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A Victory for the Peel Watershed
Media Release- December 2, 2014
A Victory for the Peel Watershed
Earlier today Mr. Justice Ron Veale of the Supreme Court of Yukon announced his decision in The First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun et. al. v The Government of Yukon, the lawsuit concerning the Peel Watershed launched by the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Yukon Chapter (CPAWS Yukon) and the Yukon Conservation Society (YCS).
In his reasons for judgment, Justice Veale agreed with the plaintiffs that Yukon Government violated the land use planning process laid out in the Umbrella Final Agreement (UFA) with respect to the Peel Watershed Land Use Plan. The planning process will now return to the stage where Yukon Government ran it off the rails – the final round of consultation with First Nations and the public. The court order constrains Yukon Government to the modifications they previously proposed but the question of the amount of land protected and the question of access are off limits.
Upon hearing today’s news Chief Ed Champion of the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun said, “We are very happy to see the courts honour and uphold the integrity of the Umbrella Final Agreement and Yukon First Nation agreements. We want to thank Justice Veale for all of his hard work and the thought and time he put into this decision.”
“We’re thrilled with the decision,” says CPAWS Yukon Executive Director Gill Cracknell, “This is not just a victory for the plaintiffs, but for everyone who has given generously of their time, money, and voices to see the Peel Watershed protected.”
The plaintiffs launched the legal proceedings on January 27, 2014, alleging that Yukon Government broke with the land use planning process laid out in the UFA, and incorporated in all the First Nations Final Agreements in Yukon. The plaintiffs sought to have the process set out in the UFA upheld and to see the planning through to a conclusion that would protect more than 54,000 square kilometres of wilderness in northern Yukon’s Peel River Watershed from mining and other industrial development. The week of July 7 – 10th renowned lawyer Thomas R. Berger argued the landmark constitutional case in Yukon Supreme Court in front of a packed house. The case was then continued on October 24th to accommodate a deeper discussion focused on remedy.
Christina Macdonald, Executive Director of the Yukon Conservation Society, explained, “This is not just a victory for the Peel, but for land use planning across the Territory.”
Chief Roberta Joseph of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in added, “The Peel River Watershed is as sacred to our people as it was to our ancestors, and through this decision today we have ensured it will remain so for our grandchildren.”
The details of a community celebration to honour this historic victory will be announced by the plaintiffs in the near future.
Statement prepared by Thomas Berger, Q.C. re Reasons for Judgement –The First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun et al. v. Government of Yukon:
This is a remarkable judgment. The land use planning process in the Umbrella Final Agreement signed by Canada, Yukon First Nations and the Yukon Government in 1993, and entrenched in the Constitution has been vindicated.
The collaborative process for long-term land use planning provided for in the UFA is unique in that it does not allow the Yukon Government to exercise complete authority over land use planning. Instead, it enables First Nations and Yukoners to play an important part in land use planning.
The decade-long land use planning process for the Peel Watershed began with the work of the Peel Watershed Planning Commission. In 2009, the Commission recommended that 80% of the Peel Watershed (over 68,000 square kilometres in extent, situate in the traditional territories of the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the Vuntut Gwitchin, and the Tetlit Gwich’in) be protected, with 20% open to industrial development. This balance was struck by the Commission after years of study and consultation with all parties and with Yukoners.
The Government of Yukon had an opportunity when the Recommended Plan came out, to consider its position. In 2011, the Yukon Government advised that it did not dispute the main recommendations of the Recommended Plan. As the Court has found, the Yukon Government offered “criticism”, but did not identify any specific changes to the Commission’s detailed Recommended Plan. The Court has found that these were too “vague and general” and that the Commission was justified in determining that these should not be treated as proposed modifications.
Nevertheless, at the 11th hour, the Yukon Government sought to cast aside the Commission’s plan, and substitute their own Government Plan, which left the matter of the amount of protected land almost wholly in their discretion.
As the Judge said at para. 216 “the Government of Yukon usurped the Commission’s role in the planning process and introduced new substantive proposed modifications that were neither consulted on [at the
appropriate stage] nor put to the Commission for consideration.” The Judge went on “the process the
Government has chosen, after seven years of collaboration, was a profound and marked departure from its previous approach.”
The Judge said at para. 221, these “statements of preference for more balance and access were too vague and general, and failed to give detail sufficient for the Commission to address them.”
In the result, the balance struck by the Commission, after consultation with the First Nations and
Yukoners, has been upheld. The Court has directed that the final consultation with First Nations and
Yukoners – which the Court has found was not fairly conducted by the Yukon Government – must be held again, but has also held that the Yukon Government does not have any authority at this final stage to derail the proceedings again.
