Through this virtual consulate, we look forward to extending our dialogue with the people of the Yukon Territory and with others interested in learning more about the Yukon. This site aims to assist the people of the Yukon in accessing relevant information about the United States and to assist Americans interested in finding out more about the Yukon.

News & Events

July 2010
U.S. Consulate brings Alaska artists to Vancouver for First Nations weaving revival event: Whitehorse artist’s work is part of exhibit
Victoria Moody came upon a cedar log lying by the side of the road in Haida Gwaii. At that moment, several years ago, she saw that fallen tree calling her back to her roots, to the rich Haida culture that had defined her since childhood. Surrounded by cedar forests, Victoria’s Haida ancestors based their lives around cedar. They used it for warmth, shelter, canoes, rope, clothing, even diapers. She eventually returned to that fallen tree and stripped off bark that she would make into her first cedar garment. Now a master weaver, Victoria’s robes and hats tell stories, make political statements and express the significance of cedar to Haida culture.

As a little girl who “bathed in creeks…and slept under totem poles,” it’s no surprise that she now manifests her love of Haida culture through its time-honored art. The greatest difference Victoria sees between “weaving now and weaving then” is the process of gathering materials. While Haida weavers of the past could wander into the forest and collect spruce root or strip the bark off any tree, Victoria says now the Haida people have to go through the government forestry office for permission. And, the old, healthy cedars she generally seeks as a source of bark have been diminished by logging. “We have to travel so far to find one tree,” she says.

It’s cedar’s flexibility that makes Victoria so enjoy working with it. “You can manipulate it to do anything you want.” It’s hard to imagine that the soft, silk-like feel of her “Transition Robe” was once tree bark. The piece is made entirely of shredded red cedar bark but is like velvet to the touch. Complete with merino wool and sea otter fur details, the robe combines raven’s tail and spider web designs fit for a chief. Victoria wishes that her now deceased grandfather who was a Haida chief could have worn it. The first of its kind to be woven in the Northwest in 200 years, the cedar robe is part of the Time Warp: Contemporary Textiles of the Northwest Coast exhibit on display at Vancouver’s Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art.

The exhibit, which opened July 15, 2010, brings together the work of 20 Northwest Coast aboriginal weavers. The United States Consulate General in Vancouver was pleased to be able to provide travel support for six artists from Alaska to join fellow weavers from the Yukon Territory, British Columbia and Washington State for the exhibit’s opening. Ann Smith, Kwanlin Dun, Tutchone of the Wolf Clan and Tlingit, is from Whitehorse and has work in this exhibit.

Among the Alaska artists was a woman whose passion for Northwest Coast weaving saved what was feared to be soon a lost art. When this new generation of master weavers spoke about their work, they often credited Delores Churchill, 80, for her instruction and encouragement. Recognized with an honorary doctorate from the University of Alaska Southeast and a Lifetime Fellowship Award from the National Endowment for the Arts, Delores breathed new life into this dying craft. Just as her mother taught her as a child, Delores has taught her own daughters the intricacies of traditional Northwest Coast weaving, using both plant and animal fibers. Four generations of Delores’s family were present at the opening. Daughter Evelyn Vanderhoop, and granddaughter Carrie Ann Vanderhoop Bellis have their work displayed in the exhibit. Great-granddaughter Rosalie Delores, still in a baby carrier, will likely follow the artistic footsteps of her family.

The exhibit was co-curated by Evelyn Vanderhoop and Dr. Martine Reid, consulting curator at Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art.

The day following the opening Delores asked all the exhibiting weavers to share the thoughts they had while creating their pieces. “It’s something I like to do with all my students,” she said. The artists were emotional as they shared tales of the sometimes exhausting, painstaking craft of weaving. They explained the roots of their inspiration; some developing designs based on dreams or on images used by their ancestors. They spoke of collecting their materials; gathering spruce root from forests in the snow or stripping bark off giant cedar trees. They talked about the hours of focus and concentration. They spoke about losing inspiration but persevering though they thought they’d never finish. They all spoke of how the process created a connection to the land and to the spirit world.

Robes take longer to weave than totem poles take to carve, commented several of the weavers. The Time Warp opening was a celebration of Northwest Coast native culture, with many guests wearing traditional cedar hats and woven robes. Delores’s great-granddaughter Rosalie Delores was in a Haida-weave baby-carrier. The Git Hoan Dance group from Seattle, with drums, dances and songs, told the stories behind Northwest Coast folklore, dramatized with traditional wooden masks.

