Although Berton spent much of his life in Ontario, he was born and raised in the Yukon. During his years as a university student, he worked in Klondike mining camps, as well as on the Ubyssey, the University's student newspaper.

He then spent four years in the army, where he rose from private to captain/instructor, at the Royal Military College in Kingston, ON.

Benton spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily paper. He had replaced editorial staff that went to war during World War II. 

Benton moved to Toronto in 1947, and by the age of 31, he was named the managing editor of Macleans, a Canadian weekly news magazine. In 1957, he became a key member of the CBC's public affairs flagship program, Close-Up, as well as a permanent panelist on the Front Page Challenge. Eventually, he became a columnist and editor for the Toronto Star, and was a writer and host on many CBC programs, including "My Country," "The Great Debate," "Heritage Theatre," and "The National Dream."

Pierre Benton wrote 50 books, which were on popular culture, Canadian History, or children's books. His works include "The Mysterious North," "The Joy of Writing," "Marching as to War," "Cats I have Known and Loved," "The Arctic Grail," "My Country," and "Prisoners of the North."

He was awarded more than a dozen honorary degrees, for his huge contribution to Canadian literature and history.

Berton's childhood house in Dawson City, Yukon, is now a called the Berton House, and it is a writer's retreat. Established writers can apply for residency there for three months, and in exchange for getting to live there for a little while, they have to give one public reading in both Dawson and Whitehorse.

In 1994, the Pierre Berton award was established, and is now presented yearly to those who "bring the past back to life." Berton himself was the first to receive this honor, and agreed to have his name used for future awards.

Pierre Berton died in 2004, of heart failure at the age of 84. Though he is gone, his memory lives on in his works, and in the Canadians who admired him.

Sources:

http://www.pierreberton.com/

http://www.lorencoleman.com/pierre_berton_obituary.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Berton

Although Berton spent much of his life in Ontario, he was born and raised in the Yukon. During his years as a university student, he worked in Klondike mining camps, as well as on the Ubyssey, the University's student newspaper.

He then spent four years in the army, where he rose from private to captain/instructor, at the Royal Military College in Kingston, ON.

Benton spent his early newspaper career in Vancouver, where he was the youngest city editor on any Canadian daily paper. He had replaced editorial staff that went to war during World War II. 

Benton moved to Toronto in 1947, and by the age of 31, he was named the managing editor of Macleans, a Canadian weekly news magazine. In 1957, he became a key member of the CBC's public affairs flagship program, Close-Up, as well as a permanent panelist on the Front Page Challenge. Eventually, he became a columnist and editor for the Toronto Star, and was a writer and host on many CBC programs, including "My Country," "The Great Debate," "Heritage Theatre," and "The National Dream."

Pierre Benton wrote 50 books, which were on popular culture, Canadian History, or children's books. His works include "The Mysterious North," "The Joy of Writing," "Marching as to War," "Cats I have Known and Loved," "The Arctic Grail," "My Country," and "Prisoners of the North."

He was awarded more than a dozen honorary degrees, for his huge contribution to Canadian literature and history.

Berton's childhood house in Dawson City, Yukon, is now a called the Berton House, and it is a writer's retreat. Established writers can apply for residency there for three months, and in exchange for getting to live there for a little while, they have to give one public reading in both Dawson and Whitehorse.

In 1994, the Pierre Berton award was established, and is now presented yearly to those who "bring the past back to life." Berton himself was the first to receive this honor, and agreed to have his name used for future awards.

Pierre Berton died in 2004, of heart failure at the age of 84. Though he is gone, his memory lives on in his works, and in the Canadians who admired him.

Sources:

http://www.pierreberton.com/

http://www.lorencoleman.com/pierre_berton_obituary.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_Berton

With a population of 20,461 (as of 2006), Whitehorse is home to roughly 75 percent of people living in the territory. It is also the largest city in all of Canada's three territories.

Whitehorse, like many other communities in the territories, is somewhat similar to your typical community in southern Canada, or the United States. It has a number of different elementary schools and high school, many supermarkets and supply stores, and a downtown area, complete with cafes, shops, and arts centers. 

However, Whitehorse, like the many other communities up north, is pretty isolated, geographically. Although one CAN travel there by car, via the Alaska Highway, most visitors have to travel by plane. The local airport has scheduled service to Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Yellowknife, Fort Simpson, and Fairbanks. Sevice extends to Frankfurt, Germany in the summer.

