What’s What in the Whitehorse Office
By Harriet Stanford, Community Advisor
Everyone who is fortunate enough to visit the Yukon can agree – there is something intangibly unique and captivating about this place that is hard to shake. Approximately 40,000 people call the Yukon home, over two-thirds (~28,000) of whom live in the territory’s capital city of Whitehorse. The Yukon has eight formal municipalities, and 14 First Nations – 11 of whom are self-governing.
Tucked inside the third floor of the Waterfront Station Building overlooking the mighty Yukon River in Whitehorse, on the traditional territories of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation, you can find Strategies North’s second and newest physical office space!
We are strategically located inside the offices of the Nacho Nyak Dun Development Corporation (NNDDC), a longstanding partner with SN. Not only does having a physical office in Whitehorse enable us to be better integrated into our Yukon clients’ teams and support their capacity needs, it also means that we can be present and engaged in the broader government and economic ecosystem of the territory.
The Waterfront Station Building itself is something of a hub for economic development in the Yukon, hosting organizations including the Business Development Bank of Canada, Yukon First Nation Chamber of Commerce (YFNCC), Yukon Contractors Association, Victoria Gold, Association of Yukon Communities, Selkirk Development Corporation, and Northern Native Broadcasting Yukon. There’s also a bakery, a craft brewery, and an oyster bar – what else could you need!
Who is the SN Yukon cohort?
At any given time in the office, you can find Harriet, Nelson, Nick, or a number of other SN team members (including Thumper, Nelson’s dog) that find themselves passing through the Yukon on an increasingly regular basis.
Nick is a born-and-raised Yukoner who undertakes complex financial modeling and writes top-notch bankable business plans for our clients, and in his free time you can find him creating table-top games.
Harriet relocated to Whitehorse in 2021, drawn northward by the promise of near-perpetual winter (and therefore skiing). Harriet supports our clients with navigating the funding landscape alongside a team of proposal writers, and works closely with Nelson on a wide range of housing and community development projects.
Nelson has lived in the Yukon since he was two years old and joined SN after decades working in First Nations government, economic development, housing, and infrastructure. When he’s not working, you can find him highmarking his Arctic Cat in the White Pass, tracking bison deep in alpine and wet sedge meadows of the Aishihik region, or volunteering with the non-profit organization he founded called The Nelson Project which supports at-risk men in the Yukon.
Come by and visit us if you find yourself Whitehorse! We look forward to connecting with you here in The Wilderness City.
