Extreme cold weather won't stop some Yukoners from getting their jobs done

On an extremely cold day, many people would prefer to stay home, cozy up under a blanket, and put on the TV, radio, or a favourite podcast.

But for some Yukon workers, frigid temperatures are something that just comes with working and living in the North.

In Dawson City, workers have been braving –40 C this week to get the town's annual ice bridge open to the public. The Yukon River crossing, which connects the subdivisions in West Dawson and Sunnydale to the main townsite, was officially opened to light traffic by the territory's highways department on Thursday.

Will Fellers works with Cobalt Construction, the company contracted to do the work on the ice bridge again this year. He said it's hard not to wake up every morning and think about booking a ticket to somewhere warmer, but he also knows that until the river crossing is functional many people are effectively cut off from supplies and services.

"We're just trying to get that vital link reconnected again, since they [Department of Highways and Public Works] pulled the George Black ferry," Fellers said.

His crew is small but according to Fellers, it's a tough group of guys. He said nobody has been complaining about the temperatures, but he knows everyone is taking extra precautions to keep themselves and each other safe.

"All the guys know to keep an eye on other people's faces and anything that's exposed, to make sure nothings getting frozen," Fellers said. "[We're] trying to only go out for an hour or two hours and then we'll cycle people back and forth to the trailer to keep warm."

The Department of Highways and Public Works said it anticipates the ice bridge will be open to heavier traffic, such as large trucks, in January. Until then, Fellers and his crew will be out on the ice daily to see that the timeline is met.

The deep cold has settled over most of the territory this month, with temperatures rarely creeping above –30 C over the last couple of weeks.

In Whitehorse, some employers are choosing to keep their workers inside unless it's absolutely necessary to go outside.

Ed Jansen is a safety officer for Ketza Construction. He said if there is any outside work to be done, it's mainly clearing snow around the job sites and the surrounding sidewalks.

"We don't get any of our sub-contractors to work if it's too cold," Jansen said. "It's just too hazardous for the workers and equipment, so we just pretty much shut it down and do as much interior work as we can."

Jansen said his company typically stops any outside operations when the temperatures drop to –25 C or lower. He said there are some exceptions, but in those cases regular warm-up breaks are mandatory.

"Right now, one of our sites we have it that they'll work 30 minutes and then they're inside for 10 minutes to warm up," he said. "Every person is different — one person can handle different temperatures than the next — so you kind of look at your crew and move them around as needed."

Like Fellers in Dawson City, Jansen says everyone on his crews always try to look out for each other, knowing that safety always comes first.

Murray Arsenault, owner of Arctic Backhoe Services in Whitehorse, said he also keeps his crews inside as much as possible during these extreme cold days.

He said if a job requires his team to travel outside of the city, he ensures they're fully stocked with everything they'd need as a precaution.

"Even though the team is typically in a warm machine, we make sure they have the gear," Arsenault said.

"Basically we say outside of city limits, to make sure that there's, you know, granola bars, sleeping bags, candles — that kind of thing. Emergency roadside kits."