New collaborative heritage awareness campaign underway

This a joint news release with the Government of Yukon and Council of Yukon First Nations

The Government of Yukon, the Council of Yukon First Nations, the Yukon Heritage Working Group and Yukon First Nations are working together to promote the collaborative management of the Yukon’s heritage resources through a new awareness campaign.

The campaign, called Yukon’s Living Heritage, aims to educate the public about heritage resources, their value and what to do with chance finds.

Heritage resources include a range of things such as historic sites and objects, archaeological artifacts, paleontological fossils and other remains of extinct plants and animals, as well as landscape features that reveal a historic relationship between people and the land.

The Yukon’s heritage resources are important and irreplaceable. If individuals discover something that looks like it might have heritage value, please leave it in place. Take a picture, write a description, record its location (with GPS coordinates if possible) and report the find.  Phone and email contacts are in place to make reporting chance finds quick and easy.

All heritage resources are protected and the responsibility of the Government of Yukon and Yukon First Nations through the Historic Resources Act, the Yukon First Nations Heritage Acts and under Chapter 13 of the Umbrella Final Agreement and individual Final Agreements.

Wherever you are in the Yukon, you are on a Yukon First Nation’s traditional territory. Yukon and First Nation governments are working together to protect the ongoing story of our living heritage.

The Yukon is rich in history and our heritage is a shared living story that deserves to be preserved and protected. From ice age plants and animals, to remnants of century-old human history throughout the centuries, all Yukon heritage resources are an important part of shaping the Yukon’s legacy. This campaign illustrates that we are all stewards of the Yukon’s living heritage and that we have a role to play in protecting these irreplaceable resources.

Minister of Tourism and Culture Ranj Pillai

This campaign is the product of collaboration between representatives from Yukon First Nations, and the Yukon government through the Heritage Working Group. This project demonstrates the importance of Yukon First Nations involvement in the management of heritage resources as set out in Chapter 13 of the Umbrella Final Agreement.

Council of Yukon First Nations Grand Chief Peter Johnston

Quick facts 
  • Report heritage resources finds by emailing info@yukonlivingheritage.ca or by calling 867-471-0950.

  • The initiative was created by the Heritage Working Group – a collaboration on heritage management between representatives from 11 self-governing Yukon First Nations, the Council of Yukon First Nations and the Government of Yukon.

Media contact 

Renée Francoeur
Cabinet Communications
867-334-9194
renee.francoeur@yukon.ca

 

Cameron Webber
Communications, Tourism and Culture
867-332-0400
cameron.webber@yukon.ca

 

Lael Lund
Communications, Council of Yukon First Nations
867-393-9200 ext. 9223
communications@cyfn.net  

News release #: 
22-233