Debra Sparrow, a Musqueam weaver, gave a traditional welcome. She called the event an opportunity to “share the beautiful vision of the men and women of the Northwest Coast”. In describing traditional weaving, she said “who we are is who we were.” For the opening, well-known Haida artist Reg Davidson danced a new robe made by Marie Oldfield. This ceremonial process to “validate” a new robe was done in a manner to show both the Haida and Tsimshian sides of the double-sided robe. “Every piece I do honors my ancestors,” said Marie who is Haida and Tsimshian.

Delores Churchill gave the greatest tribute to the master weavers, describing how she witnessed a museum curator crying as an ancient robe left the museum to go back to its people to be worn because – outside of the museum’s controlled atmosphere – the robe would soon disintegrate. “We have such wonderful weavers today, (perhaps those ancient robes) should be left with the wonderful people taking care of them to be kept in perpetuity for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren, ” she said.

Kevin Crisp, management officer at the U.S. Consulate General, shared his personal appreciation of Northwest Coast native cultures and the Consulate’s pleasure at being involved in the event. The “Time Warp” exhibit will be on display at the Bill Reid Gallery through January 16, 2011.

For details or to order a show catalogue, visit http://www.billreidgallery.ca/Exhibition/CurrentExhibition.php

26 July 2010
Scientists Set Sail to Map the Arctic Seafloor

American and Canadian scientists are setting sail this summer to map the Arctic seafloor and gather data to help define the outer limits of the continental shelf. [More] [Audio/Video] [Related]

23 July 2010
President Obama Assigns Arctic Science Policy to NSTC
Under a memorandum issued today, President Obama assigned responsibility to coordinate activities related to Arctic Science Policy to the National Science and Technology Council (NTSC). [Read More]

21-23 June 2010
Consul General Chicola visits the Yukon
The jurisdiction of the U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver encompasses both British Columbia and the Yukon Territory, and from June 21 to June 23, Consul General Phillip Chicola traveled to Whitehorse to meet with many of the Yukon’s leaders in business, government, culture and the media. [More].

14 June 2010
Trafficking in Persons Report 2010
"The 10th annual Trafficking in Persons Report outlines the continuing challenges across the globe, including in the United States. The Report, for the first time, includes a ranking of the United States based on the same standards to which we hold other countries. The United States takes its first-ever ranking not as a reprieve but as a responsibility to strengthen global efforts against modern slavery, including those within America. This human rights abuse is universal, and no one should claim immunity from its reach or from the responsibility to confront it." Secretary Clinton.  Canada is listed alphabetically along with the other countries. The report also mentions the plight of Canadian Aboriginal women. [Full Report: HTML  PDF] [Canada Chapter] [Remarks by Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs] [Remarks by Ambassador-at-Large, Office To Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons] .

22 April 2010
Earth Day: The Hidden Drama of Bird Migration
The spectacular hidden drama of bird migration between South America and the Arctic was described to U.S. consulate audiences in Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver at an Earth Day videoconference featuring Dr. Gary Langham, director of bird conservation for Audubon California. Vancouver Consulate General was the hosting mission.
Conservationists, scholars, ecologists and citizen bird-conservation group members in the audience certainly are aware of migration, but not necessarily the numbers -- five billion landbirds traversing the skies from South America to and from the boreal forests of Canada and Alaska. "While you are sleeping, how many birds are passing over your rooftops?" asked Langham. He said birds often travel at night to avoid predators or because the air is calmer and more stable. On a full moon night, he suggested sitting and watching how many birds can be spotted flying by.
Of those billions of birds, two billion "don’t make it," said Langham. A major cause is loss of habitat which the birds need for feeding and breeding. Click here for an Audubon list of common birds in decline.
A videoconference guest from the Stanley Park Ecology Society in Vancouver said educational programming for children has far-reaching effects on bird-awareness. She said it’s been observed that when conservation signs designed by children are posted the public is more inclined to respecting them as opposed to trashing standard government signs. Langham agreed that education for kids is important because young people are spending more time with electronics and less time in the outdoors.
A landbird assessment biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service in Delta, British Columbia, said a newly-released publication by Partners in Flight, Saving Our Shared Birds, advocates more citizen engagement to spread the knowledge on the importance of birds.
She commented at the videoconference that "landbirds are the most abundant and diverse group of birds in North America with almost 900 species living in every major terrestrial habitat. They are excellent indicators of environmental health, tracking changes in habitat, water quality, disease and climate. "They quietly provide us invaluable ecosystem services such as pest control...billions of landbirds consume more than 200,000 metric tonnes (equivalent to more than 33,000 elephants) of insects a day during spring and fall during migration." "Citizen science," said Langham, "has contributed much to migration data. Audubon’s annual bird count started in 1900 with 27 participants, had in 2009 more than 68,000 participants."
To read more about U.S. Consulate General’s videoconference with Gary Langham, see "A Winged Tsunami", which appeared in the Vancouver Sun May 9th, 2010.
Comments or questions can be directed to pavancouver@state.gov.

