Senior leadership appointments have been made in the Department of Education, the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Finance and the Department of Environment.
Effective immediately, Paul Moore has been appointed Deputy Minister of the Department of Education for a two-year term. Moore will transition from his current role as Deputy Minister of the Department of Economic Development. On the same date, Mary Cameron will conclude her tenure with the Yukon government.
Effective immediately, Sierra van der Meer assumes the role of Deputy Minister of the Department of Economic Development until April 30, 2028. Van der Meer will continue to oversee the Department of Tourism and Culture, as well as the Women and Gender Equity Directorate.
Effective April 1, 2026, Jason Bilsky will be appointed Deputy Minister of the Department of Finance for a five-year term. Katherine White will conclude her tenure with the Yukon government on the same date.
Effective May 11, 2026, Dennis Berry will be extended as the Deputy Minister of the Department of Environment for an indeterminate period.
I am grateful for the continued leadership of Paul Moore, Sierra van der Meer and Dennis Berry as they take on these critical roles in our public service. I am also pleased to welcome Jason Bilsky to his new Deputy Minister position with the Government of Yukon. I look forward to working with these leaders in their new and ongoing capacities as we continue to serve Yukoners and strengthen our territory. I extend my sincere appreciation to Mary Cameron and Katherine White for their dedicated service to the Government of Yukon and wish them every success in their future endeavours.
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Deputy Ministers, including presidents of government corporations, are the most senior public servants in the Government of Yukon. They are responsible for departmental budgets, day-to-day operations and program development.
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Deputy Ministers serve at the pleasure of the Premier.
Paul Moore
Paul Moore has many years of public service experience with municipal, First Nations and territorial governments including director of Human Resources and Education for the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation, and the chief administrative officer for the City of Dawson. Moore joined the Government of Yukon in 2008 as director of Community Affairs and then became assistant deputy minister of Community Development. Moore has served in several Deputy Minister roles, most recently as Deputy Minister for Economic Development. Moore holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Victoria and a Master of Arts in Conflict Analysis and Management from Royal Roads University.
Sierra van der Meer
Sierra van der Meer moved to the Yukon in 2003 and joined the federal public service in 2007. She held director positions with Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, including with the Environment Directorate responsible for Type II Mines and Northern Contaminants Program. In 2015, she became regional director of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) where she championed COVID-19 economic relief programs that provided rapid and critical support to a wide range of Yukon businesses and organizations during the pandemic. She was promoted to vice-president of CanNor in 2021 and gained responsibility for all three northern territories. Van der Meer was first appointed as a Deputy Minister in the Yukon’s public service in 2023, and has served as the Deputy Minister for Tourism and Culture, Women and Gender Equity Directorate and Energy, Mines and Resources. Van der Meer completed her Bachelor of Science degree in biology at Simon Fraser University.
Jason Bilsky
A longtime Yukoner, Jason Bilsky served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Yukon Hospital Corporation from October 2012 until his retirement in the fall of 2024. Before his work with Yukon Hospital Corporation, he served as the Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President of Corporate Services at Northwestel for nine years. Bilsky has been a designated Chartered Professional Accountant for over 30 years and received a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Saskatchewan in 1990. He has held numerous leadership roles, including President of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Yukon, board member for the Yukon Hospital Foundation and Yukon Energy, volunteer VP of Sponsorship for multiple Whitehorse Arctic Winter Games, national board member for HealthCareCAN and Governor of Yukon University, where he chaired the Finance, Audit and Risk Committee.
Dennis Berry
Dennis Berry has been with the Government of Yukon since 2005. He was first appointed as a Deputy Minister in 2021 and has served as the President of the Yukon Liquor Corporation and the Yukon Development Corporation as well as an interim Deputy Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources. Berry previously held various assistant deputy minister portfolios with the departments of Environment and Community Services. He has a Master of Science in Rural Planning and Development from the University of Guelph and a Bachelor of Environmental Studies degree from the University of Waterloo.
Tim Kucharuk
Press Secretary, Cabinet Communications
867-335-2419
[email protected]
Sonya Parsons
Communications, Public Service Commission
867-333-9638
[email protected]