Much has changed since the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPP) Act was introduced in 1995. We’re creating a new Act and we want to know if we got it right.

We want our new Act to be more open, to increase the amount of information available and to provide client-focused service delivery to Yukoners while protecting their right to privacy.

Our proposed changes come from information from public engagement done in June and July 2016, the Yukon Information and Privacy Commissioner’s review of the Act, staff experiences, and legislation in other jurisdictions.

The goal of the agriculture policy is to encourage the growth of the agriculture industry so that it:

• produces high-quality products for local consumption;
• is economically viable;
• operates in an environmentally sustainable way; and
• contributes to community well-being.

The agriculture policy sets out the government’s priorities and actions for supporting agriculture development in the Yukon. 

Fish populations have started recovering to healthy levels in Mandanna Lake. The Government of Yukon and Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation are interested in changing the fishing regulations on the lake.  

We would like to remove restrictions for this recovering population, and allow anglers to keep one lake trout. We would also set a total catch limit of five fish of any species in one day when fishing on Mandanna Lake. The goal of this proposal is to honour traditional values and provide a high-value sport fishing opportunity in Yukon.

The Coroners Act came about in 1958, and has not been substantially updated since then.  We know the public wants us to make sure that all unexplained or unexpected deaths in Yukon are investigated thoroughly by coroners who work in a professional, efficient and impartial Coroner’s Service. This can only be done if we update the Coroners Act to create modern legislation that is up-to-date to similar laws in other jurisdictions.

We are proposing an update to the Quartz Mining Act to advance reconciliation. The changes would allow First Nations to stake quartz mineral claims on specific land that is withdrawn from staking. The changes will also provide opportunities to remediate some of Yukon’s abandoned Type II mine sites. 

The Government of Yukon is creating a lobbyist registry to make lobbying activities more transparent to the public. We want to establish a mandatory, publicly accessible registry that is similar to what other jurisdictions in Canada have.

A lobbyist registry identifies who is lobbying the government and what issues they bring forward.

A recent study on air quality in Whitehorse found four neighbourhoods (Kopper King, Hidden Valley, Range Road North and Riverdale) had higher levels of pollution during cold winter months when air gets trapped in valleys.

The study suggested this was due to residential wood smoke.

Wood smoke can irritate lungs and airways, make it harder to breathe and worsen chronic conditions (such as heart disease, chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma). Children, seniors and people with chronic conditions are more susceptible to air pollution.

We want to know how we can support Yukoners to continue to heat their homes with wood while ensuring that wood is burned in the cleanest way possible.

The Government of Canada made changes to family caregiving and parental leave benefits under the federal Employment Insurance program.  

Yukon, as with most other jurisdictions, typically provides leave periods that align with the benefits provided under Canada’s Employment Insurance program. Yukon is considering making changes to the amount of parental leave and leave for people to care for critically ill family members. We wanted to know if Yukoners have any concerns or feedback on these changes.

The Government of Yukon is working to regulate, fund and integrate midwifery into Yukon’s healthcare system. Our goal as a government is to provide Yukoners additional options within a range of healthcare services that support healthy pregnancies, birthing experiences, and care after childbirth.

The plan we presented to participants during the engagement proposed the following:

• Initially introducing regulated midwife-attended births and pre- and post-natal services (before and after childbirth) as an option in Whitehorse, where processes and emergency services that support pregnancies and birth are already in place. These supports include physicians with birthing expertise and facilities that can support urgent interventions, such as blood transfusions and Caesarean sections.
• Initially introducing some regulated pre- and post-natal midwifery services in other communities.
• Identifying options to potentially support similar services in Dawson City and Watson Lake.

There are approximately 700 known contaminated sites in Yukon. The contamination on these sites can range from very small (such as a leak from a fuel tank on a house) to very large (such as large-scale chemical spills).

The Contaminated Site Regulation establishes cleanup standards, processes for identifying, investigating and assessing contaminated sites, and permits for managing contaminated material within Yukon. The Spills Regulation sets reporting standards for spills of contaminants.