The Umbrella Final Agreement provides for a unique, community-based, collaborative land use planning process. The vindication of this process is a great victory for the First Nations, the environmental organizations, and all Yukoners. In the end, one of the world’s last great wilderness areas will protected.
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Media Contact: Amber Church, 867-335-4884, achurch@cpawsyukon.org
Additional day in the courtroom for the Peel, Oct 24
You may have been wondering, what’s happening with the Peel? Has the trial happened yet? Is there a decision yet?
The trial for the Peel was held from July 7 – 10 this past summer inside the Yukon Supreme Court here in Whitehorse.
For videos, photos, podcasts, and daily blogs about each day of the trial, including updates on Oct 24th, please use this link: https://peelwatershedtrial.wordpress.com/
Where are things now?
Well, in late August, the judge requested one more day in the courtroom with Tom Berger and the Yukon Government (YG) lawyer, John Hunter.
That day is scheduled for Friday October 24th in the Yukon Supreme Court.
Court will be in session starting at 10:00am, and two court rooms will again be open for those who wish to sit in on the public proceedings.
The judge would like to hear more details on the remedies for the case, which were presented by Mr. Berger back in July. Mr. Berger sent in his extra details on October 3rd, and the YG lawyer will send his in on October 17th. On October 24th they will both present to the judge in person.
The solution that Mr. Berger proposed to the judge in July was to go back to the Final Consultations, but ONLY with the Commission’s Final Plan, not with YG’s new plans for the Peel. This is what should have happened back in 2011/ 12, and is where Mr.Berger and his plantiffs say that YG went “off the rails” and therefore veered away from the process outlined in the Umbrella Final Agreement.
The Peel River Watershed court case is the biggest in the history of Yukon, never before has the Yukon Supreme Court had that many people attend a case, from across the territory and NWT. Therefore it’s no surprise that the judge would want more information in this case.
After Judge Veale gets the details on October 24th he will go back to making his decision, and we will wait. Maybe we’ll find out before the year is out, or maybe it will take until next year.
Either way the annoucement will be a big one, for the Peel Watershed, for the Umbrella Final Agreement, for the people of Yukon and NWT Delta, and many others.
If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to contact Jody at CPAWS – joverduin@cpawsyukon.org
YESAA being Gutted by Ottawa
Things you should know about what’s happening to Yukon’s MADE in Yukon FOR Yukon Environmental and Social Review Process:
• The proposed Changes to YESAA are in Bill S-6.
• These changes were brought forward to the Senate this June by our Yukon Senator.
• Rather than being passed through the House and then at the end going through Senate, this Bill will go through Senate first, and then at the end through the House.
• A CPAWS member called the Senate back in the summer to ask why these changes were going though the Senate first, and was told that the House of Commons is currently too busy.
• The member also asked what the process was for Yukoners to give input and was told that was up to the Yukon Government.
• When the member asked Yukon Government they deferred her back to the Federal office.
• If Yukoners want to have a say or give input they will have to write and or call their MP, Premier, and Senator to request that a YUKON consultation be provided.
Among the proposed YESAA changes the following are the most problematic:
• Binding Policy Direction to YESAA Board – the Minister of AAND (Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development) has the final say, so the Federal Government would have the final say.
• Delegation of Federal Powers – that same Minister of AAND can delegate his or her powers to the Yukon Government, giving the final say to the Yukon Government whenever they chose to.
• Exemptions for Renewals or Amendments on Applications – while this may be a positive change in regards to small-scale non-industrial projects, there is no differentiation and therefore can also apply to large-scale projects and thus allowing them to bypass the entire YESAA process.
• Shorter Timelines for YESAA Assessments – cut down to 16 months overall, from the moment they receive the application. This does not allow nearly enough time in many cases as was stated by some indecent environmental consultants in the room. It’s a fast track through environmental assessment.
Some Background on history of Changes to YESAA:
• From 2008 – 2012 the Federal Government, YG, and Yukon First Nation’s did a review on YESAA, and although it was not consensus, those changes were put through.
• Also in 2008 the Minister of AAND appointed Neil McCrank to write a report outlining proposed recommendations for advancing the regulatory regime in Northern Canada, called the Road to Improvement. McCrank wrote that Yukon already had one in place and did not recommend any changes.
None of the new proposed changes in Bill S-6 were ever mentioned in either the Review or in McCrank’s report as changes that needed to be made to the YESAA Act.
