Yukon, North of Ordinary
From the offbeat to the extraordinary, we document life in and around Canada’s Yukon and offer deeper insights into the content in our award-winning magazine.
Hosted by Karen McColl
Produced by Karen McColl & Mark Koepke
Northofordinary.com
Episodes
71 episodes
Winter series | it's time to Manu up
Yukon, North of Ordinary publisher Manu Keggenhoff drops in to discuss how the magazine’s popular photo essays come together. We also get our quarterly rundown on the latest issue from editor extraordinaire Amy Kenny. Plus, we highligh...
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Season 11
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Episode 1
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20:03
He's a real batass
The story of how one determined Yukoner overcame his own ignorance, a skeptical wife, and countless winged (and fanged) adversaries to finally win a “bat-tle” for structural supremacy at a cottage on the Yukon’s Southern Lakes. Co-producer Mark...
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Season 10
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Episode 5
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38:09
YQ | photojournalist Peter Mather
Peter Mather knows better than most that there are more moose than people in the Yukon. The award-winning wildlife photographer candidly answers the "Yukon Questionnaire" and takes the opportunity to pump up other Yukon artists._ In...
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Season 10
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Episode 4
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12:40
((Music)) by the august arrival
“I love the Yukon so much,” says Whitehorse singer-songwriter Sara MacDonald, a.k.a. the august arrival. “I don’t think it necessarily informs the songs, but it’s definitely, like, the place where songs live.”At the insistence of our pro...
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Season 10
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Episode 3
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21:09
Nocturnal predators: the insatiable hunger of little brown bats
You probably won't see the little brown bat on any billboards promoting the Yukon. They aren't formidable like grizzly bears, majestic like caribou, or graceful like swans. But if you don't like mosquitos, they could be your best friend. Journa...
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Season 10
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Episode 2
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29:28
Fall series | boats, bats, and badass ungulates
Have you ever realized mid-challenge that you're not cut out for it? Amy Kenny, editor of Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine, shares her experience in the Yukon River Quest. We also hear about Mark's "bat tenants," and highlight the ath...
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Season 10
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Episode 1
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23:21
A bear encounter that began with a curious canter*
When a bear starts running towards you, that's never a good thing. So began an uncomfortable standoff between three women on a backpacking trip and a grizzly bear. Karen debriefs this encounter with Yukon Conservation Officer Dean McLean, who s...
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Season 9
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Episode 8
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37:06
YQ | comedian Steve McGovern
Local funnyman Steve McGovern takes the “Yukon Questionnaire.” His current "down south" status, living in Vancouver, doesn't hold him back from sharing strong opinions about his northern hometown.
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Season 9
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Episode 7
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13:44
Hard Rock Minors: the story of youth band Cows Go Moo*
Cows Go Moo might sound like child's play, but when they hit the stage it's anything but. While other Yukoners struggled to let off steam during the pandemic, six pre-teen musicians cranked their amps to 11, practiced like hell, and honed a set...
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Season 9
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Episode 6
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33:31
Bear video behind the scenes
If you spend time in the wilderness, you've probably seen "Staying safe in bear country." Thirty years ago, Tanya Handley bluffed her way into a job that required keeping her cool in the face of a charging bear (and on at least one occasion, be...
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Season 9
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Episode 5
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22:45
Protecting Whitehorse from catastrophic wildfire*
Recent years have seen devastating fires in Albert and B.C. The Whitehorse South Fuel Break is part of a plan to prevent a similar disaster in Whitehorse. It won't stop a fire in its tracks but it will help firefighters respond. Jennifer Sharp ...
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Season 9
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Episode 4
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29:15
((Radio)) by Junction Arts and Music
Haines Junction resident Dieter Gade is passionate about preserving music, which is why he produces the long-running JAM Live! one-hour radio program, featuring beautifully mixed recordings of musi...
