Whatever the Weather

It is a beautiful and balmy -1 currently, a huge leap up from last Friday, which was -31. The sun is shining, there is no wind and everything is wonderful.
And here I thought anytime I wrote about the weather here in Whitehorse it would be a scathing rant about how for a month straight it was -35, blah blah blah...

We are experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures. The sun is high in the sky finally creeping over the tops of buildings and it feels great. The averages for this time of year is about -19 low and -7 high.

The month of December was unseasonably low. Then we experienced a freeing 'Chinook' warm wind, that saw Whitehorse soar to +7. Of course it didn't last.

Relish this warm weather, and get outside! Word of warning- if it melts, your car will get stuck somewhere. Mine came dangerously close to becoming a near-permanent exhibit next to the grounded steamship. Oh and avalanches. Warm weather loves avalanches, sitting hungrily in wait for an unsuspecting person to unsettle the ground enough to 'WHOOMP' a pile of snow and cover cars, people...

Owning a pet in the North

At first blush, not really that different from owning a pet in the South (Alberta, BC...etc)

But then, are there any real pet stores in Whitehorse? As it turns out, there are two 'tack and feed' stores that cater to raw dog food enthusiasts, riders who aren't really picky about good riding boots and incredibly expensive compressed-paper pelleted bedding for small critters (does $21 for a 20lb bag of Yesterdays News sound like a good deal to you?!). Rabbit food is fairly cheap, everything else is pricey.

C & D Feeds Phone: (867) 633-4620
Duffy's Pets &Tanzilla Harness Supply Phone: (867) 668-6350
Mitzi’s Closet Pet Boutique Phone: (867) 456-2900
The Feed Store / Pet Junction Phone: (867) 633-4076

Now, one of these stores actually sell pets. Duffy's Pets sells guinea pigs, rabbits, fish, birds, chinchillas, degus, rats, hamsters, mice and ferrets. Availability of any animal is limited so call ahead. It is an awesomely random little pet-shop, old house, many rooms.

Adopting a dog, cat or small animal from the Mae Bachur Humane Society is a pretty good option, although I have checked out the society's website and they don't specifically mention adoption of small pets, they may know someone in a position to give away a rabbit or rat.

For animal toys and affordable bedding? Walmart. I know, I know. I hate relying on it, and unfortunately when options are limited--that's where you go.

Dogs wear booties and jackets, and when it is -whatever...those walks are more like runs! Unfortunately people seem to abandon sled dogs once in awhile, but for the most part those dogs are very well treated and rightly so-they are people's livelihoods!

ps. I hope to never read this again, but in last week's Whitehorse Star someone had put in the classifieds Pets section: "Pet rabbit, living under neighbours house for the past month. Come and save him." Also, the newspaper has an advertisement suggesting to people that although horses are tough animals, the cold can be really hard on them. If they have shelter, it should be 3-sided. This is surprising to anyone?

Yikes! Do you know how cold it has been over the past month?

Recycling (not mandatory up North?)

The local recycling depot "Raven Recycling" is run purely by cashing in on high commodity prices. So when the price of metals, alumniums and steel crashed this past fall 2008, the actual recycling depot of Whitehorse was in danger of running into the ground.

Now looking for government assistance, grumblings of shutting down have hopefully been hushed. But it does beg the question--why ISN'T recycling an already municipal/provincial/federally-funded initiative here? Please, we know we need to recycle. Garbage days alternate with compost days, but that is not enough.

Also a fun bonus of Raven Recycling is the 'Free Store.' Located inside the depot, the Free Store is a big pile of clothes, heaps of unusual electronics (cash counting machines?) shoes, skates, old encyclopedias, textbooks and a plethora of romance novels.

I love the Free Store. So do my friends, self-confessed freegan-types.

So, even on those painful -37 days when you run your heap of cardboard and beer bottles down to the depot and dash about, slipping on the snow, to chuck everything into bins...Raven Recycling is worth having, keeping and supporting. By us and the government.