Contact info for letters:
langd@sen.parl.gc.ca
Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A4
ryan.leef@parl.gc.ca
Suite 200A
204 Black Street
Whitehorse YT Y1A 2M9
premier@gov.yk.ca
Yukon Government Administration Building
2071 Second Avenue
PO Box 2703
Whitehorse YT Y1A 2C6
CC:
editor@yukon-news.com
Yukon News
211 Wood Street
Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Y1A 2E4
editor@whitehorsestar.com
2149 Second Avenue
Whitehorse, YT Y1A 1C5
Fax: 1+ (867) 668-7130
Nate Hagens Asks “What if the Future is Real?”
Whitehorse – What happens when our nation’s growth-based economy stops growing? What happens when non-renewable energy sources become too expensive to widely use? Why do we have an aversion to acting on the future? And what can we do in the Yukon? Dr. Nate Hagens will travel to Whitehorse on October 16th to discuss these and other questions with Yukoners.
Dr. Hagens is a well-known speaker on the big picture issues facing human society. Until recently he was lead editor of The Oil Drum, one of the most popular and highly-respected websites for analysis and discussion of global energy supplies and the future implications of energy decline. Nate is currently on the Boards of the Post Carbon Institute, the Bottleneck Foundation, the Institute for Integrated Economic Research and the Institute for the Study of Energy and the Future.
He has appeared on PBS, BBC, ABC and NPR, and has lectured around the world. He holds a Masters Degree in Finance from the University of Chicago and a PhD in Natural Resources from the University of Vermont. Previously Nate was President of Sanctuary Asset Management and a Vice President at the investment firms Salomon Brothers and Lehman Brothers.
His public talk titled “What if the future is real? The future of Whitehorse, Yukon and Canada in a world of environmental and economic constraints” is the first in the “Sustainable Change for the Yukon” speakers series created by CPAWS Yukon.
Dr. Hagens says, “The Yukon is going to be in the crosshairs of the energy/economy/environment battles in the years to come. The Territory faces a set of unique opportunities stemming from its smaller population and bountiful natural capital. It could very well be a place where a better world starts.”
Gill Cracknell, Executive Director of CPAWS Yukon explains, “Dr. Hagens’ presentation comes at an important time for Yukoners. We are grappling with our energy future and are increasingly aware of the need for greater sustainability in the Territory. I hope this presentation will spark dialogue and ideas from fellow Yukoners which can help us all move forward together.”
Dr. Hagen’s talk will take place at 7:30 pm on Thursday, October 16th at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre. Admission by donation.
For more information or to arrange an interview with Dr. Hagens contact:
Gill Cracknell
Executive Director
CPAWS-Yukon
332-8079
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Yukon First Nations and environmental groups go to court to protect the Peel River Watershed
Yukon First Nations and environmental groups go to court to protect the Peel River Watershed July 7-11
Whitehorse, YT – Thomas R. Berger, O.C., Q.C. will argue a landmark constitutional case against the Government of Yukon on behalf of two Yukon First Nations and two environmental organizations in Yukon Supreme Court in Whitehorse, July 7-11, 2014.
Berger and his clients, the First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Yukon Chapter (CPAWS Yukon) and the Yukon Conservation Society (YCS), launched legal action January 27, 2014, to force the Government of Yukon to implement a Land Use Plan that would protect 54,000 square kilometres of wilderness in northern Yukon’s Peel River Watershed from mining and other industrial development.
This plan was produced by the Peel Watershed Planning Commission after seven years of research and consultation, following a constitutionally mandated process under Yukon land claims agreements. It recommends permanent protection of 55 per cent and interim protection for an additional 25 per cent, of the Peel watershed. Although the Commission’s plan is endorsed by the affected First Nations and has widespread public support, on January 21, 2014 the Government of Yukon adopted its own plan for the region, which opens up over 70 percent of the watershed to roads and industrial development.
“Yukon Government’s unilateral decision to accept their own plan for the Peel undermines our Final Agreements,” says Nacho Nyak Dun Chief Ed Champion. “Government’s decision is also creating uncertainty for resource companies who want to do business in the Yukon, and it makes meaningful business relations between First Nations and resource companies difficult.”
“The fresh water that the seven rivers of the Peel Watershed provide is by far the most valuable resource within the Peel,” says Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Chief Eddie Taylor. “Although we wanted 100% protected, we are willing to compromise and accept the Peel Commission’s Final Recommended Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan. We will stand up for our rights in court – the Peel Watershed is sacred to us as it was to our ancestors, and we want it to be around for our grandchildren.”