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Season 9
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Episode 3
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21:09
This is (type 2) fun
Are you really having a good time if there isn't some suffering involved? Paul Burbidge might not think so. The Yukoner likes to take adventure to the next level, often tackling long hikes and bikes in uncomfortably short timespans. Karen...
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Season 9
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Episode 2
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28:15
Summer series | dog daze
The snow's gone so we're calling this summer. That comes with music festivals, bears, and a quirky sport played with mallets you've likely never heard of. Also, deep questions about dog breeds and an effervescent photo worth a thousand words. F...
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Season 9
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Episode 1
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28:53
YQ | magazine editor Amy Kenny
We took the “Yukon Questionnaire” to Amy Kenny, editor of Yukon, North of Ordinary magazine, and she almost blew us out of our chairs with her enthusiasm for a particular fast-food chain. She also explains why she couldn’t get this place (the Y...
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Season 8
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Episode 8
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13:34
((Theatre)) by Larrikin Entertainment
“I tried not to be a theatre producer once… and it didn’t work out well,” says artistic executive producer Katherine McCallum as her Larrikin Entertainment ensemble tours its latest show, Jenny Hamilton—Teenage Cult Leader, to the smal...
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Season 8
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Episode 7
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22:38
These old houses: an ode to YXY’s former DPW homes
Writer-producer Mark Koepke takes a deeper dive into Whitehorse’s “heritage homes"—yet another northern legacy of the federal government. It’s a subject that hits very close to home for many Yukoners, including Mark’s family, friends, and neigh...
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Season 8
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Episode 6
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38:13
The first great road trip of Greg Karais
A young Greg Karais literally followed a bread crumb trail north and landed in Dawson City, Yukon, where he parlayed his first great road trip into North of Ordinary Media. A conversation with host Karen McColl in late 2023 hints at where Greg ...
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Season 8
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Episode 5
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16:59
YQ | broadcaster Roch Shannon Fraser
Retired radio broadcaster Roch Shannon Fraser answers the inaugural audio version of our magazine’s long-running Yukon Questionnaire. He knows a prized caribou when he sees one and is among the few who know where the hell Rock River is.
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Season 8
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Episode 4
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16:15
Stalking foxes, talking bears with photojournalist Peter Mather
Photojournalist Peter Mather tours us through the dark streets of Whitehorse to look for urban foxes. Meanwhile, he shares about another project close to his heart: camera trapping the "ice" bears of Klukshu, who stay up late into the fall to f...
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Season 8
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Episode 3
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29:16
((Poetry)) by Peter Jickling
"I haven't had a single poetic thought about the Yukon wilderness since I've been home," says Peter Jickling in his poem, "Overdue Epistemology," which he reads from a balcony during a mid-winter poetry crawl in Whitehorse.
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Season 8
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Episode 2
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16:00
Spring series | new year new podcast
Yes, it's winter, but in this biz we're always planning ahead. Get ready for fresh sounds and approaches because we've made some changes to the podcast that we think you'll like. Meet our new producer, Mark Koepke, who believes the Yukon has an...
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Season 8
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Episode 1
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21:32
Amidst caribou on the Firth River
A paddling trip on the remote, rugged, and beautiful Firth river will always be memorable. Add caribou—a lot of caribou—to the setting and it's like nowhere else on earth. But seeing the majestic porcupine caribou herd involves some hiking, and...
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Season 7
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Episode 5
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31:37
Replay: Not another gold-rush tour
Replay*: What do you know about the Klondike Gold Rush? If you've been to Dawson City, you've probably heard about gold seekers and dance-hall girls. But what about the people displaced by greed and colonialism? Parks Canada is widening its len...
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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27:09
I got a name: the murder of Krystal Senyk
It's been more than 30 years since Krystal Senyk was shot and killed at her home outside Carcross and Ronald Bax, her accused killer and the estranged husband of a friend, disappeared into the wilderness. In "I got a name," author Eliza Roberts...
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Season 7
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Episode 4
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34:54