CBC Radio Community Report for December 11, 2025

This is the December 11, 2025 CBC Yukon morning radio community report for Dakwakada-Haines Junction. This report is produced from information sent by the community or gathered from bulletin boards and Facebook groups for HJ. Please let Kari Johnston know of any errors or omissions. The report is also published to volunteerhainesjunction.com and to the Echo (when possible.)


👋 Introduction


👉Weather: Kwä̀k’ǜ (it is cold!!)
👉Earthquake! The 7.0 near in southern Yukon along the Fairweather Fault – it shook us all up pretty good on Saturday, December 6. With many aftershocks that followed (and have continued this week).
👉HJ resident Iris Falls (grade 5 St. Elias student) will be performing in the NLSD Nutcracker as Clara on Friday December 12th for the school matinee, Saturday December 13  at 7p.m. and Sunday December 14th matinee at 1:00 p.m. Way to go Iris!!
👉Roy Oborne finished his Christmas Cracker Swim meet in Victoria this weekend strong –getting a couple of B finals! It was his biggest swim meet yet with swimmers as far as Ontario and Washington where basic provincial times didn’t even get you top 10... so it was fast and hard swimming. Roy made all PBs and broke the one minute mark on his 100 free. He now has all the Edmonton open qualifying times and is less than a second on a couple of provincial times. Way to go Roy!!
👉 The annual library craft fair and the first ever Jolly market at the St Elias Community School were resounding successes. It is so wonderful to see so many entrepreneurs in our community and wonderful community support for their products.
👉 A big thank you to all of the recent event organizers: the HJMH All Star day, men's hockey tournament, Outfitters Ball, JAM concerts and other events that kept the last few weeks full of fun and activities!


Holiday Events
**please check with event organizers before heading out to see if events have been cancelled due to cold weather!**


👉CAFN Christmas Open House
1-3pm at the Main Admin Building in HJ


👉Village Open House
Save the date: December 12, 2025
Sponsored by the Little Green Apple


👋Christmas Market
Sunday, December 14 from 1-4pm
St Elias Convention Center
The Haines Junction Community Association presents its Christmas Market/Party on Sunday December 14th from 1pm - 4pm!! Please join us for a fun afternoon!
The Grinch is going to be prowling around, and we will have a photo booth set up so come in your best Christmas jammies for a hilarious photo with him! The kids from St. Elias School craft club and the singing club will be offering cookie decorating and Christmas caroling too!
Ferryn is going to be offering a special CAFE for your favorite hot drinks!
We have 25 vendors so far, please let me know ASAP if you would like a table.


👋Community Carol Services
👉 Sunday, December 14 at 7 pm in the Log Church. The musicians have been defrosting their fingers and the choir members have been warming up their vocal chords carefully . . . very carefully! Everyone is welcome to come and hear readings of the Christmas story and to sing along with traditional carols. There will be hot drinks provided, but each family is asked to bring along a plate of Christmas baking to share with others.


👋Christmas Bird Count
👉Cheers, it is that time of year to remember the birds. The big change this year is that Sophie Coallier will be compiler this year for Haines Junction. email is [email protected] and phone number is 418-318-4060. Posters are up at the post office, Yukon university and school. 


Julie Bauer will remain compiler for the Kluane Lake count. 867-336-0688


Dates are Haines Junction Saturday Dec 20, Kluane Lake is Saturday Dec 27
Please contact the compilers before count date as all routes are set before count date.


👉 Arena schedule
December 24 - 1-4pm Skate with Santa
Friday December 26 - Homecoming Tournament


👉 Christmas Eve Seafood Meal
Haines Junction onlySeafood Boils will be made for Christmas Eve!
If you’ve been craving seafood, this sale is JUST for you!
$70.00 SM tray feeds ( 2 ppl)
$90.00 Med tray feeds (3-4 ppl )
You choose  either: Seasoned butter, Cajun butter
You get … Corn on cob , Sausage, Baby potatoes, Mussels, Shrimp , Crab
Please have your preorder & payment in by  Friday Dec 12th!
You can pay cash or EMT
[email protected].
You can order with Cenjeya or Jocelyn Kinney.


👉First Night Celebration
The First Night Celebration happening at Da Ku Dec 31 – starts at 6 pm, n’jel smoke hole, puzzles, snacks and fireworks will be at 8:30 PM sharp


👋Champagne and Aishihik First Nations
👉If you're looking to clean out your closet, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations is holding a winter clothing drive starting on Monday.
Drop off your donations at the CAFN Community Wellness offices at 404 Hanson in Whitehorse or 22 Hume Street in Haines Junction.
You will be entered into a draw for a YETI cooler or gift card!


👉Chief Joe’s Gingerbread Contest is BACK! By popular demand, it’s time to show off your sweetest creations!
Children & Youth Categories
Canyon/Haines Junction: Ages 3–6, 7–10, 11–15
Champagne/Takhini: Ages 4–9, 10–15
Whitehorse/Out of Territory: Ages 4–9, 10–15
Prizes for Kids & Youth (ages 4–15):
1st Place: $150
2nd Place: $75
3rd Place: $50 Plus: Best Overall Gingerbread House wins an extra $200!
Adult Category (16+, all communities) No premade gingerbread kits allowed!
1st Place: $500
2nd Place: $200
3rd Place: $125
Free gingerbread house kits available for CAFN kids & youth at:
Haines Junction CAFN Office
Whitehorse CAFN Office
Contest ends: December 26, 2025 Winners announced: Early January 2026
To enter, email: [email protected] Be sure to include your name, age, 3 good photos including yourself by your awesome gingerbread house and community when submitting!
Good Luck and Merry Christmas!