More than 50 elders from Mayo, Dawson and Mackenzie Delta communities are expected to join First Nation leadership to witness the historic proceedings.
“We are excited by the tremendous public support there is for our case,” says CPAWS Yukon Executive Director Gill Cracknell. “The importance of protecting one of North America’s last remaining large-scale wilderness watersheds has united people across the Yukon, Northwest Territories and beyond. To honour the many people who have expressed an interest in being involved during the trial week, a number of events have been organized in Whitehorse and the communities, as well as on social media.”
“There is no social license for resource development in the parts of the watershed that the Peel Commission has recommended for protection,” says YCS Peel Watershed Coordinator Karen Baltgailis. “We encourage mining companies with claims in those parts of the Peel to show their good will by giving up their contentious claims and operating in other parts of the Yukon where they are welcome.”
Details about the trial, events, the Peel Protection campaign, the plaintiff’s and defendant’s Outline of Argument and the plaintiff’s statement of claim can be viewed at: http://www.protectpeel.ca/protect_peel_campaign.html
.
A daily Peel Trial Blog has also been established that will feature a daily audio podcast summarizing the day’s events inside and outside the courtroom. Follow or join the conversation on Facebook, @CPAWSYukon, #ProtectPeel
Events planned for the week of the trial include:
• July 7th: 12:30 – 1 p.m. a Silent Vigil for the Peel on the front steps of the Law Courts (2134 Second Ave., Whitehorse)
• July 10th: 7:00 p.m. Voices of the Peel – Together Today for our Children Tomorrow at the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre (1171 First Ave, Whitehorse): Elders and youth tell their stories, images, music and dancing.
• July 7 – 11th: noon – 1:00 p.m. Prayer Circle for the Peel at the Dänojà Zho Cultural Centre (1131 Front Street, Dawson City).
About the Peel River Watershed
Located at the northern end of the Rocky and Mackenzie Mountain Chain, the Peel River Watershed is a spectacularly rugged region defined by the Peel, Ogilvie, Blackstone, Hart, Wind, Snake and Bonnet Plume rivers. One of Canada’s most striking and pristine mountain river watersheds, the Peel is the heart of a great mountain ecosystem with a long cultural history, free-ranging wildlife and a rugged northern beauty. Encompassing over 67,500 square kilometres, the Peel Watershed dwarfs more famous landscapes, such as Banff and Yellowstone national parks – in size, unspoiled splendor and ecological integrity.
The Peel Watershed is one of North America’s largest intact ecosystems – a region of mountains, deep canyons, plateaus, wetlands and rolling hills laced by rivers. The watershed is the northern anchor of the Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, a broad-based international project to protect ecosystem connections for wildlife.
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Media: high resolution Images, video and facts are available in Dropbox https://www.dropbox.com/sh/a2rkzl0mutgd74c/N_Ao14ZEIp
Media interested in attending the trial can contact Amber Church achurch@cpawsyukon.org or 867-335-4884. Typical trial hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you wish to record the proceedings with video, audio, or wish to live-tweet or live-blog the proceedings an official application must be made to the court registry. Inquiries regarding photography should be directed to the court registry. You can contact the courts at: 867-667-5441 or courtservices@gov.yk.ca
Media Contacts:
Kate Rogers, Tartan Group: 604-880-1494 (cell) or kate@tartangroup.ca
Amber Church (as of July 2nd): 867-335-4884 (cell) or achurch@cpawsyukon.org
Motorcyclist Rides 4000 km for Peel Including Dempster Highway Standing Up
Edmontonian Don Curry III has come up with a creative new way to stand up for the protection of the Peel Watershed – literally. The HVAC company owner will travel the Dempster Highway between Dawson City, Yukon and Inuvik, NWT, a distance of 774 km, standing up on his motorcycle the whole way.
His journey will take him an even greater distance than that however. The intrepid motorcyclist will start in Portland, Oregon; travel north through British Columbia; continuing through Whitehorse to Dawson City where he will commence the final leg of his journey standing up. In total the journey will cover more than 4000 km.
“This is a subject that should be on the minds of every North American, not just Yukoners,” says Curry. “This watershed is an organ of our continent and ultimately our entire planet. Now is the time to take responsibility for what comes next. The full ride is meant to be a beckoning to follow me North where we will all stand up for this vital land on the 7th.”