In a side-note, despite having (or maybe this is my interpretation) of being a bit of a hippie-haven (spendy organic, gluten free bakeries, DIY mentality)..people are terrible about enviro-friendly stuff. Leaving lights on, leaving electric heaters extraneous to oil heat running all night/day, wasting groceries, leaving cars running for HOURS...

Folks, I understand when it is -38 the leave running and dash for groceries. It could be an Olympic event here. But the energy hog and atmosphere cluttering has to stop. Nobody blames you for leaving the car running when it is that cold, or driving extra but when it warms up a bit? Try and think about recycling or composting more.

North-related? Taxes Rant!

Just recieved a bill from our dear city of Whitehorse for sewer, water and garbage removal. The sum is a (paltry?) $285, to be paid by March at the latest.

Normally, not a big deal. Interesting though, I thought this was included in my property taxes, but apparently not. What made this a bigger deal was my taxes owed to a municipality in Victoria for the remainder of property taxes there from 2008...due in July 2008. I would have recieved this earlier had my dear old roommate actually sent my mail that was mis-directed in July, like I asked, instead of January 2009, which is what actually happened.

So, the paltry sum added onto a late-penalty of 10% added on- tax bill of the $600's makes me one unhappy critter.
A cool $900 later and there goes my paycheque.

Note to others- check these things out as soon as they happen. I am definitely going to pay my utilities fees sooner than March!

Sunday is a day of rest

So why is the Art Gallery open then?

Even big chain stores (well, The Brick) are closed on Sunday. Buses don't run, the liquor store is closed and everyone sleeps in.
Oddly, the Yukon Art Gallery remains open, a staunch refusal to obey the laws of sleep-gravity and remain open, even though the public is definitely not going on Sunday, of all days.
Why, even Doc's Diner is closed on Sunday! And they are a breakfast-specialising kind of place. You would think Sunday is their breakfast bonanza, the place to be for brunch! Apparently Coaster's Bistro is trying that claim to fame. Maybe they are open Sundays.
Nope, not in the sleepy-Sunday town of Whitehorse. I have a feeling it is because everyone is sleeping off their hangovers, and then going to the pool in the evening to sit in the hot tub. Or maybe that's just me!

Anyways, I think to give our dear curator friends at the YAG (Yukon Art Gallery) a break, Sundays should close up shop.
There's always a Monday around the corner...

Upcoming Concerts!

Yes, there are FUN events coming up!

Moonstruck is on January 30, tickets $10, $15 at the door at the Mt. MacIntyre Rec Centre. A whole whack of bands from 7pm-2am, liquor sold on premises and all proceeds go to the Mae Bachur Humane Society, what could be better??

Hey Ocean! a very popular and funky Vancouver band is coming in February. Something awesome to break up those strings of endlessly boring work days, and gives a little something different at Coasters. Usually Coasters is over-priced, lame music and questionable clientele. Hopefully Hey Ocean! will invigorate the scene a bit more...

And in the far away future, The Constantines and The Weakerthans are coming to the Yukon Arts Centre. Tickets were being sold in December, so can't vouch for any remainders. Sounds like it will be an awesome show. "I hate Winnipeg..." Or any city that is this cold. Whitehorse included!

Enjoy enjoy!

Where to work it out Up North?

The Canada Games Centre is one of Whitehorse's saving graces. Without it, I fear we would dissolve into raging, cabin-fevered crazies.

We'd work it out on each other, and it would end badly.

The centre is fabulous. A first-class facility in such a tiny 'city' (pop 20,000) and the memberships are fairly affordable at $46.00 for a month's membership, $40.00 for the 2nd person in a household.

There is a pool, a 'flexihall' for badminton and volleyball, indoor soccer pitch, a workout gym called a Wellness Centre, two skating rinks and lots of space. In my opinion, the centre is a standout gym and even compared with workout gyms in Vancouver, this one comes out on top.



