Whitehorse City Hall. (Joel Krahn/Yukon News file)

City hall, briefly

A look at decisions made by Whitehorse city council this week.

Priorities adopted

Whitehorse city council has adopted its 2020 priority list.

At council’s May 11 meeting, members voted in favour of adopting the list, updated annually, setting out council’s priorities for the year.

“Council reviewed successes and areas for improvement from 2019 and confirmed its collective priorities for 2020,” it was highlighted in an earlier report to council. “This information was being prepared for release to the public when the COVID-19 reality hit the Yukon and immediate priorities needed to shift to a public health emergency response.”

The priorities identified for 2020 are environmental stewardship, transportation, infrastructure renewal, public safety and housing.

Before voting in favour of adopting the document, Coun. Samson Hartland said he was happy to see the priority list brought forward, highlighting it as an important document for council decisions.

Miles Canyon Road reopens

Miles Canyon Road was set to reopen to vehicles May 15, City of Whitehorse officials announced May 11 via social media.

“The scenic route will be shared-use for the rest of the season,” the city’s posts read. “Please drive, bike, walk, and run with care.”

The reopening comes after an April 24 announcement that the seasonal roadway would remain closed until at least May 11.

That was done in an effort to provide more recreation to residents with measures in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Since those measures have been put in place, there’s been an increase in pedestrian and bicycle traffic in places such as Miles Canyon Road.

Grant deadline approaching

The City of Whitehorse is reminding organizations of the May 28 deadline approaching for community service grants.

The funding is available for groups that provide services to the elderly, those with disabilities, those with low incomes, or those with special needs.

Application forms are available on the city’s website at www.whitehorse.ca/grants.

Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com

Whitehorse city council