March 1, 2010
U.S. Medalists Look Back on the Games
A star-studded lineup of U.S. athletes heaped compliments on the atmosphere and the feeling of kindred spirits at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, which they all proclaimed a success.
Bill Demong, Nordic combined gold medalist, said this felt like a “North American Olympics, with each country rooting for each others’ teams.”[more].

November 30, 09
Ambassador Jacobson addresses Vancouver Board of Trade
The United States' new ambassador to Canada was introduced to Vancouver's business community at a Vancouver Board of Trade luncheon November 30 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Ambassador David Jacobson underlined to about 160 attendees how President Barack Obama is intent on achieving economic recovery. The President's economic goals were mentioned in the context of his recent trip to Asia to develop and strengthen alliances with Asian nations, and in relation to steps being taken to help boost the number of jobs in both Canada and the U.S. [more].

February 09
U.S. Consulate General Vancouver held a videoconference February 9 with the Customs and Border Protection representative at U.S. Embassy Ottawa to explain amendments to the Lacey Act, streamlining of Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) document review, and updates on Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT) and “10+2” Importer security filing. [More].

12 January 09
On January 12, 2009, President George W. Bush issued a directive regarding Arctic energy supplies.[full story].

16 December 08
Mapping U.S. and Canadian Waters: Some US-related Conservation Programs at the Vancouver Aquarium
The US Consulate General Vancouver has worked for many years with the Vancouver Aquarium on a number of projects, most recently the annual TD Canada Greater Canadian Shoreline Cleanup. As we approach year’s end, we thought readers would be interested in knowing more about the great bilateral work of the Vancouver Aquarium. The Vancouver Aquarium has a variety of conservation programs that reach throughout British Columbia. Some of the programs reach from the west all the way to the most northern and eastern regions of Canada, as well as into neighboring U.S. states.

Following is a list of programs that reach into the United States’ west coast...[more].

Phillip Chicola assumed the position of Consul General at the U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on August 25, 2008. A career officer in the U.S. Foreign Service with the rank of Minister Counselor, Phil Chicola joined the State Department in 1979. Over the past three decades, he has developed broad regional expertise and has dealt with some of Latin America's most difficult issues. He began his career serving as refugee officer for Latin America in the Bureau of Refugee Affairs. Following that, he served as a political officer in Guatemala, Chile and El Salvador. In El Salvador, he also served as Deputy Chief of Mission and Chargé d'Affaires during a period when the United States played a central role in support of that country's nascent democracy and in securing a negotiated end to its civil war. [More]

Ask The Consulate - December 2008:
On Protocol

In international politics, protocol is the etiquette of diplomacy and affairs of state. The U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver uses protocol daily in interactions with the other consulates in Vancouver and with the Province of British Columbia. [More].

Barack Obama Wins Historic Election Victory Post Election Analysis - Webcast Read the personal story of America's next leader, Barack Obama Have Your Say - Election Blog Useful Links

30 October 08
Arctic Trip - North Warning System
From October 7 to 10, Terry Breese, the Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) of the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, traveled to the Arctic region of Canada to view first-hand the "North Warning System" (NWS) that Canada and the United States operate as part of their joint defense of North America. This was the first Arctic visit for a DCM, and Breese covered over 5400 miles during the four-day trip. [more]

02-03 October 08
Amin Tarzi Speaks About Afghanistan
Afghan analyst Amin Tarzi directs Middle East Studies at the Marine Corps University. During an October 2-3 visit to Vancouver, he gave a passionate defense for staying the course in Afghanistan in an intense day and a half of meetings with journalists, students, Afghan immigrants and researchers in South Asia. His audiences heard at first hand about Tarzi’s recent trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan. Tarzi commented that assuaging Pakistan about the disputed border with Afghanistan—by working to eliminate Afghan claims to Pakistani territory-- would be key to future regional stability. He suggested that talk of « winning » the war in Afghanistan is misguided. Rather, we should talk of enabling the Afghan government, army and police to establish order in the country. Tarzi’s visit enabled the Consulate General to make contact with key future opinionmakers, namely the graduate journalism students at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and the University of British Columbia (UBC). It also allowed us to continue conversations with Canadian immigrants, in this case members of Vancouver’s Afghan community. [slideshow] [podcast].

Ask The Consulate - September 2008:
A Journey to Whitehorse

Whitehorse has a population of 24,000 and the Yukon about 32,000. «The federal government pumps in about a billion dollars every year into this territory,» according to a local newsman. «We are well taken care of,» he says «and it’s because the government wants to make sure that the world knows that the Yukon is Canadian.»

