The Association of Yukon Communities represents municipalities and local advisory councils in the Yukon. The Association unanimously passed a resolution at its 2022 Annual General Meeting in May. The resolution calls on the Government of Yukon to increase the current three-year term of office for municipal councils to four years prior to the October 2024 general elections. We want your feedback on extending the term of office from three to four years for:

• mayors and councils. (Elected officials of the incorporated municipal governments of Carmacks, Dawson, Faro, Haines Junction, Mayo, Teslin, Watson Lake and Whitehorse); and
• members of local advisory councils. (Elected members for councils in the unincorporated communities of Ibex Valley, Marsh Lake, Mount Lorne, Tagish and Carcross/South Klondike).

The engagement helped us develop the Tools for managing mining in Yukon municipalities to:

• prevent and resolve land use conflicts between mining operations and Yukon communities;
• improve coordination between community land use planning and mineral regulatory processes; and
• find ways for mining activities within Yukon communities to respect community values and interests.

The Government of Yukon, in partnership with the Yukon Type 1 Diabetes Support Network, was seeking public input on the development of a type 1 diabetes strategy for the territory. 

We want input from the mining industry and other interested groups about our plan on intensity-based emission targets. These targets seek to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Yukon.

This will help us meet our commitment to set these targets by the end of 2022.

The Government of Yukon and Kwanlin Dün First Nation are developing a local area plan for the Łu Zil Män (Fish Lake) area. A steering committee will help develop the plan.

The plan will address many land use issues, including:

• heritage resources protection;
• tourism and recreational activities;
• housing and land applications;
• environmental protection; and
• commercial operations.

The plan will embody a shared vision for the Łu Zil Män area. It will be developed using all available local, traditional and scientific knowledge.

The Kwanlin Dün First Nation Self-Government Agreement outlines the cooperative planning process. The process is meant to benefit all Yukoners, including future generations.

This survey is the first step in a series of engagement events for this planning process. More opportunities to provide input will be included as part of this engagement process. Check the Łu Zil Män website for updates.

We are developing legislation to administer and regulate geothermal resource exploration and development projects in the Yukon. Geothermal resources are a source of renewable energy that can be used to generate heat and electricity for a number of applications on a variety of scales.

We are interested in hearing from you on these proposed elements of this legislation:

• a definition of geothermal resources in the Yukon;
• a geothermal tenure and rights regime;
• a regulatory regime that governs geothermal exploration and development activities that follow principles of environmental sustainability;
• prescription of decommissioning procedures and reclamation responsibilities;
• measures to address liability; and
• a royalty regime.

How we got here

Under Our Clean Future, the Government of Yukon is prioritizing renewable energy solutions and clean alternatives like geothermal resources to help reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and meet our needs for electricity and heat.

Producing more of our electricity with local renewable energy will make us more self-sufficient and less vulnerable to changing fuel prices. Making sure we continue to supply most of our electricity through renewable sources is key to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions.

Energy, Mines and Resources’ Yukon Geological Survey is involved in geothermal research with First Nations governments. They continue to research the potential to use geothermal energy for heating and electricity in the Yukon.

In 2020, the Government of Yukon released the Yukon Parks Strategy which included modernizing regulations under the Parks and Land Certainty Act as one of the 10 priorities in the strategy.

Regulations for the over 50 road-accessible campgrounds and day-use recreation sites and 8 territorial parks in the territory have not been updated since 2000.

Feedback on the proposed new and updated regulations will help ensure the Yukon’s system of parks and campgrounds protect natural, historical and cultural values now and for future generations, and provide safe and enjoyable experiences for Yukon residents and visitors.

The Government of Yukon is seeking input to help guide the development of a new suite of funding programs that meet the priorities and needs of the local agricultural sector and its stakeholders. The new funding programs will replace the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) program that is expiring in March 2023.

The feedback will help identify the Yukon’s agricultural priorities. This will help the Government of Yukon negotiate the funding agreement known as the Bilateral Agreement with the Government of Canada in winter 2022–23.

We’re creating a new Yukon Public Lands Act to replace the existing lands legislation. Our goal is to develop a modern Act that provides a cohesive approach to land management in the Yukon.

We’re interested in hearing how you use public land and how a new Act could support:

• recreation, such as:
  • cabins;
  • camping;
  • off-road vehicle use;
  • bicycling;
  • backcountry hiking; and
  • other outdoor recreation.
• residential development;
• commercial activities, such as:
  • resource activities;
  • wilderness tourism; and
  • gravel quarries.
• heritage protection;
• environmental protection;
• renewable energy;
• future land access and use; and
• cooperative land management with First Nations.

How we got here

Yukon is over 482,000 square kilometres. Much of this is public land or First Nation settlement land. Only 0.06 per cent of Yukon land is under private title.

Since devolution in 2003, we’ve been responsible for administering two separate legislative regimes for two sets of public lands. The two acts have not been extensively reviewed since the 1980s.

Modernizing our legislation is necessary to streamline and enhance land management processes and long-term planning through one piece of legislation. Our current legislation does not recognize Yukon First Nation’s Final Agreements or contain provisions that support land claim and self-government implementation.

The purpose of the Clean Energy Act is to legislate our greenhouse gas commitments, provide the Government of Yukon with the regulatory tools needed to meet those greenhouse gas commitments, and ensure long-term climate change accountability through public reporting.

How we got here?

The Government of Yukon conducted extensive public engagements in developing Our Clean Future: a Yukon strategy for climate change, energy and a green economy.

Our Clean Future’s Commitment L1 states the government will create a Clean Energy Act that “legislates our greenhouse gas reduction targets and our commitments to energy efficiency and demand-side management to hold the Government of Yukon accountable”. 

We are proposing the legislative framework for the Clean Energy Act and possible ways of implementing the existing commitments being legislated.

The Government of Yukon already completed extensive public engagements on the broad topics around clean energy during the development of Our Clean Future. This engagement is specifically focused on how to implement the existing commitments being legislated.