A proposed land use plan for a expansive space in central Yukon outlines detailed pointers for future growth throughout roughly 10 % of the territory’s land mass.
Plan Particulars and Co-Administration Method
The Dawson Regional Planning Fee has unveiled its 480-page beneficial plan, developed over a number of years to information land administration within the 39,854-square-kilometre Dawson area. This initiative fulfills necessities beneath Chapter 11 of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Last Settlement.
The plan emphasizes co-management between Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and the Yukon authorities. It states, “There’s an expectation that within the implementation of this plan, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and the Authorities of Yukon work collectively as equal and respectful companions to deliver the imaginative and prescient and intention of this plan to life.”
The area divides into 22 panorama administration models, every with tailor-made suggestions. Sure zones prioritize conservation, prohibiting industrial growth or exploration, whereas others assist actions like mining or tourism. The plan excludes lands inside Dawson metropolis limits and present protected areas, corresponding to Tombstone Territorial Park.
Mining Tips and Restrictions
Placer mining, a key financial driver, receives approval in choose areas, with requires streamlined, clear allowing processes. Officers suggest collaborating with placer miners and communities to develop a long-term technique for the business.
Quartz or laborious rock mining proves incompatible beneath the present regulatory framework, as territorial mining legal guidelines stay outdated and fail to handle related dangers. No energetic laborious rock mines function within the area presently.
The plan imposes a selected prohibition on heap-leach mining beneath present rules. This follows a 2024 incident at Victoria Gold’s Eagle mine close to Mayo, the place a heap leach failure launched poisonous cyanide, resulting in closure and ongoing remediation efforts. The Yukon authorities continues efforts to modernize its century-old mining laws.
Growth Course of and Future Steps
Established in 2018 as an unbiased physique, the six-member fee issued a draft plan in 2022. Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and the Yukon authorities supplied suggestions, shaping this closing suggestion.
Subsequent, each events will evaluation the plan, seek the advice of affected communities, and determine whether or not to undertake, reject, or revise it. Upon approval, it turns into the territory’s third regional land use plan, following these for North Yukon in 2009 and Peel Watershed in 2019.
The Peel Watershed plan emerged from extended authorized proceedings, the place the Supreme Courtroom of Canada dominated that the Yukon authorities breached treaty obligations by disregarding the unique fee’s suggestions for 80 % safety and proposing solely 30 % as a substitute. The courtroom mandated renewed consultations with First Nations.