Whitehorse is an ideal place for tourism, since it's located in a thriving city, yet people also have the wilderness to explore in, right next door. Visitors can spend a good amount of time in the city without getting bored. They can also have fun skiing, snowshoeing, icefishing, or visiting the Takhini hotsprings, a popular attraction for both locals and tourists. Many flock over to Whitehorse to see the famous aurora borealis.

Tourism, along with government service and mining, are Whitehorse's biggest industries. 

Sources:

http://www.visitwhitehorse.com/winter/index.html#/list1/gettingHere/

http://travelyukon.com/aboutyukonterritory/yukoncommunities/whitehorse/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitehorse,_Yukon#Infrastructure

Cultural festivals. Diverse music. 

For many, Yellowknife, capital of the Northwest Territories, would not exactly be the first place that comes to mind, when thinking about places to see a good show.

However, Yellowknife has been hosting the annual Folk on the Rocks music festival since 1980. The two day event not only features Folk, but a wide variety of musical acts, all set on Yellowknife's Long Lake site. 

On July 16th-July 18th, 2010, the Folk on the Rocks will celebrate it's 30th annual festival.

A selection committee is responsible for choosing the entertainment that ensues each year. To be considered by the committee, one must apply. The selection committee receives more than 200 applications a year, from artists around the globe. Although every submission is read, only 25 artists are chosen to perform each year. Roughly 50 percent of the performers come from Northern Canada, (Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut), and 48 percent come from southern Canada or the US. The remaining 2% are from overseas. 

This event, which started off very small, eventually made its way on to becoming one of Canada's top summertime music festivals. Over 4,000 visitors make their way to Long Lake and experience the beauty in music, culture, and the scenic views, especially the midnight sun.  Folk on the Rocks now has performances on five stages, which include a cultural area, a children's area, and a beer garden. 

Click Here to see a video of Folk on the Rocks, 2009!



Sources:
http://www.spectacularnwt.com/node/981
http://www.folkontherocks.com/home.php
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_on_the_Rocks

"Haha, do you really think you can wake up that early?"

I froze. My room mate had just voiced my biggest fear regarding my upcoming Ottawa trip. Professor Martin had just reminded us earlier that every year, SOMEONE manages to screw up by oversleeping, missing the bus, and therefore missing the visit to Canada's capital. He told us not to be that person. Given my notoriously insomniac tendencies that last till dawn, coupled with my amazing ability to sleep like a rock afterwards, naturally I was afraid of being the one person to stay up too late, fall asleep too late, and consequently miss the bus.

"Yeah, I think so. I better, at any rate."

In the hours before my departure, I desperately tried to get a good night's sleep, and got to bed at 11. Of course, I couldn't fall asleep if my life depended on it. I passed the time by making sure everything was packed and ready, set a third alarm, and then proceeded to watch random videos, and play tetris. I finally drifted off to sleep around 5:45, then snapped awake as my three alarms all buzzed fifteen minutes later. Shutting them off, I realized that five more minutes would not do me any good, so I proceeded to get dressed, grab my stuff, double check to make sure I had everything, and headed outside, to Waterman, where the bus would be leaving. Despite the fact that I only had fifteen minutes of sleep, I got there on time, with plenty of people arriving after me. Although I did doze off a couple times on the bus ride up, I couldn't really snooze for long periods of time. I was wired and ready for Ottawa. 

Next step: the BORDER. I had been well prepared for the legendary trek through customs. We all got our passports out, tensed up a little, and prepared to possibly get off the bus. As it turned out, we didn't even need to show anyone our passports to get through! All the border patrolmen wanted to know was the number of people on the bus. Once he had that information, we were all set to leave.

Upon arriving in the capital of Canada, we got off the bus, and hurried over to a mall to get a quick lunch. My meal? A bagel from Tim Horton's.

We then headed over to parliament. While I was impressed by the architecture of the building, I was itching to get inside, since I was towards the back of the line inside, and therefore getting rained on. Forgetting my umbrella wasn't my smartest move. Eventually, we were finally inside, and the security we had to go through was much tougher than the security we faced getting over the border. It resembled typical airport security, complete with bins to put belongings in, so they could run through those computer machines.

After getting a general tour of the building, we were able to sit in on a question hour. Since half the dialogue was in French, and my ear-microphone tuner-thing wasn't working, I wasn't able to catch much of what was being said, but I did catch the gist of it by using my eyes. I was amazed to see how informal the parties were when representatives spoke to one another; they challenged each other, and raised their voices! I wouldn't have been very surprised 

if the fighting turned physical; this debate was HEATED. 

