State of Emergency lifted for Southern Lakes, Lake Laberge

The Government of Yukon is lifting the State of Emergency previously issued under the Civil Emergency Measures Act in response to flooding in the Southern Lakes region, including Lake Laberge.

This State of Emergency was declared on July 9, 2021, giving the Yukon government the ability to provide effective and timely response to residents impacted by flooding in the territory. Water levels have continued to decline since August 17 and the flood response is now entering the recovery phase.

The flooding this summer resulted in the largest flood relief effort in the Yukon’s history and thanks to responders and community members, we were able to protect many homes and properties from the unprecedented water levels. The Government of Yukon is appreciative of the community members, residents and volunteers that supported our response and worked hard alongside emergency responders and the Canadian Armed Forces to limit the damage caused by the floods. As the water levels for the Southern Lakes and Lake Laberge continue to decline, the State of Emergency is no longer required to provide effective response to residents. I want to reassure homeowners that we are continuing to develop a remediation and recovery program that will assist them in restoring their properties and mitigating against future flooding.

Minister of Community Services Richard Mostyn

Quick facts 
  • Water levels in Marsh Lake, Lake Laberge, Bennett Lake and Tagish Lake have all continued to decline since August 17 and are now well below the previous historic levels reached in 2007.

  • The peak levels were reached on July 10 and 11, when Bennett, Tagish and Marsh Lakes all measured more than 20 centimetres above the levels reached during previous historic flooding in 2007. At its peak this year, Lake Laberge was more than 40 centimetres higher than the peak in 2007.

  • More than 200 people were actively engaged in flood response during the summer months, including Government of Yukon personnel, flood specialists from Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and approximately 100 members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

  • More than 550,000 sandbags and 2,000 super bags were deployed in the Southern Lakes area alone, as large mitigation berms were built to protect residents and their properties. Additional mitigation tools included sump pumps, dykes and heavy equipment to maintain high priority access roads.

Media contact 

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

Echo Ross
Communications, Community Services
867-332-0105
echo.ross@yukon.ca

News release #: 
21-343