We are pleased to announce the five recipients of the annual Yukon Heritage Awards, who will be honoured at our upcoming awards ceremony on Monday, February 19, 2024.

Yukoners are invited to attend the ceremony in person at the Yukon Archives or livestreamed on the YHMA Facebook page here. The event will start at 7 pm, with doors opening at the Yukon Archives at 6:45 pm. No registration is required.

Instead of granting an Annual Heritage Award, YHMA is pleased to be honour two individuals with History Maker Awards. A Helen Couch Volunteer of the Year Award; Innovation, Education, and Community Engagement Award; and Heritage Conservation Project of the Year Award will also be presented.

Prior to the awards presentation, guest speaker Gùdia – Mary Jane Johnson will give a talk entitled Kwadą̄y dän yeshäw shàwthan k’e – Will You Be a Good Ancestor? A reception will follow the ceremony.

Ruth Armson will receive a History Maker Award in recognition of her work preserving the stories of individual Yukoners. Following a successful, thirty-plus year career as a teacher who passionately shared history with her students, Ruth set up a memoir-writing group for seniors which led to multiple publications of family histories. She herself has published an autobiography and two biographies for Yukon seniors. Ruth also co-authored, with Yann Herry, the book La francophonie : une richesse nordique = Northern Portraits and through her involvement with the Pioneer Women of the Yukon Society, Lodge #2 has helped produce over 100 biographies of Yukon women and two published booklets, North to New Horizons, Volume 1 (2022) and Volume 2 (2023).

A second History Maker Award will be granted to the late John Layman, who left an indelible mark on the territory through his extensive involvement in various artistic endeavours. John’s remarkable calligraphy and signs can be seen throughout the Yukon and have become part of our communities’ identities. From calligraphy to intricately sandblasted cedar signs, his craftsmanship graces neighbourhoods, parks, municipalities, and other significant heritage landmarks. John also left deep and meaningful impressions on countless musicians from the Yukon and beyond through his work in music. Beyond his artistic achievements, John was a proud Yukoner who warmly welcomed many newcomers to the North, fostering a sense of community and connection, teaching a respect for Northern heritage, and helping to make the Yukon what it is today.

Harris Cox will receive the Helen Couch Volunteer of the Year Award for his work with the Yukon Transportation Museum (YTM). Harris has volunteered at, and donated artifacts to, the YTM periodically over the past decade with an intensifying of his volunteering over the past year. In 2023, he donated a tote full of slides to the YTM, which the museum then scanned. The collection represents a treasure trove of images of the Yukon from the 1950s to the 1990s and Harris has been working with museum staff weekly, reviewing the scans and identifying the places, people, and events they represent. His extensive experience and dedication make Harris a volunteer advocate for the Yukon and a community memory reservoir worthy of recognition.

This year’s Innovation, Education, and Community Engagement Award will be presented to Shot in the Dark Productions for their 2023 film, Signal Fire. This documentary takes its themes and ideas from an academic paper called “Toward Reconciliation: 10 calls to Action to Natural Scientists Working in Canada.” Both the paper and film focus on restoring balance in the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. Shot in the Dark Productions worked with the authors of the paper and others to illustrate how the relationship between researchers and Indigenous communities must be on a path of mutual respect. Signal Fire serves to spread the word to researchers in all disciplines that developing and sustaining healthy, vibrant communities means embracing many forms of wisdom and dialogue, and that how research is conducted, and with whom, matters as much as the focus of the research.

The Yukon Film Society (YFS) will be honoured with the Heritage Conservation Project of the Year Award for their conservation of the Yukon Theatre’s historic neon sign. Throughout the project the YFS has shown a passion for restoring this cherished landmark of downtown Whitehorse. The goal of the Society’s conservation project was to repaint the Yukon Theatre signage in its original 1954 colours and to repair the sign’s neon lettering. This restoration project was successful in following the Standards and Guidelines for the Conservation of Historic Places in Canada though the historical research, planning, and documentation of the project. This project has helped to preserve this iconic mid-century movie house and one of the last remaining neon façades in Whitehorse. The Heritage Conservation Project of the Year award is sponsored by the Department of Tourism and Culture, Government of Yukon.

Award descriptions and details of previous award recipients can be found here.

