Brendan Gregory’s first week in his new job has been filled with shovelling and chipping away at snow and ice to make downtown Whitehorse more accessible this winter.
Gregory is part of a new crew with Opportunities Yukon that’s working hard to improve accessibility in the core, particularly for Yukoners and visitors with mobility issues and using strollers, wheelchairs, crutches and canes.
“They need a little bit of that grip to get around, and unfortunately, in some cases, with heavy snow like we've had for the past couple weeks, it really does put some wear and tear on their bodies,” Gregory said.
“This helps them out just a little bit, and it's worth it.”
This new initiative is a collaboration between Opportunities Yukon and the City of Whitehorse, with the city providing money for wages.
In September, the City of Whitehorse was hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging Whitehorse residents living with disabilities have had their charter rights violated. The suit argues that city infrastructure, including parking spaces and transit, are not suitably accessible.
Valerie Dykshoorn is the employment support programs manager with Opportunities Yukon.
During a phone interview on Dec. 5, Dykshoorn explained that Opportunities Yukon has a deal with the city to assist with snow removal in the central business district.
“Our job is to help with the accessibility of the downtown during the wintertime, so we are clearing the ramps leading into crosswalks, and we are clearing accessible parking spaces to make sure that there's a clear path from accessible parking onto the sidewalk,” she said.
Dykshoorn indicated the Opportunities Yukon crew goes out on foot, with shovels and ice chippers in hand, to do detailed, value-added snow removal that fills in the gaps left behind by bigger machines.
“It's sort of like what gets left behind from the other contractors and from the city,” she said.
For the past two years or so, Opportunities Yukon has been doing similar work in the summer where they clean up garbage, water plants and keep the downtown streets clean.
This year, they decided to extend that work through the winter.
The current contract runs until the end of March 2025, although Dykshoorn suggested they could pitch an extension, depending on the need.
“I think it's been really fulfilling for the crews to be able to see every day, when they're on the streets, that they're helping people in real time,” Dykshoorn said.
“Sometimes they've seen someone struggling with a wheelchair or stroller downtown and they've be able to jump in and clear that path for them, so I think it's been really rewarding for all of the members.”
Opportunities Yukon serves adults of different needs and abilities. All its crew members are experiencing some type of barrier to employment or fit into that category, Dykshoorn said, noting it’s “mutually beneficial.”
The team is composed of about 10 crew members altogether. They go out in threes, plus their supervisor and job coach Melissa Winters, for a few hours on mornings and afternoons.
“We definitely need this to be clear so that we can feel safe,” Winters said.
This winter has brought no shortage of work so far for the squad. According to weather historian Rolf Campbell on X, formerly Twitter, Whitehorse saw its deepest snow cover for Dec. 4 since records started in 1955, with 44 centimetres.
After witnessing the crew hard at work all week, the News caught up with the team as they cleared ramps and street corners around Main Street on the afternoon of Dec. 5. That morning saw the temperatures swing to bring a freezing rain warning in effect for southern Yukon, with fiercely icy pathways to start the day that turned into slushy puddles as weather warmed up.
The News witnessed the squad make some of the trouble spots they tackled more passable.
Gregory gets to see the impact of his efforts firsthand.
“I think it's really great,” he said.
“It's awesome to get compliments and thank yous from people that we've helped so far.”
The crew members and their supervisor appeared to be getting positive feedback from passersby.
“Quite honestly, it's worth every minute,” Gregory said.
“Help out those who need and seek out help if you can.”
— With files from Talar Stockton
Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com