Now the centre isn't the only gym in Whitehorse. There are two others, Peak Fitness and Better Bodies Gym.

They do not have pools, indoor skating or soccer fields. But they do have awesome kick-boxing and tae-bo classes, which are highly recommended. A word of caution, Peak Fitness is under some flak currently for having many broken machines.



Also, memberships very greatly, as Better Bodies also comes with unlimited tanning. Fitness classes may cost extra also. These gyms may attract more of the 'bodybuilding' types, who use weights and hog machines, whereas the Canada Games Centre is more flabby-friendly, not so judgemental, and nobody cares to watch you jog on a treadmill.



**The pool is another story entirely, but hey, it's a public pool. What were you expecting?** Big hint- Go only during adult swim, usually 8-10pm most nights. Any other night is inviting a swarm of ill-mannered screeching apes to invade your serenity at the hot tub or showers, or their hideously mannered 'adults' screaming swear words at their 'loved' ape offspring.



Don't say I didn't warn you...

Ah the sweet liquor flows...

But it'll cost ya!



Well, to some extent.



Luckily, Whitehorse is not a dry town, like Pelly 2 hours north or Old Crow (too damn far away to think)

Therefore, we do have our choicest markets of which to imbibe. One liquor store and one independent brewery, Yukon Brewery. The liquor is priced to the hilt as usual, think $22+ for a 2-6 of vodka, $11.50 for 4 pack of beer, $8.00 for a 2-litre of cider. Average. But...they have sales, which is awesome and relatively unheard of in any government liquor store in my experience!

Of course, the booze in restaurants here is charged at a premium, but restaurants will come later.



Yukon Brewery ...

"Beer worth freezing for"

is a fine establishment, a cozy hole in the wall private company that supports the little guys and makes time for customers. Kind of reminds me of Jones Soda, but for beer. They offer tours at 2pm, with all the samples you can handle. And did I mention the tours are free??

Beer isn't very cheap here either, but they do have Growlers, big glass jugs you buy, then pay to fill up, and then it costs $10 a fill up after the initial cost of the $15 growler. Good deal all around. Some beers are only offered Growler-style, like their delicious seasonal Spiced Beer, or summer fare of Birch Beer, light and sweet. Restaurants have contracts with Yukon Brewery and offer specials of specific beers, like Grizzly (like Corona) or Yukon Gold (Amber Ale) at the High Country Inn.



Fill'er up, and consider yourself lucky you don't live in Pelly or Old Crow!

Horses Up North? (yes...and no)

There is one indoor arena in Whitehorse. It was built in the summer of 2008 and is nearing completion, meaning a barn will be attached. To use the indoor you must load up your trailer with horse, tack, jumps if necessary, and month memberships cost $100/month, $25/individual session. Word is, board at the indoor might be in the $600 range, but this is just gossip. Interestingly, the most expensive 'board' I have heard of here is $275 for pasture board. Nobody seems to do full board, or even own stables...

In Whitehorse, the indoor is tantamount to a horse revolution. The fact that the indoor is the first one to exist in Whitehorse is stunning, probably because horsey areas all over Canada have had indoor arenas since the dawn of time or at least since the 1960's. This means that Whitehorse is about (we'll be generous) 20 years behind every horse scene in Canada. Maybe not including those wildlands of Northern BC, but I am pretty sure even they had indoor arenas before this year.

Also, stables. Not a super-fancy high class show stables, but just simple humble barns, the type that have doors, stalls (more than 3), a tack shed...

This is also a shocking and revolutionary idea here. Despite the fact that the weather frequently drops to -40 on a regular basis in the winter, horses stay outside. People ride horses outside. A tack shed is quite the luxury. As far as I have seen, nobody keeps their horses in during the extreme cold, and most horses don't wear blankets unless it is raining. Barns, stables and tack rooms are luxurious and a venue for those 'Down South' solely.

