HMCS Whitehorse visits namesake city to share accomplishments

Navy News / January 28, 2020

Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Whitehorse recently sent a contingent of the ship’s company, including the Command team, to the City of Whitehorse for a visit to its namesake city.

Their objective was to let the people of Whitehorse know what activities “their” ship had participated in and what they had accomplished over the year since the last visit.

They also wanted to educate the community on what the Royal Canadian Navy does for both Canada and the international community, and to let people know what employment opportunities exist within the navy.

Lastly, they wanted to establish ties with the newly-formed Friends of HMCS Whitehorse committee recently set-up by the ship’s sponsor Ione Christensen, otherwise known as “Mom”.

The Friends of HMCS Whitehorse committee has been tasked with taking over many of “Mom’s” activities on behalf of the ship as this former city mayor, Commissioner of Yukon and Canadian senator begins to free up her active schedule to enjoy a slower pace of life.

The visit included a meeting with the city’s deputy-mayor and select councillors; a meet-and-greet with the Friends of HMCS Whitehorse committee; attendance at the commemoration service for the 30th anniversary of the Ecole Polytechnique tragedy; a meeting with the Speaker of the House of the Yukon Legislative Assembly and a tour of the Assembly Hall; a meeting with the Commanding Officer of the local RCMP detachment; a meeting with the local Joint Task Force North detachment; a liaison visit to the President and Board of the local Legion; and the presentation of a cheque to the Victoria Faulkner Women’s Centre.

The Faulkner Women’s Centre is a safe and respectful space where all self-identified women can connect with one another, access support and services, and work together to create positive change for women and the community. It is committed to promoting women’s equality and well-being, and their mission is to raise awareness, educate, advocate and collaborate with government and non-government organizations for the overall betterment of women’s lives. Whitehorse sailors were overjoyed to provide direct support to these activities by making a donation of this year’s charitable funds to the centre.

One of the highlights of the trip was a two-hour meeting with the 26th Commissioner of Yukon, the Honourable Angélique Bernard, who is the first Francophone Commissioner in the history of the territory. Her community outreach has positively impacted the Yukon Territory in innumerable ways, and as such she was recently honoured with being inducted as one of the first members of the newly created Order of Yukon.

As is tradition, the visit concluded with a breakfast hosted at “Mom’s”. This included her famous sourdough waffles, as seen on the Martha Stewart show and reported on CBC News. Of note, her sourdough yeast starter is the direct genetic descendant of a yeast batch that was brought to the Yukon during the Gold Rush over 100 year ago.

Courtesy of Lookout newspaper

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