Review of Dawson land use plan taking 'more time than we want,' says Yukon gov't

The Yukon government has not yet submitted its recommendations for the Dawson Regional Land Use Plan, despite saying earlier that it would do so by last month.

And the territory acknowledges it's taking longer than hoped for.

Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation and the Yukon government have been working together for the past five years to develop the land use plan. It's an objective under Chapter 11 of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in final agreement, to exercise their right to participate in the management of public resources within the First Nation's traditional territory.

In 2022, the Dawson Regional Planning Commission released its latest draft of a land use plan which would lay the groundwork for how roughly 10 per cent of Yukon's land mass should be co-managed in the future.

Both the Yukon Government and the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation were then tasked with reviewing the plan, and deciding whether to accept, reject, or recommend changes to the draft plan.

The First Nation submitted its response and recommendations in April.

In August, the department of Energy, Mines and Resources said it was still doing a full review of the plan, and consulting with the White River First Nation as an affected First Nation with asserted traditional territory in the area. The government said that's why it hadn't submitted its response yet, but said it expected to do so by October.

In the legislative assembly last week, Energy, Mines and Resources Minister John Streicker said his department was still in the reviewing and consulting stage of the process. He said the government has a responsibility to engage with other First Nations.

"Everybody wants this to move forward, and it is just the hard work of the public servants who are doing their diligence around this that is taking more time than we want," Streicker said. 

"We are working to get it there."

The minister offered no timeline as to when the territory would officially submit its response to the plan.

Feeling 'hijacked'

The territory's reason for why it's taking more time doesn't sit well with Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in Chief Darren Taylor.

He says his First Nation feels "somewhat hijacked" by the government's efforts to consult with the White River First Nation, saying that's not a requirement.    

"From our perspective, we [Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in] have a final land claims agreement," he said. "Our deal is done.

"We're not willing to have any First Nation encroach upon our traditional territory until a strength of claim is proven, and dealt with. My understanding is they [White River] haven't proven strength of claim, and yet Yukon Government is giving us the impression that they have this legal obligation to consult with White River First Nation."

CBC News contacted White River First Nation for comment but nobody responded before publication.

Taylor said his First Nation offered its recommendations for the land use plan a year ago, and he doesn't understand why the process is now at a stand-still.

"We have very limited staff," he said. "We met the appropriate deadlines in regards to providing our written submission into the draft plan. The Yukon Government has a lot of people working on their behalf and I'm just not understanding why they couldn't provide their response prior to the deadline."