News Archives

Whitehorse, Yukon — The Whitehorse 2026 Arctic Winter Games Host Society is proud to announce a new partnership with Yukon University, officially celebrated today during the much-anticipated Student vs. Teachers Futsal Game on the Whitehorse Ayamdigut campus.

This partnership brings together two organizations dedicated to supporting northern youth, honouring cultural diversity, and strengthening community connections as Whitehorse prepares to welcome athletes, coaches, cultural participants, and supporters from across the circumpolar North in 2026.

“Yukon University is an essential partner in bringing the Arctic Winter Games to life. Their commitment to northern youth and community makes this collaboration a natural fit, and we’re thrilled to welcome athletes and cultural participants onto this vibrant campus in March 2026.”

— Megan Cromarty, General Manager, Whitehorse 2026 Arctic Winter Games

Whitehorse, Yukon - The Yukon Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research (YSPOR) held its 4th annual health summit on November 4, 2025, at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre (KDCC) in Whitehorse, with digitally-connected hubs in Dawson City and Old Crow. The event brought together community members, researchers, health professionals, and Elders from across the territory to explore the theme collaborating in a good way.

Launched more than four years ago and based at Yukon University, YSPOR was created to help close the gaps between research and healthcare in the Yukon by fostering relationships that put people, and lived experience, at the centre of health innovation.

Effective immediately and with agreement from the Board, President Lesley Brown has commenced administrative leave. She will not be returning to the role of President. The Board thanks Dr. Brown for her service and contributions to the University during a period of significant change and achievement.

To ensure continuity and stability, Dr. Shelagh Rowles, Provost and Vice-President Academic has been appointed Interim President and Vice-Chancellor. Shelagh is a long-serving member of the University’s executive team and brings deep knowledge of our community, our vision, and our ongoing priorities.

The Board’s focus remains firmly on supporting our students, faculty, and staff, and on continuing the important work that defines our university, Reconciliation, Northern research and serving our communities with excellence.

Out of respect for all parties and to maintain confidentiality, we will not be commenting further on this personnel matter.

Yukon University has received a $5 million gift from the Mastercard Foundation as part of a nationwide initiative to support Indigenous youth. The announcement came as the Foundation revealed a total of $235 million in funding to 30 post-secondary institutions and Indigenous-led organizations across Canada.

The announcement comes as the country marks a decade of work under the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC). The TRC identified education as a critical path toward reconciliation, and the Mastercard Foundation’s investment reflects this vision by recognizing the achievements and lasting impact these institutions have had in advancing educational opportunities for Indigenous youth.

This is a joint news release between the Government of Yukon and Yukon University.

Over the 2025–26 academic year, Yukon University, in partnership with the Government of Yukon, is offering tailored professional training for educational assistants employed with Yukon schools. The new four-part “micro-credential” started with an orientation and engagement session on August 20, 2025, at the Ayamdigut campus, with participation from 218 educational assistants from schools around the territory.

Yukon University’s Associate Professor of Anthropology in the School of Liberal Arts, Victoria Castillo, recently published an article in the peer reviewed journal Ethnohistory shedding new light on mid-19th century First Nations hunting practices in subarctic Canada.

Fort Selkirk, Yukon, served as a significant site of interaction between the Northern Tutchone people and Hudson’s Bay Company fur traders during the mid-nineteenth century. In 2006, archaeological excavations at the site led to the recovery of a distinctive moose (Alces alces) scapula. This artifact offers material evidence of early contact period Northern Tutchone hunting techniques and scapulimancy. Etched into the surface of the bone is a detailed zoomorphic image of a large male ungulate, likely a moose, accompanied by an arrow in flight near its head.

A powerful First Nation-led initiative is taking shape across the Yukon to help communities improve safety, healing, and wellness. House of Wolf & Associates, in partnership with Yukon University, is proud to announce the launch of the Community Safety Guardian (CSG) Training Program, beginning September 22, 2025.

This program supports First Nations-led safety programs that are already making a difference in communities across the North. Community Safety Guardians are trusted community members trained to provide culturally safe support, de-escalate conflict, and assist people in crisis. Unlike conventional enforcement approaches, Guardians focus on healing, wellness, and connection, rather than enforcement or punishment.

$52.2M Polaris Project will provide updated learning spaces and laboratory facilities to the Ayamdigut Campus

After many years of planning and design, construction of the $52.2 million Polaris Project is getting underway. The 2,567m2 state-of-the art building will include modern indoor and outdoor learning spaces, laboratories and will be built to meet net zero carbon and accessibility standards.

On April 16, 2025, the ground was blessed in a ceremony led by the chiefs of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwatch’an Council, Sean Smith and Ruth Massie, along with University Chancellor Carol Geddes, Education Minister Jeanie McLean, and YukonU faculty and staff. Project partners and funders gathered on June 13 to celebrate the start of construction. The building is expected to be completed in Fall 2027.