This is a joint news release between the Government of Yukon and the City of Whitehorse.
The Government of Yukon is supporting the City of Whitehorse’s FireSmart program with $125,000 to increase capacity for municipal wildfire risk reduction this year.
The funds will be used to offset residential brush tipping fees at the Whitehorse waste facility, support outreach and do landscape-level FireSmart work within city limits.
This agreement builds on a Government of Yukon and City of Whitehorse pilot project in 2025 that waived residential brush tipping fees and saw 217 tonnes of brush, enough to fill eight and a half municipal waste trucks, brought to the Whitehorse waste facility.
This funding is part of a multi-year contribution agreement from Natural Resources Canada’s Resilient Communities through FireSmart program worth $5.5 million over four years and ending in 2027–28.
Being FireSmart begins at home and we are pleased to support Whitehorse’s efforts to make it easy for their residents to protect their homes. As summer warms up, let us make our properties more wildfire resilient.
We thank the Government of Yukon for its continued support of this important program. As the City of Whitehorse’s FireSmart program enters its third summer, funding like this plays a critical role in helping residents understand their individual wildfire risk while empowering them to take meaningful action to reduce it. By working together and taking a comprehensive, community-wide approach, we can strengthen Whitehorse’s resilience and better prepare for future wildfire challenges.
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The Government of Yukon provided the City of Whitehorse with $136,823 for wildfire risk reduction in 2025–26.
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Both levels of government work closely together to develop effective wildfire prevention campaigns, plan mitigation projects and train together to enhance response abilities.
Tim Kucharuk
Press secretary, Cabinet Communications
867-335-2419
[email protected]
Julia Duchesne
Communications, Community Services
867-332-4188
[email protected]