Reality shows settle into Yukon community, 'warts and all'

Dawson City is enjoying a busy tourism season, says a local official, who credits reality television programs shot in thearea as a big reason why.

Gold Rush is broadcast on the Discovery Channel.Yukon Gold ranfor five seasons on the History Channel before production was cancelled in 2017, but repeatscontinueto air.

Both are based on what life is like for placer gold miners in the Klondike.

"They're a huge, huge driver of tourism for us here, people see shows like Gold Rush on TV and they just want to come to the Yukon and they want to come to Dawson," said Andy Cunningham, the marketing and events assistant at the Klondike Visitors Association.

Cunningham said a new German language program is shooting its first season in the gold fields this summer, which couldpotentially boosttourism even more.

Double-edged sword

Cunningham said the visitors association doesn't see any negative side to the realityprograms.

He said they get calls and drop-ins from people hoping to meet the stars of the shows or see placer mining operations in person, he said.

But Jonas Smith, executive-director of the Klondike Placer Miners Association, said it can lead to problems, calling the shows a double-edged sword.

He said tourists are driving out to the gold creeks and dropping in on placer mining operations. Smith said that's inconvenient for the miners and many would prefer to be left alone in any case.

One of the benefits of the mining lifestyle is freedom, he said, and that includes privacy.The mining industry is particularly sensitive to the programs creating a false impression.

"That's not really the reality of the industry on the ground, that's just TV," said Smith.

2 court cases involving stars

Two high profile court cases saw stars of the programs in court accused of violating environmental laws.

A former star of Yukon Gold, Ken Foy,was fined for not cleaning up his mine site when he left the territory.

A current star of Gold Rush, Tony Beets,was fined in 2017 for permitting an employee to pour gas in a pond and set it on fire. The incident was filmed and broadcast in one of the episodes.

Smith is hopeful that's all in the past.

"The producers have really made a concerted effort to work with our industry and the community to ensure that the benefits are distributed across the community, and have done their best to kind of make amends for some of the missteps that might have happened earlier in the productions," he said.

The production companies have made a genuine effort to hire more people locally, said Smith. He understands there are now more than 70 local hires working for the programs.

"That's great for those people, of course, and great for economic activity in Dawson."

Smith said the shows are likely going to be around for a while.

"People have accepted the fact that it's here, and as the saying goes, 'warts and all.'"

With files fromMike Rudyk