Whitehorse residents baffled by ‘annoying hum’ that no one seems able to explain

Conroy Brakefield has also noticed it, and describes it as “an annoying hum” that comes and goes.

It sounds like, electrical, but it’s new, he said. We have a hot tub, and I thought it was that, but we had it drained and it’s not that.

Brakefield says he’s not too bothered, he just wishes he knew what it was.

He’s not the only one. Other city residents have taken to social media to sound off about hearing it in their neighbourhoods, and speculate about the cause. Many have suspected that Yukon Energy’s diesel generators are to blame.

That prompted Yukon Energy to issue a statement on Tuesday saying, essentially, “don’t look at us.”

“Based on what we know today, it is unlikely that noise from the Whitehorse diesel generators is reaching residents in Valleyview or other neighbourhoods farther from the Whitehorse Rapids facility,” the statement reads.

Loud urban noises can come from many sources—highways, airports, snow removal equipment, and construction, among them.

Still, the company acknowledges that it is relying on its diesel generators more than usual this fall, because low water levels means there’s less hydro power available.

Willy McKenna, the company’s vice president of operations, also acknowledged to CBC News that “sound acoustics are a tricky thing,” so it is possible that noise from the generators is sometimes reaching further than expected.

So we don’t know for sure, he said.

“It’s hard to say at this point.”

Not the airport, says airport

The Whitehorse airport was also unwilling to float any theories.

I’ve asked airport staff about this, and they have confirmed that it’s not due to something happening at the airport. To quote them: it’s business as usual over there, airport spokesperson Antoine Goulet told CBC News.

Meantime, the City of Whitehorse says it’s received a half dozen complaints this month “about excessive noise in various areas of Whitehorse,” and that bylaw officers are looking into it.

Kate White, the territory’s NDP Leader, says she first noticed the sound at her home in the Takhini neighbourhood about six weeks ago. She also described it as like a deep hum, and sometimes as more of a “feeling” than a sound.

“It’s interesting because I think like lots of people, when you first start to hear it, you’re not even sure if you’re really hearing something,” she said. “I don’t necessarily want to point it out, because once you start to hear it, then it continues on.”

Still, White says she’s heard the sound when her husband has not. Other people have described similar experiences, she said.

I’ve had conversations with families and like, one person will hear it and the others will not. And so, in case you think you’re going a little bit bananas right now, because you’re hearing the sound that maybe people around you aren’t, unfortunately, you are hearing a sound, she said.

For White, it’s a real concern because some people have found it disturbing, and it’s impossible to do anything about it if nobody’s sure where it’s coming from.

“We all live in a place where we’re used to sound travelling different in the winter,” White said.

It’s not that we’re unaccustomed to noise. This is just a new one, right? And that is, you know, kind of weird.