Edna Mitander is the first ever recipient of the Daisy Mason Wellness Fund

Thursday, 23 September 2021 15:12

By Dylan MacNeil

Edna Mitander (right) receives the Daisy Mason Wellness fund.

"I am very, very happy that I’m going to be able to help other people, especially First Nations,” says Mitander.

In 1905, Skookum Jim put money into a trust for his daughter Daisy and her future children. Daisy died in 1938 without children. The money was then put back into the trust to support Yukon First Nations, and it was the called Daisy Mason Wellness Fund. The Commissioner of Yukon and the Bishop of the Anglican Church of the time were made trustees of the fund. Now over 115 years later, Edna Mitander of the Selkirk First Nation is the first ever recipient of the cash.

Mitander is Northern Tutchone from Dawson and now lives in Whitehorse. She is getting $750 to go towards her education as she attends the Professional Counsellor Diploma program at Rhodes Wellness College in Vancouver.

Mitander was presented the prize by the Commissioner of Yukon Angélique Bernard, the Bishop of the Anglican Church Lesley Wheeler-Dame, and Fund Advisory Committee member Adeline Webber this afternoon at historic Taylor House in the territory’s capital.

“Edna, you’re a part of history!” Bernard exclaimed after presenting the award.

She says she is excited to use her education to help others.

“When I think about Skookum Jim and I think about myself as a First Nations child growing up in Dawson City, I was born there, I used to play in the Klondike River and I’d envision him being up in Bonanza Creek 125 years ago. Now his legacy is trickling down to me to be able to spark joy in myself, to be able to spark joy in the future. I am immensely proud of being able to get this and I am very, very happy that I’m going to be able to help other people, especially First Nations,” says Mitander.

Mitander says she was inspired to get into the field after her own experiences dealing with mental health and she wants to help others hold their head high.

She says when her schooling is done, she plans to open her own practice in Whitehorse.

More from CHON-FM Northern News

Daughter demands answers after second family member dies at 405 Alexander

Bailey's biological father also died at the shelter in 2021, and she claims that the shelter's staff provided conflicting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the death of her stepfather.
Yukon Risks Blackouts This Winter as Hydro Power Plant Undergoes Repairs

The Aishihik turbine was critically damaged in October, and repair work is not expected to be completed until spring.
YUKON'S SPEAKER DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM HIS OWN LIBERAL GOVERNMENT ABOUT POLITICAL INTERFERENCE WITH ELECTIONS YUKON AND TWO OTHER OVERSIGHT BODIES

Following complaints, Speaker Jeremy Harper writes to Sandy Silver to ask why the government is interfering with Elections Yukon, Yukon Child and Youth Advocate Office, and the office of the Yukon Ombudsman
Liard First Nation chief has lost confidence, been suspended by his community

LFN citizens who attended a public meeting Tuesday in Watson Lake overwhelmingly sided with the Deputy Chief and Council members who drafted a resolution to have Chief Stephen Charlie suspended from his duties
Liard First Nation Employees Fired After Advocating for Change

Emeral Poppe and Diana Lee Jimmy have been vocal advocates for change within Liard First Nation, raising concerns over transparency.
YFNED kicks off fifth-annual winter hamper program

"We try to support local as much as we can." - YFNED Acting Director of First Nation Initiatives Kim Rumley
Broken generator at Aishihik Generating Station puts pressure on the Yukon's electricity grid

The 12-megawatt generator failed due to a part malfunction, according to the Yukon Energy Corporation
Intergovernmental Forum takes place in Ottawa - not Yukon - for second year running

Forum discussed collaborative approaches to funding the implementation of Final and Self-Government Agreements.
Suspected contamination at the abandoned Wolverine Mine: Yukon government

The Yukon government has been addressing water treatment issues at the site since the mine's abandonment in 2015
Food For Fines Campaign Returns to Whitehors

Eligible tickets include: Expired parking meter fines, and Two-hour zone fines.
Yukon First Nations leadership and Yukon government leadership meet for 30th Yukon Forum

This was the third Yukon Forum of 2024. The last will be the Intergovernmental Forum in Ottawa in December.
Shot in the Dark Productions premiered two films at the Yukon Arts Centre

Shot in the Dark Productions believes puppets can captivate both children and adults, conveying important environmental science themes through entertainment.
Former Connective staff acquitted of sexual assault and exploitation charges

Judge Gurmail Gill found Omale not guilty due to inconsistencies in the complainant's testimony and lack of forensic evidence.
Whitehorse RCMP officers to start using body-worn cameras

The Yukon RCMP adopts body-worn cameras to bolster trust, accountability, and transparency in its community services
Whitehorse Community Thrift Store volunteers stop work following store manager's termination by its board of directors.

Thrift store society founder Karen Weinberg says the manager was fired for raising safety concerns.
Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin, Yukon NDP blast Yukon government for delays in Dawson Regional Land Use Plan

“Every day this plan doesn’t get done is another day of status quo for the mining industry. It’s starting to feel like this is by design.” - Yukon NDP Leader Kate White
Newly elected Whitehorse Mayor and Council sworn into office

Mayor Kirk Cameron and Councillors Anne Middler, Dan Boyd, Lenore Morris, Eileen Melynchuk, Jenny Hamilton, and Paolo Gallina have taken their oaths of office.
2024 Yukon River fall chum salmon run records dismal numbers

The Porcupine River revealed alarmingly low numbers, with 16,275 and 8,368 fish recorded
Trial of Former Connective residential support worker accused of sexually assaulting a vulnerable client commenced in Whitehorse territorial court on Monday.

Omale, 38 has pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a person with a disability stemming from September 2023.
Whitehorse residents join Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition's Actions for Accountability Rally

Dozens of people marked Poverty and Homelessness Accountability week with a walk to the Jim Smith building, where the mother of a homeless man spent the night camping in the parking lot.