Propel your organization or business in the digital world! YHMA is announcing a series of digital workshops presented by Inga Petri and Briana Doyle of Strategic Moves between November 22 to February 28.

These workshops are for YHMA members only. Become a YHMA member here and see the list of benefits. A Zoom meeting link will be provided upon registration as a member.

Attendance at any previous workshops in the series is not required to attend later workshops.

Dates and Time: November 22 – February 28, Wednesdays from 10:30-11:45 am Yukon Time
Location: Zoom

Having a basic understanding of these concepts will allow participants to:

1. better manage and assess the impact of their web presence
2. make informed decisions when working with web designers or agencies
3. adapt to changes and emerging trends

This understanding and adaptability is crucial for maintaining an effective online presence over time.

• Workshop 1 (Nov 22): Building an effective online presence
• Workshop 2 (Nov 29): Creating web content that connects with your audiences
• Workshop 3 (Dec 6): Traditional and Advanced Search Engine Optimization
• Workshop 4 (Dec 13): How to create machine-readable content that powers discoverability online
• Workshop 5 (Jan 10): The changing social media landscape
• Workshop 6 (Jan 17): Finding and engaging your audiences online
• Workshop 7 (Jan 31): Creating videos for online engagement
• Workshop 8 (Feb 7): How to create, manage and share your media content online
• Workshop 9 (Feb 21): Using digital technologies to preserve and share artifacts / content
• Workshop 10 (Feb 28): Delivering great online and hybrid meetings

If you have any questions, please reach out to our digital project coordinator at programs@heritageyukon.ca.

We are pleased to announce the schedule for our 2023 Yukon Heritage Symposium coming up next Wednesday, October 18 at Da Kų Cultural Centre! We hope to see you in Haines Junction. You can register (free of charge!) here until end of day Friday, October 13. If you would like to register after that date, please contact us at info@heritageyukon.ca.

• 10:00-10:15 Welcome and Opening Remarks
• 10:15-11:15 Session 1
  • Linda Johnson and Richard Lawrence (Yukon Council of Archives): Preserving Yukon’s Film and Video Heritage – Report on Findings to Date
  • Angélique Bernard: New Ways of Presenting History
  • Michael Gates and Kathy Jones-Gates: Researching the History of the Yukon Order of Pioneers
• 11:15-11:30 Morning Break
• 11:30-12:15 Session 2
  • Peggy D’Orsay (Hidden Histories Society Yukon): Venturing North: photo album of life in the Yukon
  • Tagish/Denke Connections Group
• 12:15-1:15 Lunch
• 1:15-2:35 Session 3
  • Sylvie Binette and Angélique Bernard (Société d’histoire francophone du Yukon): Société d’histoire francophone du Yukon: Milestones and innovation
  • Harmony Hunter (Yukon First Nations Culture and Tourism Association): Walk With Us – Respectful Travel Guidelines
  • Gwen Kovachik-MacNeil: ‘Indigenizing’ is just another colonial way of saying “hang a Medicine Wheel on the wall”: Privileging YFN voices in Education
  • Lianne Maitland (YHMA): Update from Yukon Historical & Museums Association – the Reconsidering Museums and Heritage Reset Projects
• 2:35-2:250 Afternoon Break
• 2:50-3:15 Session 4
  • Max Fraser: What to do about contemporary history?
• 3:15-4:00 Open Forum

Date & Time: October 18, 2023, 10 am to 4 pm
Location: Da Kų Cultural Centre, Haines Junction
Cost: Free

Join YHMA at our 2023 Yukon Heritage Symposium, Looking Forward, Looking Back, for a chance to meet new colleagues and catch up with old ones, be inspired by new ideas and trends, and share knowledge and best practices. Registration is free of charge and includes lunch and refreshments. 

2023 marks the Yukon’s 125^th year as an official territory of Canada. This is an opportunity to both celebrate and reckon with our past, beginning millennia before 1898, and look to the future we want to create – a task to which the heritage sector is uniquely well-suited.

This Symposium seeks to explore what we are learning about and from our heritage, how we think about and conduct work in heritage and how these are changing, and how the heritage sector contributes – or could contribute – to building a better future.

Register online now or download and return the registration form to join us in Haines Junction!

We are also still accepting presentation proposals until September 13! The Call for Presentations can be found here.

