Our Stories
Yukon court dismisses case that threatened the Peel Plan
After rallying together in the cold in Whitehorse and across the Yukon and NWT last November, the decision to dismiss the Yukon government’s case was welcome news. The judge ruled the challenge was not legally permissible and out of step with constitutionally protected processes, reinforcing the integrity of the Peel Plan and Final Agreements. [Learn more]
Panel Discussion: Mining on Unceded Territories
As Yukon mineral legislation is being re-written, explore the history and future of mining on unceded Indigenous Lands in the Yukon. Panelists included Testloa Smith (Kaska Elder), Josh Barichello (Ross River Dena Council Lands Department), Ann Maje Raider (Kaska Elder, Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society), Linda McDonald (Liard First Nation, Liard Aboriginal Women’s Society), and Hammond Dick (Kaska Elder). [Learn more]
What the Heap? Understanding the cyanide disaster at Eagle Mine
Water contaminated with cyanide and heavy metals is still seeping into the ground. It has reached local waterways, including Haggart Creek in the South McQuesten watershed, home to grayling and Yukon River salmon. This disaster will change how people interact with the area. A public inquiry is the only way forward. [Learn more]
Voices from the Wind River
Voices from the Wind River brought together 250 people at the Yukon Arts Centre for an evening of film, music, and powerful storytelling. The night highlighted youth river trips, the importance of land and water stewardship, and raised over $9,500 to support future community trips with Yukon First Nations. [Learn more]
Conversations with Voices from the Wind River
Smoky skies and transformative experiences marked the 2023 Wind River Trip. Paddling through stunning landscapes and bonding as a community, youth found strength in the land. Their stories of resilience, connection, and cultural discovery echoed at Voices from the Wind River, inspiring all who listened. [Learn more]
What happened in 2024? Here’s our Year in Review
Every year, as I reflect on all that we’ve worked on, I’m always blown away by what the CPAWS team does. This year is no different. Here’s our recap of what happened in 2024. [Learn more]
Celebrating people and nature with Yataya
During the summer, Yataya spent months drawing and interviewing people from Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council for her portrait project. By blending her artistic background with culture, Yataya not only created art, but also bridged communities, shared stories, and honoured the land and its people. [Learn more]
Whitehorse Municipal Election Questionnaire 2024
Ahead of this year’s City of Whitehorse municipal election, we posed five environmental questions to all candidates. [Learn more]
What’s The Point? Dàmäwtän and the need for remediation
Concerns have been growing for decades around the damage—environmental, aesthetic, cultural, or otherwise—dumping has done to Dàmäwtän. Today, waste such as tires, metal, car parts, and plastics continues to affect the landscape, waterways, and wildlife, creating physical hazards and potentially releasing hazardous chemicals. [Learn more]
Travelling in the Yukon? Be a respectful guest
The Yukon’s lands and waters are also the traditional territories of 14 Yukon First Nations, the Inuvialuit, and transboundary First Nations in British Columbia, Northwest Territories, and Alaska. Guests travelling anywhere in the Yukon are visiting the traditional territories of a First Nation. In visiting these areas, you are taking on a responsibility and duty to show respect and gratitude for its stewards, as well as the land, water, and animals. [Learn more]
Stony Creek, More Valuable Than Gold
Would you want someone mucking around for gold in the water that you and your family drink? Many residents of Mendenhall have said they most certainly do not. CPAWS Yukon stands alongside members of Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and Kwanlin Dün First Nation, along with other residents of Mendenhall who have recently expressed deep concern around a proposed placer mining project at Stony Creek. [Learn more]
Mining in Whitehorse: Speaking out and wading through potential futures
Mining is intertwined with Whitehorse’s past, but should it be part of its future? At City Council’s March 11th public hearing on mining in Whitehorse, the large majority of people who spoke said “No.” Standing with my notes in hand, I reflected on the escalating risks and damages mining brings and how important it is for people to have a strong say in the future of Whitehorse, one where the well-being of residents and housing needs are prioritized. [Learn more]