The Government of Yukon is proposing changes to the Air Emissions Regulations to:

• require owners and operators of commercial and institutional biomass burning systems to obtain an air emissions permit under Schedule 1;
• define commercial and institutional biomass burning systems; and
• define a biomass burning system.

The Government of Yukon invited feedback on the proposed amendments to the Air Emissions Regulations as summarized in the Regulating air emissions from commercial and institutional biomass burning systems discussion paper. 

The Government of Yukon committed to regulating air emissions from commercial and institutional biomass burning systems under Our Clean Future: A Yukon’s strategy for climate change, energy and a green economy (action H24). Regulating air emissions from these systems focuses on minimizing the release of harmful particulate matter being released into the air.

The Government of Yukon’s proposed amendments are specific to air emissions from commercial and institutional biomass burning systems operating at greater than 150 kilowatts and do not impact residential wood burning.

The Government of Yukon hosted two information sessions for Yukon First Nations governments, municipal governments and key stakeholder groups to learn more and ask questions before submitting their written feedback. Watch a recording of the session. 

The Southern Lakes caribou of southern Yukon and northwestern British Columbia have been under recovery efforts since 1993. Since then, the population has grown slowly but steadily.

The Southern Lakes Caribou Steering Committee worked together to create a draft Relationship Plan for the Southern Lakes caribou. The Relationship Plan is similar to a wildlife management plan but focuses more on the relationships between people, land, water, animals and each other. The plan is rooted in Traditional Knowledge and western science. The recommendations and commitments in the plan ensure a sustainable and respectful relationship between caribou and people in the Southern Lakes.

The Southern Lakes Caribou Steering Committee comprises representatives from:

• Carcross/Tagish First Nation;
•  Champagne and Aishihik First Nations;
•  Government of British Columbia;
•  Government of Yukon;
• Kwanlin Dün First Nation;
• Parks Canada;
• Ta’an Kwächän Council;
• Taku River Tlingit First Nation; and
• Teslin Tlingit Council.  

Little Atlin Lake, in south-central Yukon, is a popular lake for recreational fishing which puts pressure on the lake trout population.

To protect the lake trout population, the Government of Yukon is proposing to make three changes to fishing regulations for Little Atlin Lake:

• implement a harvest slot (allowable fish size) for lake trout from 58.5 cm (23 in) to 65 cm (25.6 in);
• implement a seasonal closure for lake trout on Little Atlin lake from July 1^st until November 30; and
• require the use of single-point barbless hooks for all fishing on Little Atlin Lake.

The Government of Yukon is developing flood hazard maps for all Yukon communities that are at-risk of flooding.

Flood hazard maps are developed through detailed surveying and modelling and show how different flood scenarios could impact surrounding areas.

The Teslin flood hazard maps cover about 65 kilometres of shoreline including Morley Bay, the Village of Teslin, Deadman Creek, Brook’s Brook and Johnson’s Crossing.

These maps are now publicly available on the Government of Yukon’s Flood Atlas.   

This engagement was open to Yukon First Nations governments and industry stakeholders. We issued a discussion document to invite feedback on August 6, 2024. The engagement closed on September 30, 2024.

A new Contaminants Regulation will repeal and replace the existing Contaminated Sites Regulation and the Spills Regulation. The government is proposing a new Contaminants Regulation to better ensure:

• environmental protection by following updated standards aligned with the latest knowledge and national guidance; 
• effective contaminated site remediation and development of contaminated land;
• transparent processes by clarifying expectations, requirements and processes for remediating contaminates sites and managing spills; and 
• efficiency by reducing timelines and red tape.

The government previously engaged with the wider public, Yukon First Nations and industry on the proposed new Contaminants Regulation in 2018. The government re-engaged Yukon First Nations and key industry stakeholders who work with contaminated sites and spills due to the time that has passed since 2018.

The Government of Yukon is developing flood hazard maps for all Yukon communities that are at risk of flooding.

We asked for your feedback to confirm the accuracy of the maps and to help us improve the way we present information on the maps.

We develop flood hazard maps through detailed surveying and modelling to show how different flood scenarios could impact surrounding areas.

The Southern Lakes flood hazard maps cover about 150 kilometres of shoreline including the communities of Carcross, Tagish, Marsh Lake and Lake Laberge.

You can view flood hazard maps on the Government of Yukon’s Flood Atlas. 

The Government of Yukon is developing flood hazard maps for all Yukon communities that are at risk of flooding.

We developed flood hazard maps through detailed surveying and modelling and show how different flood scenarios could impact surrounding areas.

The Carmacks flood hazard maps cover about 35 kilometres of shoreline, including 26 kilometres of the Yukon River and nine kilometres of the Nordenskiold River.

Flood hazard maps are now publicly available on the Government of Yukon’s Flood Hub.

The Government of Yukon, in collaboration with the Council of Yukon First Nations, Yukon First Nations governments and transboundary Indigenous groups, is developing new public lands legislation.

Our vision is to create a modernized regime that:

• upholds Aboriginal and treaty rights;
• ensures collaboration with Indigenous governments;
• balances the multitude of interests on public land; and
• provides a clear and efficient framework for authorizing land use activities while promoting the ecological health and sustainability of the land.

The Government of Yukon and its SART (Sexualized Assault Response Team) partners are working to improve and expand services for victims of sexualized assault in Yukon communities. 

To help with this, Ipsos and Sisco & Associates Consulting Services Inc. want to speak with victims and survivors of sexualized assault* about how to enhance support services.

We want to hear from victims, survivors and family members about: 

• what sexualized assault response services are needed;  
• your experiences getting help (if you were able to); and  
• any barriers you experienced to access services, especially if you were unable to get support.

*We are not asking participants to share their story of sexualized assault.