caitrin pilkington

Reporter at CBC North based in Whitehorse, Yukon

Previous Work

CBC •

Yukoners snapping up e-bikes before rebate program ends | CBC News

At Icycle Sports in Whitehorse, staff say it’s been hard to keep up with demand for e-bikes in recent days. That's because a Yukon government rebate program is about to end. The program offers rebates worth up to $750 for new electric bikes and $1,500 for electric cargo bikes. Local retailers say they found out last week that the government would no longer accept applications for rebates on e-bikes purchased after March 31. “It’s been a bit hectic," said Devin Knopf, general manager of Icycle Sp...
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Permitting not to blame for mine delays in the Yukon, researchers say | CBC News

Since assuming office, the new Yukon government has said they’re responding to industry concerns by making faster mine permitting a top priority.But a study from the University of British Columbia's Centre for Climate Justice found financing issues, not permitting, were behind mine delays over nearly two decades in the Yukon. "The results have been very surprising because they really fly in the face of the narrative we get from government,” said Rosemary Collard, an associate professor of econ...
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Yukon leads the country in cannabis sales per capita, says StatsCan | CBC News

Newly released data from Statistics Canada shows the Yukon is the country's new cannabis capital.Between April 2024 and March 2025, the average Yukoner of legal age spent $384 on cannabis — a full $100 more than any other province or territory, according to sales data the agency released on March 5."I feel like that number is low," said Jordi Mikeli-Jones, owner of Triple J’s Canna Space in Whitehorse. Mikeli-Jones said she wouldn’t have been surprised to hear $384 was the monthly or even weekly...
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Yukon MP Brendan Hanley defends vote against new rules for arms exports | CBC News

Yukon MP Brendan Hanley is defending his decision to vote against bill C-233 on Wednesday, which aimed to prevent Canadian weapons from ending up in banned countries.The NDP bill was intended to bring Canada more fully in line with the Arms Trade Treaty – removing exemptions to the rules for the U.S. and ensuring weapons sold there don’t continue on to regimes where they could be used for war crimes. Speaking in Parliament, NDP MP Jenny Kwan cited reporting from CBC which documented that milita...
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Work underway on 214 km all-season road to Yukon's Coffee Gold mine | CBC News

Equipment staging has begun to build a 214 km, $77-million all-season access road to the proposed Coffee Gold mine. The mine, expected to be the first cyanide heap leach project to open after the Eagle mine failure, is situated around 330 km northwest of Whitehorse. The contract to build the road has been awarded to Whitehorse-based Cobalt Construction. Coffee Gold, owned by Fuerte Metals, has been progressing through the permitting process since 2017. In 2022, the project was given the green li...
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Appeal board orders new election for White River First Nation after investigation | CBC News

An election appeal board for the White River First Nation has ruled an election held last fall violated the Nation’s election code – and ordered the results be set aside. The board identified a number of irregularities, many of them stemming from the unexpected death of one of the candidates for chief. The board said it found no evidence of dishonesty or improper motives. The election was the first to be held using the First Nation’s new election code, which was adopted in July. Candidate nomina...
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Yukon gov't restructures mines department to better support mining companies | CBC Accessibility

The Yukon government announced this week it is splitting the mines part of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources into two new branches: major mines and mineral exploration. It said the goal is to make the territory more “competitive, predictable and attractive” for mining investors. A new major mines and technical services division will focus on guiding mining companies – especially those with large projects – through the permitting process.“This can help guide them through what sometime...
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Yukon government appeals Human Rights tribunal decision on midwifery case | CBC News

The Yukon government is appealing to the territory's Supreme Court to overturn a decision from the Yukon Human Rights Board of Adjudication which found the government discriminated against a Whitehorse woman when its policies prevented her from accessing midwifery services. In January, the Yukon Government was ordered to pay the woman over $36,000 – the largest amount ever awarded in the territory for general damages.Now, the government is contesting the decision, claiming the Yukon Human Rights...
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With less than a week to go, Whitehorse gears up for 2026 Arctic Winter Games | CBC News

