I have spent the past year covering courts and crime in the Yukon for the Whitehorse Daily Star. Looking over my work in 2017, here are some stories that stood out to me, in no particular order, for their prominence or public reaction, some stories that I had the privilege of breaking and others that I just enjoyed writing.

First-degree murder trial

The first-degree murder trial of Darryl Sheepway spanned four weeks in Yukon Supreme Court this November and December. It was the only murder trial in the Yukon this year and was unusual as there was no jury and many of the facts were admitted, including that Sheepway had shot and killed Christopher Brisson in Whitehorse on August 28, 2015. Supreme Court Justice Leigh Gower is expected to make his decision on the case Jan. 30, 2018.

2017 murders

There were eight murder victims reported by police in the Yukon in 2017, an annual record for the territory according to statistics dating back to 1961. In April the community was devastated by the murder of Greg Dawson followed by the double homicide of Wendy Carlick and Sarah MacIntosh. A vigil march organized in the McIntyre village to honour their lives was well attended by community members. Two months later police announced the death of Adam Cormack as a homicide. Edward James Penner from B.C. is facing a first-degree murder charge related to his death. In July, Wilfred Dickie Charlie's death in Carmacks was reported as a homicide. Tyler Aaron Skookum and Mario Rueben Skookum are both facing first-degree murder charges in connection with his death. In September Clayton Benoit, originally from N.W.T., died in hospital as a result of injuries and his death was also deemed a homicide. The following month Mohamed Nagiel Saddek Nagem from B.C. was killed in a drive by shooting on the Alaska Highway. Police recovered a firearm at the scene. They also recovered a vehicle from downtown Whitehorse that matched the description of the truck seen leaving the scene. Finally in December police said Derek Edward's death in Pelly Crossing was a murder. No other details have been released. 

Michael Nehass legal saga

One of the most prominent Yukon criminal cases this decade is that of Michael Nehass. The high profile case has raised questions about the use of separate confinement and the treatment of mentally ill and First Nation accused people in the Yukon. And Yukon Supreme Court Justice Ron Veale has declared the case a "sad state of affairs" for the territory. Nehass is a Tahltan man who was arrested in 2011 on charges related to the alleged knife point assault of a woman in Watson Lake. He was never sentenced for the charges but remained in custody on remand until this year. The case made legal history in Canada when Nehass was the first person to be found unfit after he had already withstood trial. This led Justice Scott Brooker to declare a mistrial in the case. The legal saga came to a close in September when the Yukon Crown filed a stay of charges in the matter. But despite no longer facing criminal charges, Nehass was arrested on a peace bond application in Fort St. John, B.C. He was released on bail conditions and the peace bond hearing is expected to take place sometime in 2018. The case has also prompted Yukon Justice Minister Tracy Anne McPhee to order an inspection of the Whitehorse Correctional Centre and its treatment of inmates with mental health concerns. Michael Loukidelis will begin the inspection in 2018 with the Justice Department promising to release its final report in June. 

David Laxton acquittal

Former Yukon Party MLA and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly David Laxton was acquitted of one charge of sexual assault in October. He had admitted to hugging and kissing a woman twice on the lips without her consent during office hours at the legislative assembly building. But Judge John Faulkner found that the incident did not constitute a sexual assault under the law. The high profile case generated an important public discussion about consent, sexual assault, power and privilege.

Lawsuits allege RCMP violence

Two significant lawsuits were launched in Yukon Supreme Court in 2017 against the RCMP and the Attorney General of Canada alleging that First Nations men were assaulted while in police custody. This summer Duke Beattie launched a lawsuit alleging, among other claims, that his Charter rights were breached when he was assaulted by Const. Jason Potter in Carcross in May 2015. In August 2015 Potter pled guilty to an assault charge related to the incident and was given a conditional discharge. But Defendants have denied the suit's claims and differ on what happened on the night in question. In December, Matthew Pete filed his suit alleging that he was assaulted by Const. Brad Kelly in the cells at the Watson Lake RCMP detachment in December 2015. Defendants have yet to respond to the claims. 

Whitehorse RCMP officer guilty of sexual assault

In November Whitehorse RCMP officer Stephen Knack pled guilty to one charge of sexual assault for touching a female co-worker without her consent. He admitted to grabbing the woman's buttocks while giving her a hug in early January and said it was "disreputable conduct for a member and a supervisor." Through an internal RCMP investigation he was demoted to a constable, made ineligible for a promotion for three years and transferred to a jurisdiction outside of the Yukon. Sentencing in the criminal case is expected for January 2018. 

Cynthia Blackjack inquest case

This summer the Yukon Supreme Court ruled that the coroner must hold an inquest into the 2013 death of Cynthia Backjack in Carmacks. The Little Salmon-Carmacks First Nation and Cynthia's mother had taken the issue to court over concerns with the role systemic racism may have played in her death highlighting, among other issues, a delay in ambulance service. The coroner's office then appealed the decision arguing the court had no authority to override its decision not to order an inquest. The court of appeal has reserved decision on the case. 

Ken Baker killed

In June prominent Carcross-Tagish First Nation member Ken Baker was tragically killed while driving on the Alaska Highway after a metal device flew off a passing tractor trailer and went through his windshield. The RCMP investigation into the incident was unable to find the responsible driver and vehicle. Arthur Joe, who was a passenger in Baker's vehicle at the time and suffered non-life threatening injuries from the incident, has filed a lawsuit against the unknown driver and company for damagers alleging their negligence caused the accident. Baker's wife Emily Bear has also filed a similar lawsuit. While the driver and company will have to be identified in order for the suit to move forward, it may be a means of obtaining information from the RCMP investigation. 

Allegations of immigration scam

A massive lawsuit was filed in Yukon Supreme Court this spring alleging that prospective Chinese immigrants were scammed into investing millions of dollars into Canadian companies including a Yukon hotel. Some of the defendants have replied saying that they have been wrongly named in the suit as the former directors of a company that assisted with immigration documents. The claims alleged in the suit have yet to be heard in court. 

Conviction overturned due to judge's comments

A 45-year-old man found guilty in October 2016 of sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl in 2015 appealed and successfully overturned his conviction this year. Following his initial conviction, Jackie Kodwat was designated as a dangerous offender in May and sentenced to six-years incarceration followed by a 10 year long-term supervision order. But in July the appeal court found that Judge Donald Luther had relied on a stereotype not founded upon the evidence to make his decision. Luther had wrote it was "inconceivable" that an attractive teen girl would consent to have sex with the accused when there was a 28 year age gap between them. A new trial was ordered in the case which took place in Whitehorse in late October and early November. The Crown argued the alleged victim had been grossly intoxicated at the time of the incident and did not or could not have consented to sexual activity. The defence, meanwhile, argued the evidence was purely circumstantial and not adequate for a conviction. In December Kodwat was acquitted of the charge with Judge Raymond Wyant finding there was insufficient evidence for a conviction. The alleged victim's father has expressed disappointment with the verdict and said his daughter has been revictimized by the court process. 

Arrest sparks use of force concerns

The public arrest of a Yukon First Nations man in March sparked conversation about police use of force. Richard Maurice was arrested while intoxicated and sleeping in a downtown Whitehorse restaurant. Some witnesses expressed concerns with the use of force involved including a video circulating on social media that showed an RCMP officer punching Maurice twice in the head in order to subdue him. But RCMP said they were not investigating the incident and Maurice ultimately pled guilty to several charges including theft, the assault of a paramedic, uttering threats to an RCMP constable, and resisting a peace officer. He was sentenced to eight months in jail. 

The circus isn't coming to town

An unusual story involving a circus, animal activism and communism came my way this year. The Garden Brothers Circus contacted the Whitehorse Star to express its frustration that the city had denied it a permit to perform at a local park while travelling through on its way to Alaska. Circus spokesman Dick Garden said he believed animal rights activists who oppose the circus were responsible but the city denied the claims saying the park was simply unable to meet the performance's needs. 

The third Syrian refugee family comes to Whitehorse

One of the happiest stories I was able to cover this year was the arrival of the Omar family to Whitehorse, the third Syrian refugee family to be welcomed to the territory. A large group of Yukoners gathered at the Whitehorse airport to greet the family. 

Prime Minister Trudeau visits Whitehorse

I had the distinct privilege of covering Justin Trudeau's first visit to the Yukon since being elected Prime Minister for both the Whitehorse Star and the Canadian Press. That included his meet and greet attended by a swarm of excited Yukoners and his announcement to commit $360M in federal funding towards the Yukon Resource Gateway Project.

This year I also had the pleasure of meeting the Stannard family of Mandalay Farm who produce Little Red Hen Eggs that can be found in local stores. They showed me around their operation and told me all about farming in the Yukon.

The Dakhka Khwaan Dancers release an album

I was really excited to write about the new Deconstruct/Reconstruct album released this year by the Dakhka Khwaan Dancers and DJ Dash. The album is a celebration of Tlingit culture that aims to revitalize and reclaim Indigenous storytelling, traditions, songs and dances. If you ever get the opportunity to watch them perform live I would highly recommend it. 

That deer story

Last but not least, one of the first stories that I wrote this year is what I like to call "that deer story". I'm not sure if I like this story or not but it has gotten some of the largest public response of any story I've written in 2017. For about a week in February the talk of the town was a deer that died on the frozen Yukon River in downtown Whitehorse. There was some discussion over whether the deer should have been rescued, euthanized or the meat donated to families in need and there was a great deal of controversy among those who had differing opinions.  

Thank you

There were many other stories that I loved getting to cover this year but I couldn't possibly list them all. And of course there were others that were challenging, upsetting and difficult to write about. A special thank you to everyone that was willing to speak to me this year and allowed me the privilege to share their stories. Also thank you to everyone that has supported me this year and read and shared my work. It is not an especially easy time to be a journalist especially in print so I truly appreciate everyone that cares about quality reporting. Ethics, human rights, justice, truth and freedom of the press are issues that are near and dear to me and I feel so blessed to have a job where I am able to contribute to them, even if only in some small way. I hope you've enjoyed my reporting in 2017 and have a happy 2018!