Later, we met with a three representatives from opposing parties, and were given the opportunity to ask them questions in a conference room. 

*****

Aside from our day at Parliament, we also went to the National Museum of Civilizations and the National Gallery of Canada.  At the Museum of Civilizations we were greeted by the protesting museum workers, who were in the process of negotiating a fair contract.  As soon as our bus arrived, they quickly took notice and moved directly outside of it.  Once inside the museum we took an audio tour.  There are three floors, the first focuses on First World Peoples and the third focuses on the European history of Canada.  The first floor was very unique in that the ceiling was shaped like a canoe with pillars along the walls shaped as paddles.  The architect intentionally used this design to accentuate the importance of the canoe to the native peoples.  It was not only a means of transportation, but also a vital tool one had to master to survive.  In fact, in addition to the canoe ceiling, the entire museum is designed to not have corners because it is native belief that spirits get trapped in corners.  Therefore, there are many curves instead. 

      As you begin the tour there is a replica of several houses that the natives would have used.  Also, there were totem poles outside as well, these markers of the dead and often held a small box that held a family member’s remains.  Continuing through the room you can see the Spirit of Haida Gwai sculpture by Bill Reid, which is a boat full of different animal spirits of the natives’ culture.  The rest of the floor has artifacts from the first world people, such as tools, clothes, ceremonial items, boats, etc. from the various groups across Canada.  Then, the final part of the floor concludes with the introduction of European and the modern history of how native peoples have adapted to become involved in mining, trades, and reservations, while still practicing their beliefs and performing old ceremonies.

      Shortly after attending the Museum of Civilizations we went to the National Gallery, which can be identified by the large black spider out in front.  On our tour, we saw a few pieces from many exhibits.  Starting with the First World Peoples’, the first thing our guide noted was that there is a controversy over the fact that the exhibit is in the basement.  Apparently, said exhibit used to be up above, and then people would complain because they questioned if the natives’ art work was superior, etc.  In the end, our guide said everyone cannot be satisfied no matter where the exhibit is, however, it the basement has a better viewing space and can accommodate the exhibit.  Amongst the many pieces, we were shown a series done by a woman who portrays native women as the opposite of their stereotype.  That being simple, very old world, living on a reservation, uneducated in reading and writing, etc.  Instead, she portrays native women wearing very modern clothing with their hair and makeup done.  They also are wearing shirts that correct general stereotypes, such as “I’m not an Indian”.  Upstairs we learned about the group of seven, which was literally seven men who were inspired by nature and painted in a “modern” way, at the time.  These artists didn’t paint scenes in as much detail as traditional artists and were accused by critics of having sloppy work, even making trash.  Now, of course, they are some of the most valuable Canadian works available.  After the tour, I search around on my own and looked at some of the contemporary works.  One of my favorites was a sculpture done by an English artisan, who made a fiberglass human heart and covered it with dice and plaster.  It was incredible because of the detail, all of the dice were perfectly aligned and they even were on the inside of the valves, which seemed physically impossible to do. 

      Every town has a paper to deliver the local news, be it the Burlington Free Press, the Boston Globe, or the Whitehorse Daily Star.  What’s that?  None other than the local paper of Whitehorse, Yukon in northern Canada.  This paper is not only a great resource to residents looking to find local news, but also perfect for tourists who want to find events and activities going on in Whitehorse.  The website is broken into six sections: News, Sports, Letters, Opinions, Events, and Classifieds.

      The news is very relevant to the area, and reminds me of small town Vermont with headlines such as: “Bird’s misguided flight affected 14,000 people” and “Dog’s death ‘really wrong, really unfair’”.  This first story is about a power outage that is thought to be the result of a bird hitting the power lines.  All that can be found left of this bird is some feathers.  There was one witness who accounted he saw a “fireball along the line” at the moment of impact.  The outage only lasted for about an hour and was then restored.  At the end of the article, an Environment Yukon’s wildlife viewing biologist, Bruce Bennett, discusses what type of bird it may have been based on the feathers left behind and migratory patterns.  The second story is about a local dog that caused a public disturbance by continually barking outside.  Several complaints and a court case later, the dog was taken by the city and euthanized.  Certainly the paper has a bias, which can be identified right from the title of this article, “Dog’s death ‘really wrong, really unfair’”.  Although it does emphasize how the owner’s of the dog repeatedly ignored threats by the city and the court.