“I am the fourth generation on my father’s side that has lived and worked around Elsa and the Mayo Lake area,” Curry says. “I’ve spent a lot of time in these parts and feel a great reverence with this area.” He adds, “I’ve had a Protect Peel bumper sticker on my truck for a while now and I felt that it was time to step it up a few thousand notches.”
And step it up he has. Curry has committed $2000 personally to the Peel legal case to get the ball rolling on the fundraising component of his ride. Within the first couple of days of announcing his trip he has already secured two donations matching his personal contribution, bringing the total to $6000, with the promise of more support on the way. He hopes to raise significantly more between now and the end of his ride.
This is not the first time Curry has undertaken a trip like this. “In 2009 I rode my motorbike up the Alaska Highway and explored many trail systems around the Yukon. I love finding old abandoned roads that nobody has been up in years. This bike has had a good life so far.”
Curry will depart, standing up, from Dawson City on July 7th. Curry’s trip coincides with the commencement of the Peel court case in Yukon Supreme Court in Whitehorse on July 7th.
Gill Cracknell, Executive Director of CPAWS-Yukon (one of the plaintiffs in the Peel court case), says of Curry’s ride, “We’re really inspired and energized by this exciting and creative fundraiser. People like Don Curry give us the energy to keep fighting for the protection of the Peel Watershed.”
To learn more about the campaign to protect the Peel watershed and to support Don’s fundraising efforts visit www.protectpeel.ca
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For more information contact:
Don Curry
Rider, Stand Up, Protect the Peel
780-292-4892
airaid@live.com
Gill Cracknell
Executive Director, CPAWS-Yukon
867-393-8080 ext 6
gcracknell@cpawsyukon.org
Berger Legal Opinion: No Obligation to Compensate for Peel Mining Claims
Whitehorse – Today CPAWS Yukon and the Yukon Conservation Society announced the conclusions reached in a legal opinion by Thomas R. Berger, O.C., Q.C. that states that Yukon Government would not be legally obligated to provide compensation for existing mining claims in the Peel watershed if the Peel Planning Commission’s Final Recommended Plan were to be implemented.
“Once again, Yukon Government is saying in the legislature that if the Final Recommended Plan for the Peel Watershed was implemented the taxpayer would be on the hook to pay compensation to mining companies with existing claims in the watershed,” said YCS Executive Director Karen Baltgailis. “Mr. Berger’s thirty-three page, carefully reasoned and researched legal opinion shows that this simply isn’t true.”
The executive summary to Berger’s opinion states:
We have considered whether, if the Final Recommended Plan (FRP) of the Peel Commission is implemented, the Government of Yukon (YG) would be obliged to compensate owners of mineral claims or other property interest within protected areas for economic loss resulting from restrictions on the use of their land.
This issue arises because of the provision in the FRP that surface access to existing mineral claims would not be permitted in protected areas (though access by air would be allowed.)
It is vital to keep in mind that instituting a program of land use planning is not the same thing as expropriation … The Supreme Court in Tener compared land use planning to zoning. When your property is rezoned, you are not compensated. Everyone whose land is rezoned must live with what may well be a very serious limitation on the use of such land.
Berger also points out that to amount to de facto expropriation, two conditions must be met:
1. The government must acquire a beneficial interest in the land in question … In the case of the implementation of the Peel Commission’s FRP, YG acquires no beneficial interest in the mineral claims.
2. Removal of all reasonable uses of the land … It could be argued this would be the outcome under the FRP, since there would be no access except by air.
Berger emphasizes that both conditions must be met for there to be de facto expropriation. Since there would be no acquisition of beneficial interest by Yukon government in the mineral claims, Government of Yukon would have no obligation to pay compensation.
“It is perplexing that Yukon Government seems to be promising compensation, or inviting law suits, in cases where protected areas are created under Yukon land claims agreements,” said CPAWS Yukon Executive Director Gill Cracknell. “Worse yet, now they are inviting companies to stake claims despite the uncertainty of a legal case that could take years hanging over the Peel watershed.”
“Most of the claims in the Peel were staked after the land use planning process began,” added Baltgailis. “Those companies should have been well aware that protected areas could be zoned in the area. Is Yukon Government trying to encourage companies that may well have staked claims in the hopes of receiving compensation, to sue?”
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Contact:
Gill Cracknell
Executive Director
CPAWS-Yukon
867-332-8079
Karen Baltgailis
Executive Director
Yukon Conservation Society
867-668-5678
Public action for Peel Case represented by Thomas Berger is ramping up
As the July 7th date for the Peel Legal Case represented by Thomas Berger approaches, the public initiatives for the Peel are ramping up rather than slowing down.
