The Common Good: Three Women Building Community in Haines Junction

Good morning,

A big thank you to the 115 new readers who joined our 2,411 Lookout community! 

Today we’ve got another freelance story from Ben Charland. I think we’ve nailed down a little bit of a series this summer. The plan? Try to write about different communities in the territory. I’m not sure we’ll be able to hit every single one. So if you live in some smaller places (Mayo, Carmacks, Destruction Bay, etc), don’t hesitate to reach out and maybe we can do a story on it!

I will be spending most of the weekend out in Kluane, and am planning to stop by the Village Bakery once, twice, a few times over the weekend, while getting in some hikes. I will also be ranking my favourite food from the bakery in the next newsletter, so if you have some favourites, fire them my way.

Let’s dive into today’s newsletter!

— Geoff Sharpe, Lookout founder

Correction: I got last week’s home of the week location confused; it was actually in Tagish, not Teslin, as I had written.

The Yukon Weather Report

THE LOOKOUT RECOMMENDS

New opening: A reader informed me that DK Nguyen Bakery now has a canteen at Frank Slim Building in Shipyards Park. I don’t need any excuse to have more pho!

A big music summer: Summer music is heating up. We just had Our Lady Peace play this weekend, and the rest of the territory is getting in on the action — Atlin Arts and Music Festival is July 11-13, and Dawson City Music Festival is July 19-21. Hopefully I’ll see some Lookout readers at the Atlin festival.

Where to drink: I’m a big fan of both Kita Boba at 204B Main St. and Bliss Brewtique at 4198 4 Ave C. (Though one flag is the last time I visited Kita, it was closed for what appeared to be construction). BBQ King also has bubble team, and while I found their tea solid, the boba wasn’t soft enough. Any other bubble tea spots you like?

THE YUKON NUMBER

4.6

The magnitude of the earthquake that Watson Lake, yes, our Watson Lake, had on Monday. It struck 64 kilometres west of the town, and no damage was recorded. [CTV]

COMMUNITY PROFILE

The Common Good: Three Women Building Community in Haines Junction

By Ben Charland.

The drive from Whitehorse to Haines Junction never loses its power to surprise. This morning, as the St. Elias Mountains begin to open up, I spot two paragliders — tiny coloured dots against Canada’s highest peaks, a reminder of how small we are next to them.

But that’s what makes the small community of Haines Junction so remarkable. Here, at the foot of the Kluane National Park and Reserve, where the Alaska Highway meets the Haines Road, a few hundred people are building something significant.

My first stop is the Dakų Cultural Centre. “Our House,” as the name translates, celebrates the living traditions of the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations while housing the Kluane National Park’s visitor centre and exhibits. Inside, museum panels and intricate artwork tell stories that stretch across generations, like threads in an endless tapestry. A scale model of the Kluane icefields offers a humbling perspective on the surrounding wilderness. 

When I sit with Lynn Iler in the upstairs common room of her Raven’s Rest Inn, I am thinking about this lineage, as the windows frame the mountains. At 70, Lynn wears a flannel shirt, jeans, and a hat adorned with a small goose pin. The goose, she explains with the patience of someone who has learned to read life’s deeper currents, represents the common good: individual effort becomes collective flight when we align our directions.

Lynn’s journey to Haines Junction began 14 years ago as a one-year commitment that became a calling. She came north seeking to give back after paying off her mortgage and watching her children start their lives. She volunteered as the town’s Anglican minister, and what she discovered was that the North doesn’t just change your geography, it transforms your understanding of purpose itself.

“I believe there’s a plan greater than me,” Lynn tells me. “My gifts could be used here to make this a better place.” Seven years after moving to the Yukon, she purchased the Raven’s Rest Inn. Today, she offers far more than lodging for passers-by and park visitors.

Her inn’s gift shop features work from over 50 local artists and entrepreneurs that strengthen the entire community. She’s also collaborating with the St. Elias Seniors and Elders Society to bring services like hairdressing to the Junction.

During the pandemic, when her retirement investment became both a lifeline and an anchor point for community connection, Lynn lived on a cot under the stairs. This wasn’t a sacrifice in any traditional sense, but something deeper—the understanding that personal comfort and community wellbeing exist in delicate, necessary balance.

“Everyone’s welcome at the table,” Lynn says about the breakfast she provides for her guests, which often feeds others. “You need every single person in the community. Everyone’s welcome because when you exclude that, you’re excluding that energy that you need to live a peaceful life.”

A quick walk down the road from the Raven’s Rest Inn brings me to the Village Bakery. I sit on a picnic table in the bakery’s yard. Rhonda Powell tells me she needs a few more minutes to finish a tray of lemon squares. Her southern accent and warm demeanour is immediately disarming, even as she gets back to the hustle inside.