      The Sports section covers both local and national topics, such as hockey, skiing, and the Olympics.  The “Letters” section is one where people can read messages others have sent in to the paper.  However, you can only read these if you have a subscription to the newspaper (this makes sense, as most appear to be from disgruntled readers, which is not the best of advertising).  The Opinion section also appears to be written by readers, rather than staff members, but again you cannot read these pieces unless you are a subscriber to the newspaper.  The topics for the Opinion section range from “Saving Local Clubs” to Copenhagen.

      The paper also has an Events section, which is my personal favorite.  It has a highly varied list of events going on in Whitehorse, such as: “Whitehorse AA meetings”, “First Nations & friends events”, and “Join us at Sundog Carving Studio for a Christmas open house and art sale”.  This section is a great way to find local events going on in Whitehorse whether you’re a local or a tourist.  Finally, the paper has the Classifieds; this section is barred from non-subscribers as well, but certainly would be interesting to look at if given the paper copy.

      My realization about Whitehorse I learned from reading this paper was that Whitehorse is very much a small town community.  One where the latest news may be about how some bird ran into a power line.  Having lived in Vermont for several years, I can certainly relate and appreciate the tone as it reminds me of my local paper at home.  If I make it so far north someday, I’ll be sure to pick up a copy of the Whitehorse Daily Star while I’m there.  I highly recommend it.

Sources:

http://whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/birds-misguided-flight-affected-14000-people/

http://www.jamalmohamed.com/imgs/various/starlogo.gif

http://whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/birds-misguided-flight-affected-14000-people/

http://whitehorsestar.com/archive/story/dogs-death-really-wrong-really-unfair/

      Northern Canada is a source of great music, one such example is “The Gumboots” from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.  The group was founded in 1984 by Bill Gilday, a man from Edmonton who was inspired after taking a folk workshop there.  The Gumboots play folk music that seeks to tell the stories of the Canadian North.  While the group has had many members over the years, currently its members are Bill Gilday, Ray Bethke, and Steve Lacey.  They also use a variety of instruments when playing, in addition to vocal harmonies, including guitars, mandolin, fiddle, recorder, tin whistles, accordion, harmonicas, bodhran, banjo, and occasionally the cello and even the moose bones.

A Bodhran

      Known as the Northwest Territories most popular band, they have appeared both live and on several radio stations and shows.  They participated in the Festival by the Sea in St. John, New Brunswick, the Atlin Music Festival in BC, and regularly at the annual Folk on the Rocks Festival in Yellowknife, as well as CBC TV in “The National Doubt- True North Concert”.  They have also been played on CBC North Radio Network programs, such as: Morningside, This Morning, the Max Ferguson Show, Jurgen Goth’s Disc Drive, Definitely Not the Opera, Madly Off In All Directions, Sounds Like Canada; as well as, RCI’s internet program Spotlight and on Disc Drive’s Solstice celebration.  Every year the group also hosts a concert with a “special guest” from the South that has included: Juba, Connie Kaldor, Hal & Tow, Jerusalem Ridge, Cindy Church, Trilogy, Valdy, Modabo, Mae Moore, UHF, Willie P. Bennett, James Keelaghan, The Wailin' Jennys, Murray McLauchlan, Stephen Fearing and most recently, The McDades.

      Over the years, the group has released four albums: Spirit of the North from April 1992, Northern Tracks from 1994, Search for a Passage from June 2000, and their newest album Roads Less Travelled from 2008.  Roads Less Travelled got its name from the Robert Frost poem and decidedly so because of the nature of the songs themselves.  As Ray Bethke said, “The songs all seem to involve people who take roads less travelled… They are stories about people who have gone a different route, took risks and set out to achieve something different from people around them."  In the making of the first two albums the Gumboots had several different faces.  In fact, Bill Gilday was the only current member involved in their creation, along with Bill Stephen, John Bunge, Bob MacQuarrie, Dan Lee, Chris Philpotts, Rich Hintz, and Chic Callas.  Bob MacQuarrie wrote four of the songs in Roads Less Travelled but left before its release in 2001, he had joined in 1988. 

