Early March of this year, we did what we do every spring…we loaded up our wall tent, sled and every bit of warm clothing we own to go out on a Bison harvesting trip. We were out of cell and internet range for just 7 days, but what we didn’t know was that as we left the tranquility that is winter camping, we’d be coming back to an entire new reality.
As I turned my cell phone on, a text popped up from a family member that I could not make sense of. “The Arctic Winter Games have been cancelled and people are hoarding toilet paper!”
March 2020…a month that will be burned into our collective memories for decades to come…It seems like a lifetime ago, even though just a few months have passed since then.
Those early months of the COVID-19 pandemic felt like time stood still. For us, over the course of 4 days, the majority of our spring/summer contracts were cancelled, our daughter’s daycare closed down, and like many others, we didn’t know what our lives were going to look like a few months into the future.
While we witnessed the COVID-19 pandemic start to spread across the country, the Yukon quickly prepared its response. When many of the Territory’s citizens were asked to stay home whenever possible in attempt to flatten the curve, there were others who continued to go into work, all the while also trying to process this ‘new reality’ we were all facing collectively.
These essential and front line workers are the ones who helped keep Yukoners as safe and secure as possible. Everyone from Dr. Hanley, our Chief Medical Officer of Health, to those working behind the scenes like IT staff adapting network systems so entire work forces could suddenly work from home, and child care workers who continued to care for children who’s parents also had essential jobs to go to… there were people working hard across sectors to keep our communities safe and resilient.
It was absolutely heart warming to witness Yukoners come together throughout this time, and we knew from the start we wanted to do something to celebrate those who continued to push through the uncertainty and continue to offer those services our community depends on.
This photo series, released in the latest issue of Yukon North of Ordinary magazine, is a thank you to all the front line and essential workers who got us through those early days and to where we are today in the pandemic. None of this could have happened with out you, and we will forever be grateful.
Chris Cash and Janelle Greer-Yukon Communicable Disease Control (YCDC)
The Yukon Communicable Disease Control team had to adapt its services very quickly to accommodate the tremendously increased workload brought on by COVID-19. Normally a unit that monitors and controls communicable diseases in the territory, it became responsible for Yukon’s COVID-19 testing and case management, including contact tracing and outbreak management, as well as support and education to other providers in the Territory. Their meeting room was adapted into a COVID-19 testing room, and the team worked incredible hours to keep on top of its regular duties as well as the new ones.
Rani Ferris- Early Childhood Educator, Nlaye Ndasadaye Daycare
Without childcare, many frontline staff would not have been able to keep working throughout the pandemic response. Although many parents struggled through, trying to continue to work while kids were home, childcare workers like Rani of Nlaye Ndasadaye Daycare continued to show up everyday to provide safe, educational care for kids whose parents weren’t able to keep them home. With much lower numbers of kids in care, daycares had to adapt programming, and try to prepare for the eventual return to a ‘new normal’, implementing extra cleaning/safety precautions, all the while ensuring to maintain both a physically and emotionally safe space for our kids who were also trying to navigate this new world.
Dr. Brendan Hanley- Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health (CMOH)
As the territory’s CMOH, Dr. Brendan Hanley lead the Yukon’s public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic. His days are filled with meetings with his technical team and a growing number of people across the North and around the country including representatives of the federal government, the medical and health community, First Nations and business councils. With the support of a dedicated team in the Health Emergency Operations Centre, he’s helping the territory navigate the ever-changing and uncharted waters of the pandemic. Dr. Hanley has been a calming presence for many Yukoners during this challenging time, but he is also the first to credit the hardworking members of the team who surround him.
Cristina Graterol- Online Shopping Lead, Wykes Independent Grocer
Grocery stores stayed open throughout the course of the COVID-19 response, but that certainly didn’t mean business as usual. For stores like Wykes Independent, COVID response meant everything from limiting numbers of customers in the store, adding directional signage and Plexiglas barriers at the checkout counter, and training staff on new protocols. Technology was key to keeping up with the fact their online orders alone went up 7 fold, and they had to double their cooler space to keep up. Employees wear iPods on their wrists to allow them to pull up client’s orders and be directed through the store in the most efficient shopping pattern.
Roxana Muir- Janitorial Services, Yukon Hospitals
Keeping public spaces clean has always been an essential job, but the efforts of janitorial workers can sometimes go unnoticed as much of their work happens behind the scenes. Janitorial staff like Roxana Muir at the Whitehorse General Hospital continued to work throughout the pandemic, ensuring proper sanitizing and cleaning protocols were met, a vital step in ensuring spaces were kept as safe as possible for essential services to continue to be offered throughout the Territory.
Bruce Kirby-Terminal Manager, Manitoulin Transport
Yukoners rely on long-haul transportation for many of our essential goods. One reason our store shelves stayed stocked during the pandemic is because trucking companies continued making the long drives from the south and throughout the entire territory. Manitoulin Transport saw surges in shipment volume requirements, which they quickly responded to while implementing and adhering to a myriad of new safety procedures. Those include wearing personal protective equipment and using no-touch delivery technologies to keep both their staff and customers safe.
Mary Tiessen- American Sign Language Interpreter (ASL)
You might never have heard her voice, but you’ve no doubt seen Mary Tiessen’s fast moving hands during the Yukon government’s live COVID-19 video updates as she translates them into American Sign Language (ASL). As the only full-time American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter with the territorial government, Tiessen’s days quickly filled with interpreting frequent YG announcements, meetings through videoconference and, if physical distancing allowed, in-person meetings wearing a face shield, which better facilitates the reading of facial expressions—an important component of ASL.
Charles Young- Technical Support, City of Whitehorse
In March of 2020, a large portion of the workforce was suddenly asked to work from home if at all possible. But working from home isn’t as simple as flipping open your computer…thankfully IT professionals across the sectors were able to quickly figure out solutions, including security and software management so that entire workforces could continue to work, allowing families to maintain incomes and services to still be provided.