1985
The Whitehorse Star Reports in 1985
| January | |
| January 1, 1983 → March 11, 1985 → March 20, 1985 → April 12, 1985 |
Government Leader Chris Pearson - as announced - resigns from his job as Conservative party president. March 11, 1985 Williard Phelps is elected the new leader of the Yukon Progressive Conservative Party and takes over power as government leader March 20, 1985. April 12, 1985 Williard Phelps calls a generation election on May 13, 1985. |
| January 16, 1985 | Irene and Will Crayford from Dawson City are chosen as Mr. and Mrs. Yukon. |
| January 16, 1985 | Scottie Gold Mines is closing its mine near Stewart is northwestern B.C. due to lower gold prices. |
| January 20, 1985 | Whitehorse is awarded the men's and women's national slowpitch championships for 1985. |
| January 25, 1985 | Yukon's native radio station Chon-FM takes to the air after three years of preparation. At the end of the year, CHON-FM extends its programming to 12 hours per day. |
| January 30, 1985 | Whitehorse City Council decides to close Chadburn Lake for commercial development |
| February | |
| February 8, 1985 | Yukon Electrical announces it will link Teslin into the Whitehorse Aishihik-Faro power grid. |
| February 11, 1985 → May 17, 1985 → October 2, 1985 → October 28, 1985 → November 25, 1985 |
In the beginning of the year (February 11, 1985) Cyprus Anvil rules out a 1985 mine opening. May 17, 1985 Cyprus Anvil Mining Corporation decides to close its lead-zinc mine north of Faro. October 2, 1985 Curragh Resources Corporation Ltd. signs an agreement to buy the Faro lead-zinc mine from the Cyprus Anvil Mining Corporation. A few weeks later (October 28, 1985) Curragh, the Yukon, and the federal government announce to re-open the Cyprus Anvil mine. Curragh Resource Corporation takes officially possession of the mine November 25, 1985. |
| February 27, 1985 | Erik Nielsen is named defence minister. |
| March | |
| March 4, 1985 | The first Whitehorse-to-Fairbanks Yukon Quest (in 1984 the Quest was run from Fairbanks to Whitehorse) starts in Whitehorse. |
| March 4, 1985 | The Takhini arena officially opens. |
| March 15, 1985 | The federal government announces an agreement with the United States according to which the Yukon will get four radar station as part of the North Warning Radar System. |
| March 29, 1985 | The Yukon cabinet officially approves the conceptual design of the $40 million Yukon College complex to be finished in 1989. |
| April | |
| April 1, 1985 | A fire destroys the remains of the ghost town of Discovery, 8km east of Atlin. Another landmark of the goldrush area of Atlin and tourist attraction is lost. |
| April 19, 1985 | Confidential cabinet documents leaking from a task force appointed by Erik Nielsen recommend spending cuts on native programs and the dissolution of the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development. This causes a storm of controversy: the CYI calls on Erik Nielsen to quit; the Jim Skookum Center closes its ports in protest. Nielsen denies these reports. |
| April 20, 1985 | Roger Coles is acclaimed leader of the Yukon Liberal Party. |
| April 26, 1985 | The Yukon governement decides to set up a pilot French instruction program for Grade 1 students in 3 Yukon schools. The governments also plans to ensure that Grades 5 and 6 French will be taught only by teachers proficient in the language. |
| May | |
| May 1, 1985 → June 28, 1985 |
The 200-passenger cruise ship M.V. Klondike is on the way to Dawson to operate as a tourist boat between Dawson and Eagle. The boat makes its first tourist run to Eagle June 28, 1985. |
| May 8, 1985 | Yukoner Ed Struzik and 3 team members are the first Canadians to reach the magnetic pole. |
| May 8, 1985 | Canadian Satellite Communications Inc. (Cancom) announces it will apply to the federal government for permission to juggle share holdings to increase the share of British Columbia Television Broadcasting System Ltd. in Cancom. |
| May 15, 1985 | The New Democratic Party wins the general elections, making Tony Penikett the new government leader (May 29, 1985) in a minority government situation. |
| May 29, 1985 | Yukon artist Lillian Stephensen has one of her watercolour paintings accepted into the Queen's permanent collection. |
| May 31, 1985 → October 9, 1985 |
The city of Whitehorse is seeking money from Ottawa for an ambitious $30 million plan to upgrade downtown Whitehorse. October 9, 1985 the city announces it plans to rebuild Main Street from 1st to 4th. Details are revealed in January 1986 (January 14, 1986). |
| June | |
| June 7, 1985 | Whitehorse's first ATM machine is installed at Royal Bank. |
| June 10, 1985 | Dome Petroleum signed a tentative agreement to sell all assets of the Cyprus Anvil lead-zinc mine in Faro to a group of financiers in Toronto. |
| June 17, 1985 | The Yukon cabinet chooses the raven as the territory's official bird. |
| June 19, 1985 | Celebration of the 60th anniversary of Mount Logan's first climb. |
| June 24, 1985 | Sam Johnston, former chief of the Teslin band, is Yukon's first-ever Indian speaker of the legislature. |
| July | |
| July 17, 1985 | Two Calgary companies propose a $100 million commercial port at King Point on the Yukon's northern coast. |
| July 19, 1985 | A law goes into effect that makes it illegal to drink liquor in moving motor vehicles in the Yukon. |
| July 26, 1985 | 85th anniversary of the Old Log Church in Whitehorse. |
| August | |
| August 5, 1985 | Canada's newest icebreaker is named after Yukoner Martha Louise Black. The $56 million icebreaker was launched in Vancouver by Flo Whyard. |
| August 23, 1985 | Charles "Chappie" Chapman, one of the Yukon's most important pioneers, dies at the age of 83. |
| August 28, 1985 | George Simmons, a Yukon aviation pioneer, dies at the age of 86. |
| August 30, 1985 → September 11, 1985 |
Rolf Hougen looks into possibilities to save the Jim Light arena which is threatened by demolition since the opening of the new Takhini arena (August 30, 1985). A few days later (September 11, 1985), the City Council approves the demolition of the arena which doesn't leave enough time for Rolf Hougen to pursue his proposal. |
| September | |
| September 13, 1985 | The 4th wheel at the Whitehorse power plant starts its work. |
| September 16, 1985 | A 5.0 Richter scale earthquake rattles the Southern Yukon, including Whitehorse. The epicentre is 220km south of Whitehorse. No injuries or damages are reported. |
| September 16, 1985 | MLA Andy Philipsen, cabinet minister in the former Conservative government, dies in a car accident. |
| September 18, 1985 → September 25, 1985 |
Government leader Tony Penikett fires all members of the Yukon Economic Council in order to "re-shape" the council. A new council is named a week later. |
| September 20, 1985 | Governor General Jeane Sauve visits Whitehorse. |
| September 30, 1985 | Yukon towns are considered by Universal Studios for shooting a movie about RCMP activities in the North, starring Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd. |
| October | |
| October 4, 1985 | The federal government announces it will put up money to start planning a new hospital for Whitehorse. |
| October 9, 1985 | O.D. (Donald) Brown dies at the age of 67. Brown was an exclusive member of Jim Robb's "colorful five per cent" of unique characters. |
| November | |
| November 1, 1985 | Charlie Abel, chief of the Old Crow Indian band for 18 years, dies at the age of 69. |
| November 15, 1985 | Don Branigan is elected mayor of Whitehorse. |
| November 20, 1985 | The Alaskan government says it will put another $11 million into the Canadian Shakwak project. |
| November 25, 1985 | Johnny Joe, one of the oldest people in the Yukon and Indian elder, dies in Whitehorse. He was believed to be over 100 years old. |
| November 27, 1985 | The French language school in Whitehorse is named after Emily Tremblay. |
| December | |
| December 6, 1985 | The Yukon government and the Council for Yukon Indians sign a deal to re-start land claim talks. |
| December 9, 1985 | The new airport terminal at Whitehorse airport is inaugurated. |
| December 13, 1985 | Teslin is connected to the Whitehorse-Aishihik power grid. |
| December 31, 1985 | Gulf Canada discovered a massive oil resources in the Beaufort sea. |
