Deputy Premier and Minister responsible for the Women and Gender Equity Directorate Jeanie McLean has issued the following statement:

“As we approach the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ People, also known as Red Dress Day, I encourage all Yukoners to observe the day and reflect on how they can contribute to ending violence against Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit+ people.

The Government of Yukon, following the latest guidelines from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization and the Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, is encouraging Yukoners at high risk of severe illness to get a COVID-19 booster this spring.

This includes:

Premier Ranj Pillai is pleased to announce that Jennifer Gehmair will be the acting Deputy Minister of the Department of Health and Social Services with responsibility for Social Services for six months. Additionally, Gary Gazankas has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of the Yukon Development Corporation.

Jennifer Gehmair has been with the Government of Yukon for 17 years in a variety of leadership positions, most recently as Assistant Deputy Minister of Social Services since late 2022. The appointment is effective May 3.

As the Spring 2024 session of the Yukon Legislative Assembly concludes, the Government of Yukon is proud of the significant progress made on key priorities for Yukoners in the areas of health, housing, education, affordability and reconciliation.

The Government of Yukon is committed to improving the lives of all Yukoners, which includes working hard alongside our partners to foster a safe, inclusive and thriving downtown Whitehorse for everyone.  As part of this commitment, the community space in the Jim Smith Building in Whitehorse will remain open until May 17, 2024.

The community space is on the ground floor of the Jim Smith Building at 2071 2nd Avenue in Whitehorse. It is open to the public from 9 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

The Government of Yukon is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all students and staff in Yukon schools. Following a new review of the 2018–19 test results of water fixtures, it has been determined that 30 schools require further testing and possible remediation due to updates to the Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality.

The Government of Yukon is announcing the 2024–25 Disaster Financial Assistance program aimed at helping Yukoners recover financially from a natural disaster.

The program – a commitment in the Yukon’s Our Clean Future strategy – contains three funding streams for households, small businesses and farms. The support will be used for repairing disaster-damaged primary residences and providing financial support for businesses and agricultural landowners with disaster-related property damage or loss.

This is a joint news release between the Government of Yukon and Council of Yukon First Nations as secretariat support to the Chiefs Committee on Health.

The Health Authority Act received Assent on April 29, 2024.

The Government of Yukon is committed to improving access to housing across the territory and is pleased to announce that a new multi-family building, to be located on the site of the former Korbo Apartments in Dawson City, is now advancing toward construction tender.

The former building was demolished and removed from the site in 2011 following a significant heating oil spill in 2010. The vacant lot has since been fully remediated and backfilled.

The Government of Yukon is committed to fostering artistic development and excellence to encourage participation in and appreciation of arts across the territory. To move towards this goal, the Government of Yukon has doubled acquisition funding for the Yukon Permanent Art Collection from $30,000 to $60,000. Alongside this additional funding, the Government of Yukon is pleased to announce the selection of 14 new works of art for the Yukon Permanent Art Collection.