Event Date: Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Event Location: Da Kų Cultural Centre, Haines Junction
Proposal Submission Deadline: Wednesday, September 13, 2023

The 2023 Heritage Symposium, Looking Forward, Looking Back, will be held on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 in Haines Junction at the beautiful Da Kų Cultural Centre. Join YHMA for a chance to meet new colleagues and catch up with old ones, be inspired by new ideas and trends, and share knowledge and best practices. Registration will be free of charge and include lunch and refreshments.

2023 marks the Yukon’s 125^th year as an official territory of Canada. This is an opportunity to both celebrate and reckon with our past, beginning millennia before 1898, and look to the future we want to create – a task to which the heritage sector is uniquely well-suited.

Our sector can shine a light on historical and contemporary issues and challenges and support important dialogues and actions to address them. It can empower communities to take the lead in sharing their own stories and conserving the heritage that is meaningful to them. It can embrace digital technologies to create unique experiences or make the inaccessible accessible. It can help us understand where we’ve been, where we are, and where we want to be in our communities and as a territory.

This Symposium seeks to explore what we are learning about and from our heritage, how we think about and conduct work in heritage and how these are changing, and how the heritage sector contributes – or could contribute – to building a better future.

YHMA is currently seeking proposals for presentations. Case studies, theory-based talks, and other formats are welcome. Presentations should be a maximum of 20 minutes in duration and may involve multiple speakers.  

Suggested themes include the following, but if you have an idea for a presentation you’d like to share, please get in touch – we are open to any and all ideas, provided they have some connection or relevance to Yukon heritage and/or the Yukon heritage sector.

• Digitization and new technologies
• Crowdsourcing and community-based projects or research
• Engaging new audiences
• Re-thinking and re-imagining policies and procedures
• Advancing reconciliation and diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Disaster planning and emergency response

How to Submit a Proposal
All proposals should be submitted using the contact information below, Attn: Heritage Symposium Committee, by September 13, 2023. Proposals should include:

• Name of contact/primary presenter
• Contact phone number and e-mail address
• Names of additional presenter(s), if applicable
• Presenter(s’) position(s) and organization(s), if applicable
• Presentation title/theme
• Brief description of proposed presentation
• Estimated length of presentation
• Anticipated technical requirements

Please send any questions to Lianne Maitland, Executive Director, using the same contact information.

Email: info@heritageyukon.ca
Mail: 3126 3rd Avenue, Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 1E7
Fax: 867-667-4506

You can download a copy of this Call for Presentations here.

On July 26, Prime Minister Trudeau announced a cabinet shuffle and appointed Pascale St-Onge as the new Minister of Canadian Heritage. In partnership with the provincial museum associations, YHMA has sent a welcome letter to the new Minister. You can read the letter here.

We would also like to thank the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, the outgoing Minister, for his service as Minister of Canadian Heritage. Minister Rodriquez has now taken on the Ministry of Transport portfolio.

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault remains Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada.

Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2023
Time: 5:30 pm
Location: Old Log Church Museum (303 Elliott Street, Whitehorse) and online (Zoom)

You are invited to join YHMA for our 2023 Annual General Meeting, to be held on Wednesday, July 26, 2023 at 5:30 pm at the Old Log Church Museum. A call-in option will be available via Zoom.

We will be giving an overview of YHMA’s activities over the past year and what’s in store for the coming year, sharing our updated strategic plan, presenting our reviewed 2022-23 financial statements, appointing an accountant, and electing our 2023-24 Board of Directors.

All are welcome! If you plan to attend in person, an RSVP is appreciated, but not required. To attend via Zoom, please register here.

Only members in good standing are eligible to vote and stand for election, including designated representatives of Institutional and Corporate Affiliate members. Please note that Directors must meet the qualifications laid out in the Societies Act, sections 46-48, and candidates will be required to declare their qualification prior to election.

If you would like to renew or purchase a membership, you can visit our membership page to do so online, contact us at info@heritageyukon.ca or 867-667-4704, or visit our office at 3126 3rd Avenue, Whitehorse. Membership forms will also be available at the meeting.

Unsure of your membership status? Interested in becoming a Director and want to learn more? Want to check or change your organization’s designated representative? Contact Lianne at info@heritageyukon.ca or 867-667-4704.

If you are a member in good standing and would like to cast a proxy vote, please fill out and return a proxy vote appointment form. You can download the form here or contact us at the coordinates above to obtain a paper copy.

