NorthWhen Karen Vallevand started as a receptionist at CBC Yukon in the 1980s, she wasn’t sure the job would be her thing. But she stayed on and rose through the ranks before retiring this year as station manager.Vallevand, who started as a receptionist and went on to become station manager, retired this fallPaul Tukker · CBC News · Posted: Nov 29, 2025 6:00 AM EST | Last Updated: November 29Listen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Karen Vallevand, the longtime station manager at CBC Yukon, has retired after 39 years of working for the public broadcaster in Whitehorse. (Virginie Ann/CBC)Karen Vallevand remembers when she was offered her first job at CBC Yukon, as a receptionist. She wasn’t sure it was her thing but figured why not.”I thought, well, maybe I’ll try it out and see how it is. And I came in and it was just this little hype, and the excitement of the station, and the people,” she recalled. “And that was the start of this journey.”Now, 39 years later, Vallevand has retired from CBC Yukon after a storied career that saw her move from the reception desk to being a program clerk, the station manager’s assistant, and finally, the station manager.Vallevand, a citizen of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation, grew up in the Yukon and as a young woman left to study in B.C., to be an accountant. But “some little itch” drew her back to Whitehorse and her family there. That’s how she ended up taking that first job at CBC.Having a managerial job in the media is not always a great way to win friends, but people who’ve worked with Vallevand over the years all share similar stories.”I’ve never, ever worked with anyone quite so wonderful as Karen,” said Kanina Holmes, a former producer at CBC Yukon.”Part of that is because she’s exceedingly loyal. She sees people before she sees you as an employee, and she thinks about what’s going on in your life. She asks you about it, and she cares.”Russ Knutson, a retired CBC Yukon host, worked closely with Vallevand for many years at CBC, including as part of the employees’ union.”Where do you start talking about Karen Vallevand? That’s a really tough question,” he said.”Like any big workplace, there were sick parents, or dying parents on the far side of the country, there were issues with children, there were divorce, financial issues, you know, addiction issues, those sorts of things. And Karen was always there to support people, regardless of who they were.”Vallevand, far left, with some of CBC Yukon’s staff outside the Whitehorse station earlier this fall. (CBC)Vallevand says she made a lot of great memories at CBC over the years, from the True North Concert series of years ago, to the time Hockey Day in Canada came to Whitehorse and she chatted with NHL legend Lanny McDonald about his grandkids, to the many election campaigns that came and went.In more recent years, she found herself working more closely with CBC North’s other stations in the N.W.T. and Nunavut, experiencing different northern cultures and making new friends.She fondly recalls being at the Iqaluit station one morning in 2021 when she caught wind of “this buzz around the station.” Everybody had quickly gathered around a TV to hear the prime minister announce the appointment of Mary Simon as Governor General — the first Inuk to ever take the role. It was a proud and emotional moment for many of the Inuit staff, and some of them were in tears, Vallevand recalled.”And then all of a sudden I was so overwhelmed. I was crying too, sitting there,” Vallevand said. “It was a moment. It was special.”She says she’s seen a lot of change at the CBC over the years, in the technology, and the stories that are told. She’s pleased at how Indigenous storytelling and voices have become more prominent.Vallevand says even at the end of her CBC career, she still finds the work rewarding. She takes pride in passing on knowledge of the territory and its culture to young reporters who may be new to the Yukon. And she loves knowing when the broadcaster is connecting with its audience and serving the public.Vallevand peruses some old photos hanging at the Whitehorse station. (Virginie Ann/CBC)”It’s actually been a really fulfilling and really, really good journey,” she said. “I love it when I’m sitting in the car and I’m parking and I’m listening to something on the radio and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I have to hear a little more,’ I didn’t know this, or I’m learning something new.” She’s not sure what’s next for her, beyond taking a bit of a break and maybe doing some travelling. “I’m not gonna make any commitments,” Vallevand said. “And everybody has been telling me you have to take a year to kind of figure out what your path is.”ABOUT THE AUTHORPaul Tukker is a writer and reporter with CBC News in Whitehorse. Before moving to Yukon in 2014, he worked with CBC in Sudbury and Iqaluit. You can reach him at paul.tukker@cbc.ca. With files from Elyn Jones
‘A really good journey’: After 39 years at CBC Yukon, Karen Vallevand calls it a day
