It's been five years since the idea to build a year-round multi-use greenhouse on the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin Farm in Dawson City was first discussed.

Now it is finally becoming a reality — slowly.

"The superstructure is built," said farm manager Derrick Hastings. "It's framed and there's the polycarbonate plastic on the south face and the roof is complete."

Hastings said a local contractor was hired to build the structure over the summer.

"They've done a fantastic job," he said. "They worked through rain and really nasty weather and some of the most torrential rain I've seen in Dawson."

Now that the structure is up Hastings said it's time to move on to the second phase of the project.

"We're looking at how to get the right systems in place to make it a four-season greenhouse and make it an effective piece of infrastructure for year-round production," Hastings explained. "It'll probably be worked on this winter."

Hastings said the space will be used to hold workshops, and eventually become a storefront.

"I've been talking about this a lot," Hastings said. "I've been on CBC quite a few times where they've been like, 'When is it going to be done? Oh, next fall, next fall, but you know ... COVID sort of screwed everybody and slowed everything down, so now that we're coming out of it, we're making moves and getting back to the groove.

"It's very exciting that we have the building in place."

Earlier this year the farm received funding from the Yukon Government's community development fund to the tune of almost $64,000. The money was used to buy irrigation supplies and two 50-foot greenhouses to help extend the season for cold sensitive crops and maintain the market gardens.

"They're steel frames and able to hold more weight than your traditional greenhouse," Hastings told CBC. "We just received these. It took us months to get them."

Hastings said it will take a few weeks to get the greenhouses up and running.

"It's going to be exciting," he said. 'We'll probably grow our more frost-sensitive crops in these."

Carrots, beans, zucchinis, pumpkins, and tomatoes are some of the crops that will be grown in the units.

Derrick said all of the money spent on all of this infrastructure is for one purpose.

"Food can bring people together," he explained. "It's part of what's necessary for life so we want to contribute to helping relieve the burden of inflation by getting people organic foods cheaper, or free, and in qualities that actually impact our reliance on external food producers."

Chris MacIntyre is a CBC reporter in Dawson City, Yukon.

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