The Yukon Land Use Planning Council helps Government, Yukon First Nations and Regional Planning Commissions coordinate their efforts to conduct regional land use planning.
The Yukon Land Use Planning Council has hired Tim Van Hinte as the Senior Land Use Planner to assist the Dawson Regional Planning Commission. Tim brings a range of planning experience from across Canada and is looking forward to assisting the Commission in developing the regional plan.
Since late 2014, we have been focussing much of our effort on reviewing the Common Land Use Planning Process (CLUPP) in an effort to make future planning projects more efficient and successful. One question that has come up is about sub-regional planning. The Yukon Land Use Planning Council is mandated under Chapter 11 - Land Use Planning of the Umbrella Final Agreeement. However, this chapter references sub-regional planning minimally and provides even less guidance for the application of a sub-regional planning process. The need to develop greater clarity with respect to sub-regional planning was expressed by the Council in a submission to the10 Year review of the land claim agreements in 2004 and again in a letter to the First Naton of Nacho Nyak and the Yukon Government October 5, 2017. To explore how sub-regional planning could be a part of regional planning under Chapter 11, we recently contracted Ryder Communications Management to provide this analysis.
The Council is please to release its annual report for 2017-2018. It gives highlights on its membership, roles and relationships, the status of Yukon regional planning, and Council and their staff activities. In particular, 3 successes and 2 challenges were highlighted:
Successes:
Challenges:
The Council recently wrote a letter to the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources requesting a meeting. Items we would like to discuss include:
The letter is available here. This meeting is scheduled for January 31st.
The members of the Yukon Land Use Planning Council held two sessions in late 2017 to discuss the strategic direction for the organization. These sessions were facillitated by Cambio Consulting who also wrote this plan.
The planning experience to date has illustrated a number of challenges and opportunities for attention at all levels of the planning process:
This plan is intended as high-level strategic document that charts a course for YLUPC to work with its partners to address these challenges over the next three years.
Click here to download the plan.
Last year, we hired Ryder Communication Management to do a jurisdictional analysis of planning strategies and to recommend the contents of one for the Yukon. With this report in hand, we are exploring ways to collaboratively create a Yukon Regional Planning Strategy. The report comes in 2 parts: a report, and a table of strategy components used in different jurisdictions.
Since 2014, we, our staff and contractors have been thinking about Yukon land use planning and the process we can all follow to get successful plans. In 2015, Lesley Cabott Consulting & Associates drafted an analysis of potential solutions. One of the most pivotal recommendations was to develop a Yukon Regional Planning Strategy or framework. This recommendation led us to commission this report.
Dennis Zimmermann was appointed as our newest member on December 7th, 2017, and is the Government of Canada's nominee.
Dennis Zimmermann has over 20 years of professional experience in the North. He has a Master's of Science Degree in Rural Planning with a focus on community-based planning and engagement. He has worked in both the public and the private sectors, and in the last decade his work has revolved around the intersection of community, fish, wildlife and habitat. With this breadth of experience, he will sure to be a great addition to the Council.
More information on Dennis is found here.
The Council and staff recently had a day of media relations training put on by Calypso Communications, Mosaic Communications & AVCR Video Productions. It was a fun and informative day for everyone. There were presentations, discussions, and mock radio and TV interviews.
Back in March 2017, we hosted a successful workshop to give organizations involved in land use planning, environmental assessment, land and water regulation and resource management (including cultural resources) an opportunity to learn from one another and to coordinate activities. As this was the first such meeting, one of the main outcomes was the realization that this workshop should be held again! We've just published the draft summary of the workshop and associated appendices.
For almost 3 years, the Dawson Regional Land Use Planning process has been suspended. In late 2014, the Government of Yukon, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Vuntut Gwitchin Government (the "Parties") mutually agreed to suspend the process until the Peel Watershed court case reaches final resolution at the Supreme Court of Canada. Now that a decision has been reached, the Parties are discussing a restart. Among the many things being addressed are:
The Council and staff support these discussions with advice and meeting space. We look forward actively participating in a new planning process!
The Council is pleased that there is a ruling on the Peel Watershed Plan, and looks forward to incorporating it into our future planning processes. We will take actions that will help build a common understanding Yukon's Land Claim Agreements. With our staff and legal counsel, we will review the decision and will make substantive comments in the near future. See also our initial press release.
Peel Watershed Planning Commission's Final Recommended Plan was central to the Supreme Court of Canada's ruling. As always, this document, and other planning documents are found on our website and the Commission's.
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Active Commissions:
Former Commissions with plans being implemented:
Planning Resources:
