Yukon permit hunt will go ahead, despite errors in redraw

The Yukon Department of Environment says the 2018-2019 permit hunt will go ahead even though more than 300 hunters were affected by errors in the lottery redraw.

Initial results from the lottery were announced on July 3, but errors were discovered in how applications were weighted, according to a news release from the territorial government.

According to Roxanne Stasyszyn, director of communications for the Yukon Department of Environment, the problem was caused by a technological glitch.

"We're transitioning to a fully electronic system," she said. "The computer only picked up some of those historic files, not all of them ... Up until last year we had a significant amount of human intervention to make sure all were caught."

Applications are weighted based on the number of years an applicant has applied for permit hunt authorizations without receiving a permit.

Following a correction, the permits were redrawn for caribou, sheep, moose and mountain goat hunting permits. Those results were announced on July 10, but further errors were found.

Applications were not cross-referenced meaning that some people had duplicate applications entered in the lottery.

The release said 311 people who submitted a total of 1166 applications were impacted by the errors.

The Kluane sheep draw was unaffected.

The department said it is deciding not to hold another lottery draw as the hunting season starts August 1 and hunters need time to prepare.

All applicants that did not receive a permit will have their application fees refunded, the department said and the 311 affected hunters will be given an additional year's weighting the next time they apply for a permit.

Minister of Environment Pauline Frost also said she has called for an independent review to address longstanding concerns related to the lottery to ensure that it is operating fairly and effectively.

"I am very disappointed with the errors that have affected this redraw," she said in a statement.

"We want to ensure hunters have certainty when it comes to the accuracy and fairness of the permit system."

Hunting permits are issued through the lottery process when the number of applications for the authorizations exceed the number available.

More than 4,300 applications were submitted by 1158 people for the 247 available permits.