👉Save the Date! CAFN Youth Gathering
January 17-18 2026
Daku Cultural Centre, Haines Junction


👉You're invited to have Christmas dinner in Champagne on Dec. 28 from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Champagne Hall.
For more information, contact Angie Wabisca at: [email protected] or 867-456-6881 or 867-333-9801.


👉Come out to the Takhini Community Christmas Dinner on Dec. 14 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
For details, contact Julie Smith at: [email protected] or 334-7191


👉The Special General Assembly will be from Jan. 31 to Feb. 1 at the Da Ku Cultural Centre in Haines Junction. This is a continuation of the business from the July 2025 GA.




👋Village of Haines Junction
👉 Civic Addressing: A reminder that all buildings in HJ are required to have a reflective civic address sign clearly displayed on the building or property. These signs are essential so that emergency responders know where they need to go when someone needs help. The signs are free and available for pick up at the Village Office.


👉1st Annual Rob McPhie Holiday Lights Contest. Judging will take place December 19-21. Prizes for residential, commercial and institutional displays. Check in with the Village of HJ for more information about categories and judging!


👉Donated Refundables Fund - deadline for applications is January 15, 2026 at 5pm. Visit https://hainesjunction.ca/p/funding-opportunities for more information.


👋St Elias Community School
👉In memory of the late Rob McPhie, St. Elias Community School Grade 8 class and staff are doing a Christmas Dinner food drive from now until Dec. 15th. If you have any food items to contribute to making a Christmas Dinner for a needy local family, please bring them to the school.
👉Dec. 18—Christmas Concert @ 6:30pm in the gym.
👉Dec. 22 to Jan. 2—Christmas Break Classes start on Monday Jan. 5th


👋Thrift Store
👉 The Haines Junction Thrift Shop, located in the basement of the Log Church, is open every Thursday from 2-6 pm. The racks and shelves are full! So full in fact that the Thrift Shop is NOT accepting any new donations at this time. And a reminder, please donate only seasonally appropriate clothing and items – they just don’t have enough space to store summer shorts in the dead of winter!


👋Kluane Region Food Hamper program
👉The Kluane Region Food Hamper program supports food hamper delivery from Takhini River Subdivision to Beaver Creek. The program supports over 140 clients and 6 “mini caches.” Funding is provided by the Food Bank Society of Yukon and the Food Banks Canada. This is a volunteer run program supported by community partners: Village of Haines Junction, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, Kluane First Nation and White River First Nation. A huge thank you to all of the volunteers who dedicate their time to the program, donate money or food.


👋Raven’s Rest  Inn
👉 Hosts a community lunch every Wednesday from 11:30am to 2pm. The meal is provided on a pay-what-you-can scale and features a sandwich, soup, salad, dessert and coffee/tea/juice. 
👉Has also expanded services and has partnered with Elements Hair Studio and Day Spa to offer manicures, pedicures, waxing, tinting, facials and hair cuts in Haines Junction December 13-14. Call 332-0640 to book!


👋 Junction Arts and Music
👉Glacier Nights Snow Festival 2026 is just around the corner — March 6–7!
Joshua Lesage is BACK with his amazing snow-sculpting magic, and we’ve got plenty more festival fun to announce soon… bands, DJs, family activities and more! Stay tuned!


👋 Adventure Time
👉If you want to come visit HJ but don’t have access to a reliable vehicle, Adventure Time runs a shuttle service all winter long, on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.


👋St Elias Chamber of Commerce
👉 Has started a new social media campaign called “GoHainesJunction”. Follow the accounts on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to see lots of amazing HJ content and local business features.


👋Sports, Health and Fitness
👉 Rune Monstad is doing a bit of feasibility work on run competition for next summer in the Pine Lake area. He’s posted a few possible routes on the Happenings Facebook page – get in touch with him and let him know what you think!


👉Haines Junction Minor Hockey
A huge thank you to all of the coaches, volunteers, players and arena staff who are making it a great season so far!


👉Romp-n-Run
Romp n Run is on Tuesdays and Thursdays 10-11:30am
Come enjoy a facilitated program, followed by a healthy snack, and free play.


👉Pickleball is every Monday and Friday night 5-7pm in the school gym


👉Haines Junction Taekwondo Club, free classes resuming in the Mezzanine, new members welcome. No need to register.


👉 Fit with Nick is back! Tuesdays at 6pm in the Mezzanine!


👉 Sunday Yoga is back! Sundays from 6-7:15pm at the St Elias Convention Center (atrium). Suggested donation is $15. Blocks and straps provided, please bring a mat.


👉 Volleyball is Thursdays in the school gym from 7-9pm


👉 Basketball is Wednesdays in the school gym from 7-9pm