YELLOWKNIFE (November 27, 2014) – I was saddened to hear of the Yukon’s Alex Van Bibber passing away.  Van Bibber was known all across the north and, up until he was 96, was an outfitter, miner, residential school survivor and honoured veteran. He continued to promote a responsible and thriving trapping industry in the north by teaching northerners how to use more humane trapping methods and the importance of protecting wildlife habitats.

Alex Van Bibber traveled all across the north and at one time he ended up taking a 500-mile trek breaking trail through the Mackenzie Mountains for the American army to what would become Norman Wells and the Canol Oil Pipeline project. Van Bibber kept a small vial of the first crude oil to arrive in Whitehorse from Norman Wells which he later donated to the Yukon Transportation Museum.

A firm believer in passing down his indigenous knowledge, Alex Van Bibber taught youth about the outdoors and worked as a trapping instructor for the Yukon government for 37 years. He was one of the founding members of the Yukon Outfitters Association and he took great pride in his Clay Pugh Memorial Award for Sportsman of the Year from the Yukon Fish and Game Association in recognition of his work with the youth of the Yukon.

It is said that Alex Van Bibber believed that the outdoors, fresh air, lots of exercise and a good night’s sleep is what keep him active as a trapper and hunter. In his words, “I’m a full time trapper and trapping instructor. I tell my students that I’ve been trapping since I could bend over and put my snowshoes on and I’ll be trapping until I can’t bend over and put the snowshoes on.”

I met and worked with Alex when I was on the board of the Fur Institute of Canada. His contributions during Canada’s negotiations with the USA, Russia and European Union on humane trapping standards were invaluable. The north has lost a man of many talents but most of all we’ve lost a man, that for most of us signifies what the north once was and what we hope it will continue to be, a place where, with hard work and self-sufficiency, a man can make his mark. My deepest condolences to the Van Bibber family and to the Champagne and Aishihik First Nations on their loss.