Richard Mostyn

Rodden’s voice to echo In the Hills

Remy Rodden will release In the Hills: A Celebration of Northern Songs on Thursday. The 11-song CD is a departure from the family friendly tunes he's known for. This time, he's written songs for adults focused on his personal adventures in the Yukon.

angry birds

If you have ever hunted ptarmigan, Dave Mossop's recent remarks should have made your breath catch in your throat. The plump birds aren't rebounding like they should. Mossop has been beguiled by the birds since he was 12.

the great debate

Elizabeth May should be given a seat at the leaders' debates. Sure, there are rules against such things - no seat in the house, the party didn't achieve 10 per cent of the popular vote ...yada yada.

Time for the city to cut loose

Here's a picture for you. While empty, serviced lots sit unused downtown, Whitehorse is tearing up popular residential greenbelts to build homes.

Killing time

Soon, Yukoners must tackle a pretty fundamental question: What sort of place do they want to live in? Admittedly, this is a pretty broad question. For the sake of this little piece, let's parse it.

Power to the people

The fellow at the front room was worked up discussing some facet of medium-size hydro projects. "I miss this," said Piers McDonald, flashing an impish grin. The oblique remark referenced the pandemonium of public meetings - citizens discussing stuff.

hornes bad hair day

Marian Horne could easily have disarmed the handicapped parking controversy. She could have held her hands up and admitted her error. She could have apologized.

Police in over their heads

Recently, Parks Canada employees, environmental engineers and a city firefighter took part in a two-day ice-rescue course in Whitehorse. RCMP officers did not. And that is odd.

True grit

Young ladies of the Yukon women's hockey team, please accept our apologies. This paper never intended to mock your tenacious performance at the Canada Games this week. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Transparent versus opaque

Carcross/Tagish Chief Mark Wedge is in a fortunate position. Generally, people have confidence in him as a leader. Many respect his administration.

The devil and the damage done

Auditor general Sheila Fraser's latest probe makes for painful reading. She was examining the operation of Health and Social Services, the territory's largest department.

Icy Waters race day Special Valentine’s Twister

Conditions were excellent for the fourth Yukon Brewing Copperhaul Twister of this season. Sunday's race day saw a total of 17 entries for the event. The 10.

He points north. He points south. He points east …

May we suggest Yukon Energy buy a weather vane. It should put it atop its office complex, in some prominent position. And it could fashion the ornament in the image of president David Morrison, perhaps with his finger raised to test the direction of the ... wind.

our fair city

While life isn't always fair, citizens often have an expectation that it should be. Which is why the city of Whitehorse has a problem. In 2008, officials wanted to improve the sewer and water system below Industrial Road, lay new asphalt, install curbs and sidewalks and do a little landscaping.

shirking responsibility

At the moment, the Yukon government is bound by the Occupational Health and Safety Act. Should it be? Apparently, the current government doesn't think so.

Sold down the pipe

Someone should probe the issue of bandwidth caps in Canada. And it probably should not be the Canadian Radio-television Telecommunications Commission. Better to task the Canadian Competition Bureau.

one weeks news threatens us all

The territory needs better government. We're talking about municipal, First Nation and territorial levels. Without it, we're all gonna suffer. Particularly journalists - because we're, like, immersed in this stupidity.

you gotta have hart

Glenn Hart should come out of the shadows and tell Yukoners precisely why he's cutting $500,000 in community mental health funding. He should explain himself. He should answer questions.

Strangers no more

Our police know who the so-called regulars are. So do the nurses. And the docs. And the paramedics. And a few business owners. They deal with them every day. And there's no doubt they are a nuisance. And a lot of work.

Ghosts in the machine

It's time for book lovers to face the music. They're dead. Or, more accurately, mostly dead (thanks William Goldman). That is, glued pages and cardboard will persist for a while yet, but they will eventually fade from widespread public use.