Premier Ranj Pillai has issued the following statement:

“Today I had the privilege of meeting with 25 ambassadors and high commissioners to Canada on the first day of Global Affairs Canada’s northern diplomatic tour. It was an honour to welcome the delegation alongside numerous First Nations and municipal leaders from across the Yukon.

“Among the many countries represented, there were delegates from Austria, Denmark, Indonesia, Kenya, New Zealand and Japan.

This news release has been updated with additional athletic performance information in the backgrounder. 

Recognizing the vital contributions and accomplishments of athletes throughout the Yukon, the Yukon government has announced the recipients of the 2022 Government of Yukon sport awards, which celebrate the achievements of the territory’s top athletes.

The Government of Yukon is proud to support educational projects that enhance culturally-inclusive learning and seek to advance reconciliation. Today, Porter Creek Secondary School Council hosted a ground-breaking ceremony for the much-anticipated N’’tsaÜw Chu’ Kedts’edán Kù Traditional Camp.

The Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada are partnering to enhance community wildfire prevention across the territory.

This includes a new $700,000 investment from the Government of Canada towards Yukon First Nations-led FireSmart projects delivered through Indigenous Services Canada’s Emergency Management Assistance Program.

The Yukon Transportation Hall of Fame has inducted four new recipients. Awards were presented during a ceremony held on the evening of  June 6 and included: Person of the Year (2022), Pioneer of the Year (2022 and 2023) and the Order of Polaris (2023).

The recipients for the 2022 and 2023 Transportation Hall of Fame are:

Today, the Yukon Advisory Committee on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit+ People (MMIWG2S+)  released the Implementation Plan for Changing the Story to Upholding Dignity and Justice: Yukon’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit+ People Strategy. The Implementation Plan marks an important point in the Committee’s efforts to develop a whole-of-Yukon approach to ending the systemic issues that lead to violence against Indigenous women, girls and Two-Spirit+ people.

The Government of Yukon values the work of the Yukon public service and is pleased to announce a new collective agreement in place with the Yukon Employees’ Union. The three-year agreement contains several updates and new provisions to benefit employees – including wage increases of 10.5 per cent over three years for members, in line with the recently negotiated agreement for federal public servants.

Minister of Environment Nils Clarke has issued the following statement:

“Today marks World Environment Day and the Yukon joins Canada and the global community to celebrate the natural environment and to highlight our continued collaborative efforts to protect the environment for future generations.

“This year’s World Environment Day theme is finding solutions to plastic pollution. It is estimated that up to 23 million tonnes of plastic ends up in lakes, rivers and seas around the world each year, affecting more than 800 species.

As the Yukon marks its 125th year since joining Confederation, the Government of Yukon’s longstanding Yukon Gold Explorer’s Passport contest has gone digital for 2023.

Highlighting the many cultural centres, museums and other attractions throughout the Yukon, participants are encouraged to visit any (or all!) of the 38 featured sites and take a photo of the contest poster on display at each location.

Tomorrow marks the four-year anniversary of the release of Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.