We want to provide you with an update from the Yukon Land Use Planning Council and the Dawson Regional Planning Commission regarding operations as we responded to the COVID-19 pandemic. On March 16th, 2020 Yukon’s Chief Medical Officers gave a press conference asking Yukoners to undertake several precautionary measures to help prevent spreading the virus across the territory.  Yukoners are being asked to work from home. Those returning from abroad are required to self-isolate for two weeks, and there is now a temporary ban on all gatherings of more than 50 people. Parents are asked to stay at home with their children.

As such, we will be closing our office until the end of March and the staff are working from home. We will remain operational during this time and all staff will be checking e-mails and voicemail (unless they are on holidays). We anticipate having to alter our meeting plans to accommodate for a teleconference or video call, instead of meetings in-person. Will continue to monitor the situation in Yukon and proceed as advised by Yukon’s Chief Medical Officer.

We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.

Lois Craig,

Alternating Chair,

YLUPC

When a proposed project is submitted to YESAB, they determine if the project will fall within a planning region with an approved plan. If so, it sends the YLUPC a letter requesting a conformity check. YLUPC staff then indicate whether or not a project would conform with the plan, and what practices and strategies recommended in the plan would be the most relevant. Recently, we looked at whether the project "Dempster Fibre Optics Project" conformed in both the North Yukon and Peel Watershed Regions.

On August 22, 2019, the regional plan for the Peel Watershed was approved by all five Parties: Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, the Gwich’in Tribal Council, and the Yukon. Hundreds of people gathered in Mayo for the festivities, many attending a signing and water ceremony on the shore of the Stewart River. This marks the second regional plan to be approved under chapter 11 of Yukon's Final Agreements, and a milestone for reconciliation in the Yukon.

At last, the proceedings and the summary of the proceedings of our spring workshop are available.

We won this year's Bike to Work Workplace Challenge! After entering the challenge for the past several years, we finally logged enough people and kilometers to win. Some days we had almost everyone in our office commuting to work on their bike, making bike parking tight. Congratulations to everyone who took up the challenge.

From April 8-10th, the Commission attended their Orientation and Training workshop in Dawson. Over those days, the new members learned about each other, about their planning task, and started building their team. It was a constructive and often fun few days where the Commission heard many of the from the leaders from the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in (Chief Roberta Joseph), Government of Yukon (Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Ranj Pillai), members of the Yukon Land Use Planning Council, and past Chairs of other commissions. The Commission also met with support staff, and colleagues within the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in and Government of Yukon. During the "cabin-building exercise", the Commission tried their hand at planning out what (and when) could go into a cabin.

The Yukon Land Use Planning Council was proud to support and organize this workshop. Special thanks to facilitator John Glynn-Morris.

A summary of the workshop is found here.

The workshop was a great success! Thank you to everyone who participated.

Total Impact: Our Collective Footprint was a two-day workshop that explored the challenges of managing cumulative effects on Yukon communities and landscapes.

During the two days we had roughly 90 people in attendence to listen and share their experiences with Cumulative Effects Management in the Yukon. 

What we heard from the workshop participants was that:

• Everyone is dealing with similar challenges when it comes to CE management.
• Being in breakout groups and working through challenges together was a useful part of the workshop.
• Hearing the Elders share their Traditional Knowledge was an essential element of the event.

You can access the workshop presentations here, and more information and documents supporting the gathering are posted here. 

It is with great excitement that we report the official appointment of the Dawson Region Planning Commission! The Yukon and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in governments each nominated three people to the six-person Commission in accordance with the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Final Agreement.

The Parties to the Peel Watershed planning process consulted on the Final Recommended Plan in late 2018. They recently released a report detailing what was heard during that consultation. These results will help inform their discussions on finding a shared position on the Plan, and ultimately finalize and approve the Plan. The consultation and report were done by a consultant, Stantec.

The Dawson Regional Planning Commission is close to being appointed and we expect that the Yukon Government and Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in  will announce the members by early November. We are looking forward having a Commission again!

We will work with the Parties to train and orient the new members over the next few months. Depending on the Commission's schedules and directions, we can anticipate some public events or engagement early in 2019. We anticipate that the Commission board meetings will most often be in Dawson City.

Tim Van Hinte was recently hired as the Senior Planner for the Commission. He can be reached at his Whitehorse office at 867-667-7397.

This Commission will be given a Terms of Reference that was developed by the Council in collaboration with the Parties, who have now approved it. This document provides the Commission with their mandate, general expectations, and relationships with the Parties and others. It builds on, and is consistent with, the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Final Agreement.