The Dawson Regional Planning Commission's Recommended Plan is now public. You can find the Recommended Plan, and the Recommended Plan Summary here.

The Plan Parties (Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in and Yukon Governments) will consult on the Recommended Plan before either approving it or recommending a final round of changes back to the Commission. More information on their consultation process can be found on their site onthelandwewalktogether.ca. 

“Yesterday”: Summer 2021 to March 2022 YLUPC Progress

• Continued work with Yukon Forum Leads Committee to identify measures for advancing regional land use planning in Yukon
• Conferred with Teslin Tlingit Council and Yukon Government regarding commencement of Teslin Regional Land Use Planning
• Provided significant support to the Dawson Regional Planning Commission (administration, computer technology support and analysis) to prepare the draft Dawson (June 2021) and recommended regional plans. YLUPC met with Dawson Commission via Zoom and had periodic Chair to Chair meetings
• Planned and convened the Land Relationship Planning Gathering, November 24, 25, 2021, a virtual gathering of First Nation, RLUPC, YG and YLUPC representatives on Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Planning concepts: considered how these could evolve to inform Chapter 11 planning processes
• Continued to support the integration of Chapter 11 processes with other UFA and government-based processes (e.g., Chapter 11 and Chapter 12- YESAA based process initiatives including an early 2022 workshop with YESAB and Dawson Commission representatives, guidance to a graduate student conducting relevant analysis)
• Provided presentation and recommendations to UFA Implementation representatives on immediate and long-term financial requirements for regional land planning in the Yukon Adequacy of Funding Review
• Assisted with the implementation of the North Yukon and Peel Watershed plans by providing opinions relating to YESAA based conformity checks and Class 1 mineral projects (as requested by the implementation committees)
• Full participants in the Planning Institute of British Columbia and Yukon’s annual conference (Whitehorse June 15-17, 2021)
• Not completed: “best practices” for regional, sub-regional and other types of land planning in the territory
• Refresh YLUPC logo

 “Today”: 2022-2023 Key Initiatives

• Provide strong support to Dawson Commission and any other commissions that are launched (for new commissions identify information requirements, contribute to completion of key documents prior to Commission launch, provide financial, HR & technical support, provide ongoing advice). Provide Parties advice/comments on submitted Recommended Dawson LUP
• Work with Indigenous Planning and Traditional Knowledge (IPTK) Committee (YLUPC Advisory Committee) led by Council member Tess McLeod to finalize Nov. 2021 Gathering proceedings and recommendations: consider how to apply to next planning region
• Engage in discussions with Yukon First Nations to effectively augment and incorporate traditional knowledge and Indigenous world views, values and knowledge in regional land use plans
  Update communications materials and meet with Yukon First Nations (following pandemic protocols as required)
• Continue work with appointed Leads to enhance (clarify, streamline, focussed as requested by FN) regional land use planning in Yukon and achieve Chapter 11 progress where desired by select FNs; advance implementation outcome of “Advancing Land Use Planning” workshops Winter 2020-21 priorities to better prepare future Commissions and advance regional LUP
• Finalize YLUPC Recommendations to Parties (YFNS and YG) working in concert with Leads appointed by the Yukon Forum
• Prepare and provide comments on draft Yukon Public Lands Act and any other relevant legislative initiatives
• Consider resourcing needs and models to support concurrent RLUP commissions and consider lessons learned from commissions (host Commission/ Council Chairs meeting fall/winter 22)
• Continue work with YESAB on a common approach to better integrate Chapters 11 and 12 and consider how matters of mutual interest and benefit might be addressed (e.g., cumulative effects work, opinion on conformity for approved plans, utilization of YESAB dbase to inform plans in progress)
• Address YLUPC and Dawson Commission resourcing needs through staffing, work planning, updating policies and resourcing
• Update YLUPC Strategic Plan and Communications Plan
• Convene Council’s annual gathering (theme to be determined – possibly focussed upon RLUPC implementation)

“Tomorrow” (Beyond March 2023): Opportunities

• Continue meetings with YFNS regarding mutual planning priorities
• Consider further recommendations to Parties informed by IPTK Gathering report and advice
• Full support to any established Commissions and undertaking advance work to better inform Commissions building upon the Advancing Land Use Planning workshops Winter 2020-21 (Cambio Consulting) workshop recommendations
• Prepare for and participate in funding reviews to address unfunded Council work and provide support to established Commissions
• Continue to advance and streamline as appropriate YLUPC by Advancing Land Use Planning workshops Winter 2020-21 (Cambio Consulting) workshop recommendations
• Support Parties in finalizing Dawson RLUP
• Plan two public Council meetings on the Land
• Recommend options for amending approved RLUPs and how Plan reviews might be initiated

Proceedings and Themes and Actions from the 2021 Land Relationship Planning Gathering: Using Indigenous Knowledge to Improve Regional Planning in Yukon are now available and can be viewed on our Documents Page. 