All proxy vote appointment forms must be received at the YHMA office or by email to info@heritageyukon.ca by 4:30 pm on Tuesday, July 25, 2023 for delivery to the Chairperson presiding over the meeting, or delivered directly to the Chairperson presiding over the meeting prior to its commencement.

Any member in good standing at the meeting is entitled to present one proxy vote on behalf of another member.

Thank you to the Old Log Church Museum for providing the meeting space.

The Yukon Historical and Museums Association (YHMA) is seeking an engaged, motivated individual to join our team as Digital Transformation Project Coordinator.

YHMA has engaged a consultant (Strategic Moves) to undertake a digital assessment of YHMA’s operations and communications and develop a digital strategy and implementation plan to modernize and streamline our member services, internal processes, and programming. The project will also include custom digital workshops on relevant topics.

Under the direction of the Executive Director, the Digital Transformation Project Coordinator will act as the day-to-day contact for the consulting team, collect relevant organizational information and data and provide it to the consulting team, actively participate in the audit and review process, advise on the development of workshops and coordinate participants, ensure the final digital strategy meets our organization’s needs, and begin implementation of the strategy.

To facilitate a thorough understanding of YHMA’s current digital tools and internal processes, the Digital Transformation Project Coordinator will also be responsible for managing public-facing digital communications via YHMA’s social media channels, website, and e-bulletin.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Act as day-to-day contact between YHMA and the consulting team
• Provide access to information required for project completion to the consulting team
• Actively participate in the audit and review process, including facilitating stakeholder engagement and participating in working sessions to review findings
• Review, provide comments on, and collect feedback on report and deliverables from YHMA Executive Director and board members and consolidate input into coherent briefings for the consulting team
• Advise on workshop topics and organize participation of YHMA staff, board members, and members, as appropriate
• Ensure final digital strategy meets the needs of YHMA
• Manage YHMA’s social media channels and website
• Produce and distribute weekly e-bulletin
• Prepare data for migration to digital tools through compilation of digital records, digitization of paper records, and other methods as required
• Begin implementation of digital strategy with support from Strategic Moves, including launching selected digital tools and processes
• Act as primary contact for any specialized contractors or service providers required for adoption of selected digital tools and processes
• Develop procedural guidelines for digital tools and processes
• Assist in identifying additional funding opportunities to support implementation of digital strategy, if necessary
• Prepare a final report outlining progress completed towards implementation of digital strategy and next steps
• Assist with basic office administration and maintenance tasks

Desired Qualifications

• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• High level of computer literacy
• Ability to synthesize information
• Ability to take initiative and work independently as well as in a team setting
• Attention to detail
• Familiarity with a wide variety of digital tools, including but not limited to Microsoft Office, social media, digital marketing tools, CRM systems, and content management systems
• Formal training or work experience in project management, policy and procedure development, information management, and/or communications and marketing is considered an asset.
• Interest in heritage, especially Yukon heritage, and familiarity with the Yukon heritage sector is considered an asset.

Candidates selected for an interview will be required to provide references.

Hours: 20 hours/week
Term: as soon as possible until April 30, 2024
Rate: $26/hour
Application Period: open until position is filled
Location: Whitehorse

How to Apply

Apply with cover letter and résumé by email to:

Lianne Maitland (she/her)
Executive Director
info@heritageyukon.ca
Subject: Digital Transformation Project Coordinator application

HOURS: 37.5 hours/week including occasional evenings and weekends
TERM: 12-15 weeks, May 23-September 1 (approximate, dependent on applicant availability)
RATE: $21/hour
CLOSING DATE: May 18, 2023 at 11:59 pm PDT

We are seeking an engaged, self-motivated individual to join our team as Community Relations Officer, focusing on strengthening YHMA’s relationships with its members and other stakeholders, building partnerships, enhancing the Yukon heritage community network, and raising the profile of YHMA, the historic properties we manage, and the greater Yukon heritage community with the public.

The successful candidate will gain experience in and develop skills related to non-profit heritage organization management, develop a professional network in the Yukon heritage community, and gain a deeper understanding of Yukon heritage and the overall heritage sector.

