to restore the old Dawson City store. |
| July 25, 1979 | Bottled pop becomes available in Inuvik during summer 1979. |
| July 31, 1979 → August 21, 1979 |
The Dempster Highway is open for traffic with the beginning of ferry service across the Peel River. The official opening ceremony is announced for August 18, 1979, with John Diefenbaker as guest speaker. Alas, John Diefenbaker passes away two days before the opening ceremony. (see also August 21, 1979) on August 16, 1979. A potlatch for late John Diefenbaker is held in Dawson City over the Discovery weekend. It began August 18, 1979 with the official opening of the Dempster Highway which was commemorated as a fulfillment of Diefenbaker's "vision of the North". Cabinet Ministers Jake Epp and Erik Nielsen pay tribute to Diefenbaker at the opening ceremonies. |
| August | |
| August 10, 1979 | Foothills Oil Pipeline Ltd. Decides to try for an all-land route for its 2,400 km oil pipeline from Fairbanks to Edmonton, instead of the land-ocean route. |
| August 10, 1979 | The Alaska Highway Pipeline panel releases a report according to which the Dempster lateral natural gas pipeline should not be built until adequate reserves of oil and gas have been proofed. |
| August 22, 1979 | According to the Sun, the U.S. energy department recommends construction of the all-American Northern Tier oil pipeline over rival Canadian plans to carry surplus Alaskan oil to the U.S. Midwest. |
| August 23, 1979 | Following accusations from the Carmacks Indian Band, a research of old maps and documentation pieces reveals that the government intended in 1916 to declare the area surrounding the Little Salmon Indian village an Indian reserve. However, the necessary order-in-council never went through. |
| August 28, 1979 | City Council reveals a plan to transform the commercial and industrial downtown waterfront to a livelier "people" place with park areas, restaurant facilities and shops. |
| September | |
| September 14, 1979 | The Yukon territorial government asks the federal government for half the tax revenue for its heritage fund that will accrue from the Alaska Highway natural gas pipeline. |
| September 14, 1979 | Former Whitehorse mayor Gordon Armstrong and his wife Peg celebrate their Golden wedding anniversary. |
| September 24, 1979 | Construction of a $1.1 million twin theatre restaurant-shopping complex begins September 21, 1979 at the corner of Lewes Boulevard and Klondike Road. |
| September 28, 1979 | The Yukon enters the satellite era. A satellite dish on the lawn of the Vocational Centre adds a new dimension to classroom instruction, when live transmission of educational courses from the British Columbia Institute of Technology begins October 1, 1979. The experiment marks a first for Canada. |
| October | |
| October 9, 1979 | Ottawa changes the role of the Yukon's commissioner so that the commisioner's involvement in matters under territorial jurisdiction is now little more than a formality (similar to provincial Lt. Governors). The commissioner must accept the advice of elected Yukon Territorial Councillors. |
| October 9, 1979 → October 10, 1979 |
Yukon commissioner Ione Christensen announces her intention to resign. Deputy Commissioner Doug Bell takes over October 10, 1979 as interim commissioner. |
| October 22, 1979 | Five politicians from the Yukon's legislature recite three oaths in unison before Deputy Commissioner Doug Bell becoming the territory's first fully elected cabinet. |
| October 23, 1979 | A study by the University of Alberta recommend a community college for the Yukon. |
| November | |
| November 19, 1979 | CKRW radio station celebrates its 10th anniversary. |
| November 21, 1979 | Rolf Hougen unveils plans for a national television service that would cover the country from Newfoundland to the Yukon. The plan suggests to broadcast 6 channels - three American and three Canadian - via satellite to small communities all across the country. |
| December | |
| December 3, 1979 | CTV begins broadcasting its BCTV schedule to the North via the Anik B satellite. Programming begins December 14, 1979 on WHTV channel four. |
| December 3, 1979 | Aubrey Simmons, the last Liberal member of Parliament for the Yukon before Erik Nielsen, passes away in Vancouver. His age is assumed to be around 80. He was defeated by Erik Nielsen in 1958 and retired to Vancouver in 1959. Simmons was instrumental in putting together the mining properties that became New Imperial Mines. |
| December 17, 1979 | Archie Gillespie, a pioneer newsman of the Yukon, passes away December 14, 1979. |
| December 17, 1979 | Jack and Mary Nichols of Carcross are named Mr. and Mrs. Yukon 1980. |
| December 31, 1979 | The territorial government receives a new symbol for all its operations which is based on a stylized version of the word "Yukon". The new word symbol is in effect as of April 1, 1980. |