Ron Cruikshank, who was our Director since 1998, retired on June 28^th (2022). He brought his planning experience on the Mackenzie Delta and beyond to our office. Under his watch, a Common Planning Process and Yukon planning regions were developed, as well as three regional planning processes. We held a jovial retirement party for him at the MacBride Museum in Whitehorse; photos below.

On June 10 2022 the Dawson Planning Commission completed a major milestone in the Dawson Regional planning process. At the top of the Midnight Dome in Dawson City they officially handed over the Recommended Plan for the Dawson Region to the Parties and Affected First Nations. The Commission was honored to hand the Recommended Plan to Premier Sandy Silver, Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Chief Roberta Joseph, and Na-cho Nyäk Dun Deputy Chief Roberta Hager. Now that the Recommended Plan is officially in the hands of the Parties the next phase of the process is for the Parties to conduct their consultation with stakeholders and the public on the Recommended Plan. The Plan will be released publicly for consultation by the Parties in Fall 2022.

In the meantime, the Commission and staff are working hard to finalize the In Your Words Report: A summary of engagement on the Draft Plan, the Plan Highlights document, and a summary version of the Plan.

The Commission would like to express their gratitude to all of the members of public, citizens, stakeholders, and the Parties for the incredible amount of work that they contributed to the development of the Recommended Plan. The Dawson Region is an incredibly special place for all of us, and this would not have been possible without the passion and respect that everyone has shown this past year.

We are all looking forward to the public release of the Recommended Plan and the consultation period this fall.

Have a wonderful summer!

YLUPC hosted a booth at the General Assembly of the Council For Yukon First Nations at Minto Landing on June 29, 2022.
This was a great opportunity to provide information on regional land use planning and answer questions of First Nation delegates and citizens. In attendance for YLUPC was the Chair - Lois Craig, Senior Advisor - Copper Joe Jack, and new Director -Tim Sellars

The Planning Council is pleased to announce that Tim Sellars has been hired as the new Planning Director. 

Tim Sellars is a long time Yukoner, having lived in the territory since 1989, when he arrived in Whitehorse to work for the Yukon Land Use
Planning Commission on the Greater Kluane Land Use Plan. Tim went on to  work as a mapping technician, land disposition manager, land use
planner, fish & wildlife planner, and director with various departments  within Government of Yukon. Tim has most recently worked as the Senior
Planner for the Dawson Regional Planning Commission, leading the team that recently completed the Dawson Region Recommended Plan. Tim has a Bachelor of Science in Geography and a Master's degree in Public  Administration, specializing in integrated resource management.
Tim is an active participant in many Yukon pursuits, including mountain  biking, lake swimming, berry picking, coaching swimming, volunteering
with the ski patrol and playing with the Problematic Orchestra. Tim's  wife and daughter are both born and raised in Yukon and are members of
the Carcross/Tagish First Nation.

 In April of 2019, the Parties to the Yukon Forum (represented by leaders from the Government of Yukon, Yukon First Nations, and the Council of Yukon First Nations) sent the Council a series of recommendations that stemmed from their review of the implementation Chapter 11- Regional Land Use Planning.  

The focus of these recommendations is:

• Setting regional planning commissions up for success
• Supporting several regional planning commissions at the same time
• Legislative review of the First Nation and Government of Yukon regulations
• And reviewing the Adequacy of Funding for Regional Land Use Planning under Chapter 11.

Acknowledging the importance of these recommendations, the Council requested that continued meetings with the Leads of the Yukon Forum on this matter would be essential for the effective review and implementation of the recommendations.  The Yukon Forum Leads accepted this request. Council then recommended that a series of staff level workshops be held to examine in detail the Yukon Forum’s recommendations to determine how best to address them.  The Council hired Cambio Consulting to facilitate a series of workshops through the winter of 2020-21.  This report summarizes the outcome of these workshops (click here).  The Council plans to continue to work with the Yukon Forum Leads to identify which recommendations become part of the process of  producing regional plans through the implementation of Chapter 11.

On November 24th - 25th 2021 we hosted a Land Relationship Gathering. The gathering was a great success and attended by over 70 people, primarily from Yukon First Nations. We are currently working on the Proceedings and Outcome documents from that event and they will be released soon.  In the meantime, we would like to share a short video that was prepared for the event. The video is about the Yukon First Nation's history and their relationship with land planning. The video can be seen here

Stay tuned for more about this gathering.

Neil came to the Yukon in 1989 from rural Ontario. He has mostly resided in rural communities, including Burwash Landing and Haines Junction, where he worked for Kluane Park and also co-founded the Kluane Chilkat International Bike Relay. He owned and operated Moose Creek Lodge before settling in Mayo, where he was recognized by YG for his work implementing YESAA when he worked for EMR. He moved to Whitehorse in 2010 to work at the Yukon Water Board, and retired as the Manager of Licensing in 2020. Neil's four children are all Yukoners, which gives him "a vested interest in the sustainable development, utilization and conservation of Yukons unique lands, waters and natural resources".