By Katherine Laidlaw

When Carol Off, esteemed host of CBC Radio's As It Happens, took our North Poll quiz, she was so embarrassed by her score she refused to admit it. It's a reaction we've heard en masse since the poll results went live, from friends, family, media and readers from sea to sea to shining sea.

By Katharine Sandiford

Standing in the middle of nowhere, at the turnoff to the Liard Trail highway, I couldn’t help laughing. Before me sat a neat stack of robust mini-tires, as if beamed down by the heavens, left for me by a kindly stranger. No note, no payment instructions, nothing. A classic “Only-in-the-North” moment. Let me explain.

By Laura Fetherstonhaugh

Located on the Ingraham Trail just outside of Yellowknife, Giant Mine is bustling with workers in hard hats and safety glasses -- but this time they're working on cleaning up the toxic mess that the mine left behind after its closure in 1999. With 237,000 tons of arsenic trioxide dust stored underground it's a big job, but the pending remediation plan for Giant Mine is being set in place to manage the waste.

By Laura Fetherstonhaugh

With a growing season that offers twice the amount of sunlight as down south, green thumbs like Yellowknife filmmaker France Benoit are learning to take advantage of the ample space surrounding them. With innovative techniques for successful winter and urban gardening, Benoit says it's possible to grow a significant amount of produce no matter where you live.

By Laura Fetherstonhaugh

Venturing out across the seemingly endless frozen lake in two old Bombardiers, ice fisherman Shawn Buckley, his partner and their one-year old son bring four students and their teacher out to a warm, hide laden cabin on the edge of Great Slave Lake. The wood stove is quickly put to work and an oversized kettle of tea - made of herbs picked locally by Buckley's partner - is brewed for the group. Snacks are prepared, cards are played, and Buckley is entertaining his son with a smile as wide as his hands are huge.

By Peter Jickling

Occasionally, my roommate’s ex-girlfriend drops off her dogs at our house for us to look after. Annie is a pint-sized black lab and Farley is a run-of-the-mill mutt – mostly white with a black patch over his right eye. I’ve been told that he isn’t very bright, but he’s my favorite anyway.

By Katherine Laidlaw

Lately, I’ve been feeling restless in Yellowknife. Maybe it’s the steady minus-25 C temperatures, or that we’re teetering on the brink of spring, or that I’m nearing my six-month mark in the North and the novelty is beginning to wear off. Either way, it’s got me thinking about making travel plans. Paddling the Nahanni? Road-tripping to Fort Liard? Taking in some saloon culture and tunes in Dawson? All on the shortlist. One adventure I won’t be tackling? An expedition to the North Pole.

By Laura Fetherstonhaugh

The first time I ever made it to the Northwest Territories was in October of 2010. I had been travelling around some rural parts of Western Canada and decided I wanted to see a glimpse of Northern Canada before the winter set in.

By Peter Jickling

Last weekend, Whitehorse hosted an annual event known as the Sourdough Rendezvous. It’s a three- or four-day party (depending on your level of commitment) to celebrate the longer hours of daylight and the “warmer” weather. On Saturday morning the local chapter of the Knights of Columbus hosted a sourdough pancake breakfast in the basement of the Catholic Church. But what exactly is sourdough?

By Katherine Laidlaw

Tomorrow night, Tanya Tagaq, the Inuit throat-singing sensation who's performed all over the world and collaborated with international superstar Bjork, is playing a show at Twist, in downtown Yellowknife.