For Arctic Winter Games organizers, like host society president Tracey Bilsky, this is crunch time. After months of preparation, the 2026 Arctic Winter Games in Whitehorse are now just days away. More than 2,000 athletes from Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Nunavik, northern Alberta, Alaska, Greenland and the Sapmi region – which spans northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and parts of Russia – along with coaches, families and others are expected to arrive in the Yukon capital this week. “...
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As gold prices soar, some Yukon miners call territory's low royalty rate 'a bit ridiculous' | CBC News

In 2025, Yukon placer miners collected more than $449 million in gold revenue, while the Yukon government collected less than 1 per cent of that — or just over $33,300 — in gold royalties.  That’s because the territory's mining royalty rate was set over a century ago. In 1906, when an ounce of gold was worth $15, Yukon placer royalties were set at 37.5 cents per ounce. It's been the same ever since, even as gold prices have climbed over the past 120 years. In December, an ounce of gold was worth...
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Yukon First Nations express skepticism around promised permit 'fast-tracking'  | CBC News

Fast-tracking project permits came up in just about every session last month at Roundup, the Vancouver international mining conference, including in the latest promises from the new Yukon government.Addressing a crowd at Yukon Night, a celebration of the territory’s industry, Yukon Mines Minister Ted Laking said change is on the way. “You said the length of time it takes for government to turn decisions around is taking too long,” he said. “In response [...] we will now be developing new regulat...
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High silver prices 'float a lot of boats' for Yukon's mining industry | CBC News

Gold prices have been on a historic run for the past two years, and now silver prices are starting to catch up — and Yukon's mining industry is happy to see it.While prices for the precious metals dipped last week, silver has gone up by more than 170 per cent since this time last year.“It’s great news for longtime producers and explorers,” said Jonas Smith, executive director of the Yukon Chamber of Mines. “These kinds of prices float a lot of boats, right?” Mike Satre, director of governmental...
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Northern B.C. First Nations, advocates worry about environmental impacts of Yukon-BC grid connect | CBC News

Some northern B.C. First Nations and conservationists are concerned that a project to connect the Yukon to B.C.'s power grid could help fuel a wave of development in pristine boreal forests and wetlands.The Yukon government has said the Yukon-B.C. grid connect project could bring up to $7.6 billion a year in economic growth, create up to 36,000 jobs and help electrify six diesel communities. The proposed project would install 800 kilometres of high-voltage transmission line between the territory...
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Tahltan leader urges B.C. to maintain DRIPA after successful approval of gold and silver mine | CBC Accessibility

The B.C. Government has partnered with the Tahltan Nation to approve a major resource project in the province’s northwest. The Eskay Creek project involves the reopening of a former underground mine located approximately 80 kilometres northwest of Stewart, B.C., not far from the Alaska border. The project covers approximately 58 square kilometers and would be operated as an open-pit mine. The project, overseen by Skeena Gold + Silver, received provincial and federal permits Tuesday, and received...
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Human rights tribunal rules in favour of Yukon woman denied midwifery care | CBC News

The Yukon Human Rights Board of Adjudication has ruled in favour of a Whitehorse woman who says she was denied access to midwifery care. A majority of adjudicators found the Yukon government engaged in discriminatory conduct by preventing women from accessing the services of midwives. In 2021, the Yukon government introduced new midwifery regulations, and prohibited midwives from practicing until they were licensed and registered. But the ban came into effect before a midwifery program had been...
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Researchers find high levels of DDT in some Watson Lake, Yukon, fish | CBC News

A researcher with the federal Northern Contaminants Program says scientists have found elevated levels of the pesticide DDT in five Watson Lake fish in the Yukon. Tissue analysis results reveal the lake trout showed elevated levels of DDT in their muscles, with an average of 1,698 parts per billion found per fish.While Canada does not have current health guidelines for DDT levels in fish tissue, the U.S. human health screening value for DDT in fish tissues is 69 parts per billion. Mary Gamberg,...
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Na-Cho Nyäk Dun and Snowline Gold sign consent agreement ahead of mine development | CBC Arctic Winter Games

