The Northwest Territories and Yukon Radio System was a radio service spanning the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, in existence from 1923 until 1959. It was created for easy communication between the towns or outposts and the rest of the country and was disbanded in 1959 when the system stations were taken over by the Department of Transport.

The NWT&Y Radio System was created in 1923 after the Department of the Interior, realizing the possibilities of wireless telegraphy to cover the vast areas of the northland, requested the Defence Department consider the installation of Army Radio stations to provide a reliable and rapid means of communication. At that time the only means of communication with civilization, or "outside" as it was known, was a limited mail service by boat in summer and dog-team in winter and an unreliable wire telegraph service from Dawson City, Yukon to Hazelton, British Columbia operated by the Dominion Government Telegraph Service.

The first connection was established between Dawson City and Mayo (both in Yukon), in 1923, by the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals (RCCS). It was the first wireless radio service to offer communications between the North and the rest of Canada. Although originally built to aid in the administration of the North as well as to facilitate commercial development of the area, the radio system exceeded its original intent by providing communities with both a social centre and a lifeline to link isolated northern communities to one another as well as to the rest of the world.

Once established, the system expanded very quickly and, by 1948, there were 23 northern stations in operation. The number of stations varied over the years expanding and contracting in response to commercial and industrial development.

In addition to the radio-telegraph, the system also provided other services to the general public. From 1938 until 1942, under an agreement with Alberta Government Telephones, a radiotelephone service was provided at the following RC Signals stations: Edmonton, McMurray, Fort Smith, Yellowknife and Goldfields. Repeater equipment was installed in the Edmonton Radio Station with connections to the offices of the Alberta Government Telephones from where local or long distance connections were made in the normal manner. At the northern stations, telephone booths were installed and tied in with the HF transmitting and receiving equipment. It was greeted and used enthusiastically by mining and transportation companies particularly as well as the general public, for both business and social calls.

Another service provided by staff at many of the RC Signals stations was a local radio broadcast service that enabled those in the community to listen to news, weather and music. Starting on 1 April 1949 the NWT&Y Radio System started rebroadcasting the full daily program of the CBC (7 a.m.-midnight). A connection was made between the CBC studios in the MacDonald Hotel and the transmitter site of the Edmonton Radio Station which rebroadcast on 8265 Kcs using a 5 kilowatt Marconi TH41 transmitter. At those stations where RC Signals were operating low-power broadcast transmitters for the benefit of their communities, 8265 Kcs was monitored and the CBC programs again re-broadcast on the local standard broadcast frequency.

Starting in the early 1950s, some of the stations were handed over the Department of Transport. By 1960 all the stations had been handed over or closed, signalling the end of the military control of these stations, and the start of the civilian control. The Department of Transport continued to run the telegraph stations for a time and CBC took command of broadcasting their programming to these towns, leading to the creation of CBC North.

NWT&Y Radio System Stations Town/Outpost Date Opened Date Closed/Transferred Specific Purpose Aklavik 1925 1959, Transferred to CBC Weather, Contact Baker Lake 1945 1949, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather Beaverlodge 1945 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Eldorado Mine Brochet 1948 1956, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Contact Burwash Landing 1935 1939, Closed due to the Second World War Weather, Contact Cameron Bay 1933 1960, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Eldorado Mine Camsell River 1932 1936, Along with the closure of the mines White Eagle Silver Mines Chipewyan 1933 1958, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Communications Dawson 1923 1960, Transferred to the Department of Transport Contact, Communication, CFYT-FM Edmonton 1924 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Headquarters of the Northwest Territories and Yukon Radio System Embarras 1944 1952, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Contact Ennadai Lake 1949 1954, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather Gordon Lake 1937 1939, With the closure of the Camlaren Mines Unknown Goldfields 1936 1939, With the outbreak of the Second World War Multiple mining companies including Consolidated Mining & Smelting, Athona, Greenlee, Murmac, Athabasca Portals Fort Good Hope 1944 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Contact Grande Prairie 1939 1947 Never used due to the Second World War Hay River 1944 1958, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Contact, Communications Herschel Island 1934 1938 Communications Inuvik 1957 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Communications Mayo 1923 1960, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Contact, Communications McMurray 1933 1958, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Contact, Communications, Air Base Fort Norman 1930 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Communications Norman Wells 1943 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Imperial Oil Norite Bay 1937 1937, With the closure of the Fondulac Mines Contact, Communications with Fondulac Mines North Battleford 1938 1939, With the outbreak of the Second World War Relay Station Outpost Island 1936 1938, With the closure of the Slave Lake Gold Mines Serviced the Slave Lake Gold Mines Pensive Lake 1939 1939, With the closure of the Domie Mines Serviced Domie Mining Fort Providence 1939 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, assist air and water transportation up and down the Mackenzie River Port Radium 1932 1960, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Communications, Eldorado Mine Fort Rae 1931 1937, Moved to Yellowstone Weather, Contact, Communications Fort Resolution 1927 1960, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Communications Fort Reliance 1948 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather Fort Simpson 1924 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Contact, Main relay point for Yukon Fort Smith 1924 1958, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Contact, Administrative Headquarters for Northwest Territories Snare River 1946 1949, Upon the completion of the Snare River Hydro Project Communications, Snare River Hydro Project Thompson Lake 1939 1939, With the outbreak of the Second World War Communications, Regional mining Companies Tuktoyaktuk 1935 1939, With the outbreak of the Second World War Seasonal support to Hudson Bay Company Whitehorse 1935 1951, Transferred to the Canadian Army Signal System (CASS) Weather, Contact, Communications Wrigley 1942 1955, Transferred to the Department of Transport Weather, Canadian Airways landing strip Yellowknife 1937 1959, Transferred to the Department of Transport Communications for the town and regional mining

The above table based on information from the Northwest Territories and Yukon Radio System History Project.

References