Yet, despite the federal infusions, visible also in the infrastructure of First Nations headquarters (I visited two of Yukon’s 14 First Nations), there are economic worries even when manpower is hard to find and further development seems inevitable. AYukon College official told me over dinner on the day of my arrival: «There are young people coming up here who can’t afford the huge jump in housing prices. Mining, which has been the source of growth for decades went into a tailspin but is just now starting to revive (driven by the high price of gold). «. [More].

11 August 08
Two Scientific Cruises to Map Arctic Seafloor
The U.S. Extended Continental Shelf Task Force, chaired by the Department of State, plans two Arctic cruises by the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy this summer, one of which will be conducted in collaboration with the Government of Canada. The cruises are part of an interagency effort to collect scientific data about the continental shelf and oceanic basins in the Arctic.
The first cruise, August 14 to September 5 from Barrow, Alaska, will employ a sophisticated echo sounder that will collect data to create a three-dimensional map of the Arctic seafloor in an area known as the Chukchi Cap. This cruise is led by the University of New Hampshire’s Joint Hydrographic Center, with support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. [more] [Related - September 2, 2008].

08 July 08
July 4 Celebrations - Vancouver
The U.S. Consulate General celebrated July 4th in grand style with more than 400 invited guests from British Columbia, the Yukon and other parts of Canada. Guests included eight of ten Vancouver city councilors, several local mayors, seven MLAs including five BC Ministers, and Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs David Emerson. Emerson spoke about the ties that bind Canada and the U.S. and commented that he was honored to wish the United States a happy birthday during his second official event after assuming his duties as Foreign Minister. BC Minister for Intergovernmental Relations Joan McIntyre echoed Emerson's remarks and stressed the positive role the consulate has played fostering dialogue on cross border issues. Consul General Lewis Lukens thanked the American businesses who helped support the celebration and took the occasion to bid adieu to the many close friends and associates gathered at the residence. [Larger Photo].

04 July 08
The many ties that bind Americans and Canadians
Op-ed by Consul General Lewis Lukens in the Vancouver Sun, July 04, 2008 [Read More].

02 July 08
Presidential Message, Independence Day 2008
GEORGE W. BUSH - I send greetings to all Americans on Independence Day.

More than two centuries ago, bold and courageous visionaries pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor in signing the Declaration of Independence. Guided by ancient and eternal truths, our forefathers proclaimed to the world that liberty was the natural right of all mankind and in doing so began one of the greatest chapters in human history. On the Fourth of July, our country commemorates the great achievements of these heroes and reaffirms its unwavering confidence in the power of freedom.

It was the desire for freedom that inspired our Founding Fathers, and it is the belief in the universality of freedom that guides our Nation. On this occasion, we pay special tribute to the men and women of our Armed Forces, both past and present, who have answered freedom's call and defended the values that make America the greatest country on earth.

May God bless America.

14 May 08
U.S. adds Polar Bears to List of Threatened Species
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne today announced that he is accepting the recommendation of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dale Hall to list the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The listing is based on the best available science, which shows that loss of sea ice threatens and will likely continue to threaten polar bear habitat. This loss of habitat puts polar bears at risk of becoming endangered in the foreseeable future, the standard established by the ESA for designating a threatened species. [More].
The proposed ESA special 4(d) rule is available at - http://www.doi.gov/issues/polar_bears.html - for a 60 day public comment period.

08 May 08
Minister Baird and Secretary Kempthorne Hold Bilateral Meeting
OTTAWA — Canada's Minister of the Environment, John Baird, held a bilateral meeting earlier today with U.S. Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne. The Minister and Secretary were also joined by the President of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, Mary Simon, as well as a number of officials from both countries.

"Today's bilateral meeting included a number of cross-border issues, including the recent announcement by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) on the status of the polar bear, and other important issues that cross the 49th parallel," said Minister Baird. [More].

Museums Documenting Indigenous Experience On January 30, Dr. Ramiro Matos, Curator for Latin America at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian discussed how museums document the experiences of indigenous peoples. The webcast transcript will be available soon.

9 January 08
Cross-border shoppers are likely to see a new US$5 bill when the bank note starts circulating March 13.The bill will have a new purple tint around President Abraham Lincoln. A big numeral “5” is on the back, not so much a counterfeiting deterrent as an aide for the visually impaired.The many new security features being added to the $5 bill are fully described on the U.S. Department of the Treasury website.

Gregory Almaraz, Resident Agent in Charge of the Secret Service office at U.S. Consulate General in Vancouver, says he and his staff are available to brief merchant and banking groups on the new currency and how to detect counterfeit US currency. Please direct any inquiries to pavancouver@state.gov.