Efforts are underway to make Dawson City, Yukon, more accessible — but it’s not easy
‘We’re trying to shoehorn a 2025 philosophy into an 1898 building strategy,’ says town official
To many residents and visitors, the unpaved streets, crooked boardwalks and historic buildings of Dawson City, Yukon, are a big part of the Gold Rush town’s charm — but for people with mobility issues, they can also be a lot of trouble.
That’s why efforts are underway to make the town more accessible, without losing its unique character.
Sally DeMerchant has lived in Dawson City for the past 12 years. She said she lives with fibromyalgia, a chronic condition that causes pain in the body’s muscles and soft tissues, and that affects her mobility.
DeMerchant said some of the toughest things to navigate in town are the raised boardwalks and steps leading to the town’s businesses.
“Even if you sprain an ankle, you become very painfully aware that just being able to access your groceries, or attend a community event, becomes challenging,” she said.
DeMerchant said that one of the support services she relies on has moved locations, so she now has to go up a flight of stairs to access the office. She said she can do it, but others may have challenges accessing the service.
Lana Welchman, a kinesiologist and a former therapy aide at the town’s long-term care home, said she regularly sees people who’ve suffered injuries from various activities. She said many of the elders she worked with often had an extremely hard time getting around town.
“I remember taking an elder to Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebration,” Welchman recalled. “I was trying to push him in a wheelchair up the gravel. It’s almost impossible. So I had to get him out and try to get him to walk behind the wheelchair — but he couldn’t navigate that footing.
“So I’m literally trying to get someone to participate in an important community event, and it’s extremely difficult to get there.”
Both Welchman and DeMerchant say things are even more difficult in winter.
They’re calling on the municipality to consult with community members about their needs, and to develop a collective vision for a more accessible community.
‘Access Dawson City’
Some local organizations such as the Klondike Visitors Association (KVA) are also looking to address the issue, one small step at a time.
Last week, the KVA, in partnership with the municipality and a local contractor, built an accessible ramp at the town’s farmers’ market gazebo.
“We’re looking for some easy, low-hanging fruit opportunities to make our spaces more accessible,” said Ricky Mawunganidze, executive director for the KVA.
“We had a footrise on there that was always so difficult for folks in [wheel]chairs, for seniors to access, and for strollers to get in.”
Mawunganidze acknowledged the town’s heritage design “failed to consider accessibility as a primary motivating factor” and said it’s now up to the community to do its part to fix that.
That’s why the KVA launched an “Access Dawson City” campaign where businesses can sign up and receive accreditation for meeting basic accessibility standards.
“Really, we’re trying to create a way … for community members and visitors to know that these facilities, these services, are accessible and the people that are operating these are always thinking about how can they make their product more accessible to the diverse range of accessibility needs that we have,” Mawunganidze said.
He said nine businesses and organizations have the designation so far and he anticipates more will sign up throughout the summer.
Mawunganidze said making Dawson fully accessible will not happen overnight but the plan is to tackle small opportunities within the business sector to reach the larger goal.
“How do we change our mindset around providing accessible services?” Mawunganidze said. “How do we change the way that we operate as a business so we can meet customers where they’re at, if we cannot change our environmental design?”
Paul Robitaille, a longtime Dawson resident and the town’s acting chief administrative officer, said he agrees that the town could and should be more accessible. He said all new buildings being constructed in Dawson will now have ramps, and other features for accessibility. He said the municipality also supports any community-led initiatives to address the issue.
But Robitaille said it’s going to take a whole lot of work, time, and planning before Dawson can be at the level of accessibility that many people want it to be. It’s not as easy as simply putting in a ramp, he said.
“We’re trying to shoehorn a 2025 philosophy into an 1898 building strategy,” Robitaille said.
“When you look around Dawson we’ve got all these boardwalks, and we face a lot of snow every winter, permafrost — and there’s challenges when it comes to making those buildings accessible for the standards we’re at today.”
Related stories from around the North:
Canada: Infrastructure top of mind as N.W.T. MLAs head into fall session, CBC News
Russia: Putin in Arkhangelsk: Arctic industry and infrastructure on agenda, The Independent Barents Observer