      The Gumboots certainly have seen many members come and go, but the music remains true to their reputation as oral historians.  The group celebrated its 20^th anniversary in 2004, and they still plan to continue to spread the stories of the North to Canadians and the world.

http://www.celtarctic.com/images/Spotlight/2007%20Gumboot%20Bio.pdf

http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2009-03/feb19_09tuf-arts.html

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Bodhran.jpg (Bodhran pic)

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/177-bodhran-playing-hinnerk-ruemenapf-0067.jpg  (Bodhran pic)

http://www.northernjourney.com/cdnfolk/book/artist/gumboots.html

http://www.nnsl.com/frames/newspapers/2001-10/oct8_01bob.html

      Today we take a close look at the hamlet of Arviat, located in the northern province of Nunavut.  It is a predominately Inuit hamlet, as is most of Nunavut, and has a population of 2,060 making it the third largest community in Nunavut behind Rankin Inlet and Iqaluit.  Arviat is also the southernmost community in Nunavut and is roughly the geographical center of Canada.  In Inuktitut, “Arviat” means place of the bowhead whale and it is named this because of its unique shape.

      Even though Arviat is about half way between the northern most border of the United States and the Arctic Circle, it still remains a thriving community filled with the many landmarks and buildings we appreciate in Burlington, Vermont.  There is a church, a high school, a college, a co-op, etc.  While these buildings may not look the same as ours, as they are mostly made from metal due to the harsh environment they exist in, they still provide for the Arviatmiuts.

      Amongst the northern chill exists several prominent music groups in Arviat.  This includes Susan Aglukark, Simon "Johnny Cash of the North" Sigyariaq, the band Uniaqtuq, the Arviat Band, the Irksuk band.  In addition to having several bands, Arviat is also home to a variety of wildlife, such as polar bears, caribou, and beluga whales.  Arviatmiuts have many traditions which they value and are trying to preserve.  Aside from their language, they also are trying to preserve their traditions such as throat singing, drum dancing, Inuit games, carving, doll-making, sewing, and dog sledding.  They also have traditional foods like raw frozen caribou meat, seal, fish, rabbit, ptarmigan, polar bear, walrus, musk ox, and beluga whale.  Annual events help to stimulate the practice of these traditions, as there is a music festival, fishing derby, and dog-sledding competition every year.

      Arviat certainly has a personality, but nevertheless it is still remote.  It can only be reached by snowmobile, air, or annual sealift.  Many of the inhabitants travel to Churchill, Manitoba to get supplies.  The Inuits have learned to rely largely on hunting and fishing, which are still main sources of sustenance. 

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arviat,_Nunavut

http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/learningresources/facts/nunavut_communities/arvia.html

http://imagesandstories.wordpress.com/2008/03/28/the-town-of-arviat-nunavut-canada/

Nunavut and the Inuits:

      The First Nations people most common in Nunavut are the Inuits.  Nunavut is a land of 136,000 square miles with a population of 31,556, yielding a population density of just 0.23 people per square mile.  As it is such a remote part of Canada, there is little information on the territory even today.  However, the land is naturally frozen land host to harsh winters and cold summers, more than half of Nunavut is frozen for more than half of the year.  This obstacle alone makes the development of the land for business near impossible. 

      Of the 25,000 Inuits living in Canada, 20,500 live in Nunavut, therefore the situation there portrays the hardships and experiences of the Inuits well.  The economy as a whole suffers from a high cost of living, lack of skilled labor, and a plethora of bureaucracies hindering the process of business growth.  The Northwestern Territories is where the majority of stable business takes place in the Northern Canada.  As a result, Nunavut businesses seeking territory grants have been forced to use Northwestern contractors, suppliers, and manufacturers if at all possible.  Aside from this being a difficult hurdle, businesses also suffer costs from high inflation of the Northwestern Territories. 

      In 1993, the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement was enacted to help promote business by overcoming some of the most difficult obstacles mentioned above.  In effect this Agreement allowed Nunavut to become a Territory by law, and therefore freed the Inuits residents to take advantage of the economic boom that has stricken the region in recent times.  More specifically, the agreement gave the 136,000 square miles of Nunavut to the Inuit peoples, as well as 1.1 billion dollars compensation.  It also included rights to a share in mineral, oil, and gas development, and a voice in decisions regarding land and water resources.  One thing Nunavut is rich in is ores such as: copper, lead, silver, and zinc.  However, the lack of paved roads and poor infrastructure has prevented these resources from being utilized.  Now, Inuits actually rely on mining as a significant source of income.

      The creation of Nunavut itself is a great step forward in Inuit and First Nations peoples rights.  Nunavut was governed out of Yellowknife, Northwestern Territories until April 1999, when Iqaluit became the new capital.  The Inuits are the first of First Nations peoples to gain self-governance.  This success is captured in the Inuktitut meaning of Nunavut, “our land”. 

Sources:

http://www.infoplease.com/spot/nunavut1.html