Whitehorse riders trail ride. If you are a Dressage rider, H/J, this is definitely no-man's-land. They don't need arenas or indoor arenas, those pampered riders! The trails are fantastic, the scenery unparalelled and goes on for ages, kilometer's and km's of open land, wooded trails. Truly a trail horseman's dream.

Local equestrians also like to keep their horses in their backyards. Hence, and I'm not impugning the quality of riding or training...the horses frequently know how to pack a load, carry a beginner rider and go on the trails. Take one of these horses in an arena, and they can't even move in a straight line along the rail, let alone moving on their own in the middle of the ring. It is amazing. Never have I seen such well-broke horses so 'unbroke.' They fall over themselves when asked to bend, jump logs on a trail but freak out at the sight of a colored pole.

Bending? No clue! Not speaking the right language. Circles? Oh my, only if we're running away and you want me to stop quickly!

There are no official riding 'Academies' here. And one horse show. Per year.

Everything is More Expensive Up North (grocery edition)

It's true.
While Whitehorse isn't quite the desolate locale of Dawson or Old Crow, it is still very far from Vancouver (civilization) or even a small reasonable-sized town. Hence, things do end up pricey.
This edition is about groceries.

We have two major grocery stores, Superstore and Extra Foods. If not for Superstore, I have a feeling things would be a lot worse. Groceries are manageable, lineups and specialty items are not. Suprisingly, dairy is cheaper here than in Vancouver, something that really threw me for a loop. Bananas, something everyone usually buys, are about .78 at Superstore. If you go to the hippie/oddities/independent grocery-convenience store Riverside, bananas are $1.78/lb. There's the difference, and I have a feeling we'd all be paying that if not for the bigger stores. Yes shop local, avoid large chains, but sometimes it's not possible.

Becuase the two major chains keep things reasonable, groceries *just* outside the downtown core like to take it to ridiculous levels. Bigway and Super A are ripoff grocery stores. To be used in emergency situations only.
For example, a small pack of beef bouillion cost $4.00 at Bigway. A 12-pack of coca-cola is $7.99. There is a Super A in Riverside, a Bigway in Copper Ridge, and a Super A in Porter Creek--beware, they have all their suburbish areas covered.
Apples this time of year are ridiculous everywhere, so no worries on that here. Yogurt at Superstore is about $2.49, better than Vancouver at $3.49 for the same house brand. Also, instant flavoured coffee is a better deal, or at least the same as Vancouver. Maxwell house instant flavoured will run you about $5.49 here at Superstore or Wal-Mart, and $7.99 at Shoppers DrugMart (not really a grocery store, but if you're looking for essentials and happen to stumble along...I wouldn't buy)
Seafood is prohibitively expensive, but like any city that has access to fresh fish...it stays just as expensive. Salmon is far more accessible than Arctic Char, annoyingly.
Oh and Wal-Mart had a great deal on shrimp (unfortunately from China, so not melamine-free guaranteed...) at 2lbs for $8.88.

The Northern Housing Experience (Or why you should only come here if you already have a place to live...)

When you read in the local newspaper that a homeless woman is quoted as saying she would "rather live in a campsite in winter" than rent from the local slumlords, that's not a good sign.

Finding a place to rent is a devilishly difficult proposition.
I found the quote by the homeless woman all the more hilarious as I came *this* close to renting from that very slumlord, only to have them scorn me for not having a signed letter from my previous landlord, nevermind I am a landlord myself!

Oh yes, dodged the bullet on that one!
They can have their mould-infested ceilings, their ratty 1960's chesterfields (not even couches. that is too grand for those fleabags) and their exorbitant rates. Does $875 for a bachelor's sound about right for that dump? It shouldn't!
Nevermind it was packed with their old crap furniture circa whenever.
From dive to roach-motel, we grew even more depressed as we surveyed our surroundings. Whitehorse is not a renter's paradise, it is an owners.
Luckily, our story ended happily--we bought. Take that, scumlords and slumlords alike!
Word to the wise, the fact that when you are in a small town, everyone knows your name works both ways...