“Since the lawsuit was announced on January 27th we have been overwhelmed by the outpouring of public support,” says Amber Church, Conservation Campaigner with CPAWS-Yukon, “The goal of raising $100,000 for the court case is already coming close to the halfway mark!”
In the ten weeks since the court case was announced, rallies have taken place in Aklavik, Dawson, Fort McPherson, Haines Junction, Inuvik, Mayo, Old Crow, and Whitehorse; musicians organized a Playing for the Peel fundraising concert; A Yoga for the Peel fundraiser was hosted by Breath of Life Studio; songs for the Peel have been written and performed by local artists; members of the public are throwing private Parties for the Peel to raise funds; and Bean North Coffee Roasters have created a special Wakeup Watershed Blend to help with the cause.
This powerful set of events looks to be just the tip of the iceberg. In the next month the public can look forward to a whole new series of fundraising events including:
• April 4 – 28: What about the Peel? Art show by Yukon Artists @ Work, opening April 4, 5 – 8 pm
• April 5: Yukon Youth Indoor Climbing Team’s Peel Climb-a-thon fundraiser, 8 am – 8 pm
• April 12: Zip-line for the Peel fundraiser at Equinox Rocks,Takhini Hot Springs, 1 – 4 pm
• May 9: Backcountry stories for the Peel at the Centre de la Francophonie, 5 – 9 pm
“It’s incredible to see so many different people taking action for something they believe in” says Jody Overduin, Outreach Coordinator with CPAWS-Yukon, “What is so exciting so see, is people taking their own passion and talent to contribute. Caribou Legs is an extreme runner – he is running 1200km for the Peel. Cyclists in the Kluane-Chilkat International Bike Relay are riding under Peel-inspired names, like the ‘Les Goons de la Peel’ and ‘Wheels for the Peel’. Young climbers are climbing 12-hours for the Peel. There has been yoga for the Peel, music, art, zip-lines, coffee, the list keeps on growing.”
“It’s the passion, enthusiasm, and commitment of the public to the Peel campaign that inspires us to keep fighting for true protection of the watershed and true democracy in the land-use planning process,” says Church, “without them we would have burned out long ago. I know everyone who works on this campaign wants to say thank you from the bottom of their hearts to the people of the Yukon.”
For more information contact:
Amber Church
Conservation Campaigner, CPAWS-Yukon
Cell: 867-335-4884
Office: 867-393-8080 ext 2
Jody Overduin
Outreach Coordinator, CPAWS-Yukon
Cell: 867 332-0310
Office: 867-393-8080 ext 3
CPAWS says government characterization of Peel protection misleading
CPAWS-Yukon says the Yukon government misled the public on its plans for the Peel River Watershed during the 2014-2015 Budget Address.
In the Premier’s March 25 budget speech, the characterization of the level of protection for the Peel provided by government’s Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan was specious and inaccurate.
The issue lies specifically with how Yukon government has chosen to represent the Restricted Use Wilderness Areas (RUWAs).
“In the budget address the government says that its plan provides for protection of 72.8% of the Peel by combining the areas they have designated as RUWAs and Protected Areas,” explains Gill Cracknell, executive director of CPAWS-Yukon, “This is greenwashing. RUWAs are part of the working landscape where you can stake new mineral claims and build new roads with various management and mitigation measures. They are essentially the same as Integrated Management Areas and should be characterized as such.”
“This is not protection based on principles of ecological science,” says Cracknell. “It is mitigation with a primary focus on industry and access.”
The government’s protected areas don’t conform to scientific principles of large-scale protection. The core of the Peel area – more than 71% of the watershed – is open for new staking, industry and roads.
“This isn’t the vision the public or the First Nations expressed for this region,” says Cracknell. “But, according to the government, it is ‘in the best interests of all Yukoners’ (quoted from the 2014-2015 Budget Address).”
While the Premier presented the budget inside the Yukon Legislature, Yukoners gathered outside to express outrage over the Yukon government’s Peel Plan. Since the government announced its Peel plan mid-January, public support for true protection of the Peel has continued to grow with Yukoners attending events, organizing fundraisers, writing letters to Yukon government and the media, and donating funds towards the Peel legal case. “It is inspiring to see that so many Yukoners stand in solidarity with the Peel campaign,” says Cracknell. “It keeps driving us forward.”
For more information contact:
Gill Cracknell
Executive Director
CPAWS-Yukon
Cell: 332-8079
Office: 867-393-8080 ext 6