The bakery itself pulses with the energy of friendly staff, hungry clientele and a wide selection of treats and meals. Customers line up for everything from sourdough bread to Texas barbecue, which I learn was introduced after locals specifically requested “Texas stuff”. 

Rhonda and her son-in-law, Chris Robinson, took over the Village Bakery five years ago, two weeks before COVID-19 closed the border. Their story begins in a Facebook sourdough group, where Rhonda first glimpsed this place and recognized something familiar in its atmosphere, the same community energy that defines the best of her hometown of Austin, Texas, transplanted north and transformed by mountain air and the midnight sun.

“I love to come out and watch people eat our stuff and say how good it is,” Rhonda explains, describing what sustains her through six-month seasons of 16-hour days. The challenges they face are real and constant. Sourcing ingredients requires weekly pilgrimages to Whitehorse with full trailers, finding staff means housing international workers in on-site cabins, and northern isolation tests both patience and creativity daily. But the community shows up to help.

“The people of Haines Junction have been behind us, wanting us to do well and helping us,” Rhonda recalls. “When we first came here, not knowing anybody at all, we started cleaning up out here and were putting stuff on the side of the road. People came with their trailers to load up our stuff and take it away. Well, this is great!”

At Frosty’s, Grace Clunies-Ross embodies that same principle. Wearing a white blouse, Grace radiates the focused energy of someone managing multiple enterprises while maintaining a singular vision. She’s the driving force behind Frosty’s recent resurrection after two years of closure, but also operates Top Spot Convenience Store and Kusina Gracia Catering Services with partners Jane Mendoza and Joy Allen.

When Frosty’s became available, it represented more than a business opportunity. “This place has been a landmark of the community,” Grace explains. The soft opening on May 24th and the bluegrass festival launch on June 6th drew people from Haines to Whitehorse, confirming what Grace already understood, that this wasn’t about ice cream and burgers, but creating spaces where connection becomes inevitable.

Her plans extend beyond summer treats into something more fundamental. The indoor seating area will become a winter café, offering simple soups and warm spaces when other gathering places, like the Village Bakery, close for the season.

“This is what we’re missing here,” Grace observes. “In the community, you become friends, you cater for people’s needs, you listen to stories.” After our interview, I watched Grace casually collect a few pieces of litter in the parking lot. For her, ownership, stewardship and community are intertwined.

One of the panels in the Dakų Cultural Centre speaks of “Nän K’atädàtth’ät”: Changing Times, Continuing Ways. Deep in the celebrated Dän (Southern Tutchone) culture is a sense that family is the foundation of community, but that family can transcend blood. Lynn, Rhonda and Grace each seem to recognize, in their own way, that what they are doing is bigger than revenue or even one’s individual purpose in the back half of life. Haines Junction is, itself, a family, one dedicated to the common good.

THE AGENDA

🏘️ There’s demand, but delays persist. Currently, a 10-unit housing complex at  807 Lakeview Avenue in Watson Lake is inoperational because they do not have a service provider. As of now, 21 people have applied for a unit in the complex.  [CBC]

🏥 Starting yesterday, the health centre in Ross River will not have any staff until July 10. Services will also be reduced from July 11-28, with one nurse available. Normal service will resume on July 29. [CBC]

🗳️ The Yukon’s new Premier Mike Pemberton was sworn into office last Friday.

🚴 Whitehorse may be getting new biking trails. The Contagious Mountain Bike Club brought forth an application to city council to build the Amanda Taylor Memorial Trail Connector in Mount McIntyre and the Yellow Brick Connector at Chadburn Lake, with the city helping manage them. Council will vote at a later date on moving forward with construction agreements to build them. [Yukon News]

HOME OF THE WEEK

Well, this is a big place!

It’s described as a sanctuary, and I can see why. Three-bedrooms, four bathrooms, with 2,600 square feet, this massive home in Carmacks is not only big, but has a nicely redone kitchen and interior. There’s a great space for entertaining guests, has a nice perk of an in-floor heater and you’re right next to the water.

Of course, sanctuaries tend to be costly and this is no different…

EVENTS

Events outside Whitehorse are highlighted.