Under the direction of the Executive Director, the Community Relations Officer will manage YHMA’s online communications channels and newsletter; collaborate with various stakeholders to coordinate network-and profile-building events and activities; promote and manage venue rentals; and conduct our annual stakeholder satisfaction survey.

The successful candidate will have the opportunity to develop an individualized training plan and to participate in additional opportunities for professional development and networking where possible.

The successful candidate will also be provided with the option to work remotely where tasks allow.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage content distribution to social media channels and website;
• Develop and implement a social media campaign to highlight individual heritage attractions, organizations, independent heritage contractors, and heritage workers amongst the YHMA membership;
• Update heritage attraction, organization, building, and contractor database listings on the YHMA website;
• Produce and distribute weekly e-bulletin;
• Produce and distribute Fall/Winter edition of organizational newsletter;
• Monitor and prepare bi-weekly reports on traffic and user engagement for online communications channels using integrated analytic functions;
• Collaborate with YHMA team members, partners, and other stakeholders to plan, promote, deliver, and report on special events/activities (programs) that support the goals of community building, fundraising, and promotion for YHMA, Yukon heritage, and the Yukon heritage sector, including managing budgets and volunteers where relevant;
• Apply for and manage micro-grant funding to support production of at least one public event;
• Promote and manage park venue rentals;
• Work with Membership Committee to identify any desired changes to template for annual stakeholder satisfaction survey;
• Update and distribute stakeholder satisfaction survey based on above;
• Analyze stakeholder satisfaction survey data and prepare report;
• Assist with basic building and grounds maintenance;
• Assist with basic administrative tasks such as filing, record keeping, and organizing the office space;
• Participate in development of an individualized training plan, ongoing evaluation, and adjustment of projects/tasks; and
• Prepare a final report outlining projects/tasks completed and results.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

This position is located in Whitehorse, Yukon. Candidates must reside in Whitehorse or be willing to relocate to Whitehorse for the duration of the position.

This position is funded by the Young Canada Works (YCW) and Canada Summer Jobs programs. Candidates must meet the following criteria to be eligible for this position:

• be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, or have refugee status in Canada;
• be legally entitled to work in Canada;
• be between 16 and 30 years of age at the start of employment;
• be registered in the YCW online candidate inventory;
• be willing to commit to the full duration of the work assignment;
• not have another full-time job while employed in this job;
• have been registered as a student in the semester preceding this work assignment; and
• intend to return to studies during or after this work assignment.

DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong interest in heritage, especially Yukon heritage, and the heritage sector;
• Studying in a related field, including but not limited to: cultural/heritage resource management, museum studies/museology, curatorial studies, collections management, archival studies, conservation, history, Aboriginal studies, communications, arts administration, or non-profit management.
• Strong written and oral communication skills;
• Strong organizational and time management skills;
• Ability to take initiative and work independently as well as in a team setting;
• High level of comfort working and communicating with diverse individuals;
• Experience in communications and marketing, program planning, fundraising, grant writing, and/or report writing;
• Strong computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and email;
• Proficiency with Microsoft Publisher, social media, online meeting software, website design and content management systems, digital analytics, and/or digital survey software will be considered an asset.
• First aid/CPR certification will be considered an asset.

YHMA welcomes participation from equity groups. All qualified candidates are encouraged to apply.

HOW TO APPLY

Apply with cover letter and résumé by email to:

Lianne Maitland (she/her)
Executive Director
info@heritageyukon.ca
Subject: Community Relations Officer application

The Yukon Historical & Museums Association (YHMA) and Government of Yukon have partnered to offer the Yukon 125 Fund to help tell Yukon stories from all perspectives as the territory marks its 125th anniversary. 

We are pleased to now be accepting applications from First Nations, municipalities, and community organizations for projects, events, and activities that mark the Yukon’s 125th anniversary. 

Celebrations, gatherings, improvements to community spaces, creative performances showcasing the Yukon, and research or educational projects that focus on the Yukon’s heritage, culture, and history can be funded up to $7,500.

Yukon 125 projects must take place between June 1 and October 31, 2023.

The application period will be open until June 30, 2023 or until funding is allocated. A total of $400,000 is available.

The fund guidelines and application materials can be found here.

Questions? Email yukon125@heritageyukon.ca or call Anne at (867) 332-4979.

Yukon 125 calls on us to use knowledge of the Yukon’s past to build a stronger future.