The First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun in Yukon has signed an agreement with a mining exploration company requiring its "free, prior and informed consent" before the development of a potential gold mine.The company, Snowline Gold, says it has been exploring a 60 by 30 kilometre area around 200 kilometres east of Mayo since 2021. According to the company's website, the gold deposit there could be worth as much as $3.4 billion – based on a gold price of $2,150 US per ounce – and support a mine with a...
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Majority of Yukon University workers vote in favour of strike mandate | CBC News

Yukon University staff voted in favour of a strike mandate earlier this month after the two parties failed to reach an agreement at the bargaining table. A previous agreement between union members and the university expired over 18 months ago, and the two parties have since been engaged in third-party conciliation. In a news release on Friday, the Yukon Employees Union said the university's latest offer failed to address key concerns: protections for precarious workers and fair wages. Union pre...
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Historians say winter biking goes back more than a century in the Yukon | CBC News

The sight of a cyclist in January in the Yukon can prompt confusion from some onlookers — but historians say bicycles were being used to get around the territory in winter long before cars. Nearly 130 years ago, cyclists were travelling up the Yukon River on their way to Dawson City in search of gold. The Klondike Gold Rush happened during a period of economic downturn in the U.S. that coincided with a surge in popularity for bicycles. "There was this worldwide craze for bicycles because in many...
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Yukon earthquake reveals a fault line hidden beneath glaciers | CBC Accessibility

A helicopter full of researchers with the Yukon Geological Survey is scouring a remote mountain region in southwest Yukon, looking for avalanches and landslides – evidence of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that rattled the area last month. The quake, which struck near the Alaska-Yukon border on Dec. 6, has helped geologists confirm a decades-old hypothesis: it’s revealed a fault hidden beneath the earth's surface. The area has been a bit of a blind spot for people like Michael West, Alaska’s state s...
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13 blocks in Dawson City affected by frozen water or sewer lines following water main breaks | CBC News

Freezing temperatures didn’t stop crews in Dawson City, Yukon, working through Friday night to repair two water main breaks that brought the community to a standstill this past week.On Wednesday, a water main break shut down Robert Service School. The following day, a second break flooded the Westminster Hotel, home of beloved and iconic Dawson bar, The Pit. A number of properties connected to the same water line also began to experience frozen pipes.In an update posted Sunday afternoon, city of...
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Yukon’s 1st baby of 2026 born shortly past midnight on New Year's Day | CBC News

As Whitehorse residents celebrated the new year – whether at home or at the 98 Hotel and Bar – one family was welcoming a new baby girl. The newborn, Theia Joyce Klassen, arrived at 12:41 a.m. on Jan. 1 at Whitehorse General Hospital. According to the Yukon Hospital Corporation, that made her the first baby to be born in 2026 – not just in Whitehorse, but in the entire territory. She weighed eight pounds and six ounces. “We celebrated, and then 45 minutes later we got to celebrate again,” said J...
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First Nations in northern B.C. vote to approve agreement with mining company | CBC Accessibility

A majority of Tahltan First Nation members have voted in favour of an Impact Benefit Agreement with mining company Skeena Resources, according to results posted Sunday. Voting took place remotely and at locations in Dease Lake, Telegraph Creek and Iskut. Out of a total of 1,753 votes, 1,357 were in favour of the agreement and 388 were opposed. The agreement Skeena Resources sets out a royalties scheme and provides compensation for the resources at the Eskay Creek mine site and associated impacts...
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First Nations in northern B.C. offered $10K payouts ahead of vote on contentious mine project | CBC News

Some Tahltan First Nation members in northern B.C. are raising concerns about the timing of an “upfront payment” from a mining company ahead of a crucial vote on the Eskay Creek mine. The project involves the reopening of a former underground mine located approximately 80 kilometres northwest of the town of Stewart, B.C., not far from the Alaska border.The vote will determine whether members approve a proposed Impact Benefit Agreement (IBA) between Skeena Resources and the Tahltan Central Govern...
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