Family + Kids

Art Adventures for Youth | Yukon Artists at Work Gallery, 4129 4th Ave | July 2–5 at 1 pm | Youth-led creative workshops exploring art techniques and mixed media | Free

Music in the Park: Calla Kinglit | Riverside Park, 200 Main St | July 3 at 7:30 pm | Outdoor summer concert with indie folk artist Calla Kinglit by the river | Free

First Fish 2025 | Moosehide Village, near Dawson City | July 11–16 | Learn Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in traditions, fish & culture | Free with registration

Youth Wildcrafting Programs | Dawson City | Multiple dates in July | For kids 5+, learn outdoor skills and survival strategies | Register

Augusto! Children’s Festival | St. Elias Convention Centre, Haines Junction | Aug. 8-10 | Art and music festival that celebrates children | Learn more

Arts + Music

Major Funk at the Kopper King | Kopper King, 918 Copper Rd. | July 4, 9 pm | Funk band live. Doors at 8 pm | Tickets $10 advance / $15 door

Dustin Sheldon Artist Talk & Performance | KIAC – Dënäkär Zho Ballroom, Dawson City | July 10, 6:30 pm | Free artist talk and performance by Dustin Sheldon/Calm Rivers | Free

2025 Atlin Arts & Music Festival | Tarahne Provincial Park, Atlin | July 11-13 | Come see over 30 bands, visual artists, films and more! | Tickets $186

Short Walks for Short Nights at ‘Round Back | 27 14 Ave. Whitehorse | July 24, 7-9 pm | Live performances, storytelling, musicians and artists | Tickets $12

Dawson City Music Festival | Downtown Dawson City | Jul. 18-20 | Over 25 artists and bands from across Canada | Tickets $195

Outdoors and Sports

Murder Mystery at the MacBride | MacBride Museum, 1124 Front St | July 4 at 6:30 pm | Interactive detective game set in historic Whitehorse—solve a thrilling mystery | Tickets $15

Midnight Sun Ultimate Frisbee Tournament | Christ the King Elementary School | July 5th | A  day of frisbee, food, fun and a party under the midnight sun | Learn More & Register

Knee-high nature: Mini mammals | Robert Service Campground | July 8, 10 am | For toddlers and caregivers, join us for free to learn all about bats, rodents, and more | Learn more

Caribou Night | Beringia Centre | July 9, 7 pm | Film, speakers, activities on caribou hunting and conservation | Tickets $33

Pika Palace | Keno Hill, Mayo | July 13, 11 am | We'll do a short off-trail hike to look for alpine wildlife | More info

Pine Lake Triathlon | Pine Lake, Haines Junction| | Jul. 20, 8 am | 1 km swim, 23 km bike and 6km run | Register here

Discovery Day Golf Tournament | Dawson City Golf Course, Dawson City | Aug. 14-16, 2:00 pm | 18-hole team scramble with prizes and banquet | Learn more

Other

Yukon African Cultural Day | Shipyards Park, 100 Ogilvie St | July 6 from 1 pm | Celebrating African heritage with food, music, dance, and community sharing | Free

Indigenous Summer Play Readings | Village Bakery & Deli, 186 Auriol St, Haines Junction | July 20, 12 pm to 2:30 pm | Readings of two new Indigenous scripts | Free

George Johnston Museum 50th Anniversary | George Johnston Museum, 17 Nisutlin Dr, Teslin | July 18, 11:30 am to 3:30 pm | Speeches, lunch, art fair & cultural demos | Free

Cultivating the Future Workshop | Whitehorse | July 29, 1 pm | Networking, planning, and leadership in agriculture and agri-food | Free

Have an event or a community announcement? Submit it here.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

Anglers, be aware that Little Atlin Lake is closed to all trout fishing until Nov. 30, as well as Tower Bay on Dezadeash Lake until Aug. 15

Speaking of fishing, this year’s Family Fishing Weekend, where you don’t need a license to fish, goes from July 4 to 7. 

Sewer mains are being replaced at Roundel and Summit Roads in Hillcrest until July 8.

I don’t think many youths are signed up for this newsletter, so let your high school-aged kids know that they can register for a Whitehorse transit pass online, now that paper forms won’t be accepted

Congrats to everyone who completed this year’s Yukon River Quest, with 85 of the 90 teams making it to Carmacks. [CKRW]

Tombstone background campgrounds are officially open, and those with reservations can now hike out and camp.

YUKON JOB BOARD

Discover a new job in the Yukon:

• Lifeguard, City of Whitehorse

• Community adult education coordinator, bridging program, Yukon University in Whitehorse

• Operations manager, Town of Faro in Faro

• Receptionist, Kluane First Nation in Burwash Landing

• Director of health, Council of Yukon First Nations in Whitehorse

POLL OF THE WEEK

What readers said about a downtown commons area

Last week, we shared that Whitehorse is looking at the idea of bringing in a downtown commons area like Carcross. So we asked the Lookout community for their feedback. Here’s what you said: