Yukon who is who

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Patricia Cunning
	
Patricia Cunning was hired in 1970 to work in the newly opened Whitehorse office of the Workmen’s Compensation Board. Cunning became the president of the Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board in September 1990 after the then president, Brian Booth, was murdered in Montreal. The Board was in the process of changing direction toward stress prevention, workplace safety, and occupational health. The changes in philosophy and programming triggered changes in the legislation and public hearing began in September 1991. A set of documents was prepared by the board and, in Doug Bell’s opinion, with a change in format, //Building on the Basics// could have been the basis of an excellent short course in the basics of workers’ compensation. In 1992, Cunning advised that the next step should be to draft the Act using a committee composed of 50/50 industry and labour. A five-member committee was struck chaired by Cunning. At the same time, the Occupational Health and Safety Unit was merged with the Worker’s Compensation Health and Safety Board and moved from Justice to Workers’ Compensation.((Doug Bell, //History of the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Board.// Yukon Workers Compensation Health and Safety Board, 1996: 45, 59, 61-62.)) 
	
Patricia Cunning became the executive director of MacBride Museum in 2003. In 2016, she led the planning and received funding for a 19,000-square-foot addition to the museum. Six million dollars was contributed by the federal and Yukon governments. A new building in the yard housed a White Pass and Yukon Route railway engine.((“MacBride Museum Received $6 Million to Construct New Building in Downtown Whitehorse.” Yukon Government,  joint news release, 30 August 2016.)) The museum is located at three sites: McBride Museum and MacBride Roundhouse located in downtown Whitehorse, and the MacBride Copperbelt Museum on the Alaska Highway.

Cunning was a member of the 2001 electoral commission and contributed to a 2002 report. In December 2023, she was chosen by the Yukon Liberal Party as their member on the electoral district boundaries commission. The commission’s chair was Chief Justice Suzanne Duncan of the Supreme Court of Yukon. The Yukon Party’s representative was Warren Holland and the NDP chose Elizabeth Hanson. Chief electoral officer Maxwell Harvey held the fifth spot on the commission.((Dana Hatherly, “Here’s who makes up Yukon’s electoral district boundaries commission.” //Yukon News// (Whitehorse), 22 December 2023.))

Patricia Cunning was awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal in 2025 in recognition of her exceptional leadership and dedication as Executive Director of the MacBride Museum. She has played a key role in preserving and promoting the Yukon’s history, fostering community engagement and enriching the cultural landscape of the territory.((“Yukoner receive King Charles III Coronation Medals.” Yukon Government, news release #25-165. 2025 website: Yukoners receive King Charles III Coronation Medals | Yukon.ca))