Public input open on Dawson regional land use plan

The Yukon government and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation have opened public consultations on the final recommended Dawson Regional Land Use Plan, with feedback accepted from Oct. 26 until Dec. 18.

Open houses begin Nov. 9 at the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Community Hall in Dawson City, according to a joint news release reported by the Yukon News. Others follow at the Mayo Curling Lounge on Nov. 12, in Old Crow on Nov. 16 and at the Gold Rush Inn in Whitehorse on Nov. 18, before a final session in Dawson on Nov. 20. A virtual open house is set for Nov. 24 from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

The Dawson Regional Planning Commission handed over its final recommended plan on March 31, after six years of work. The plan covers about 40,000 square kilometres, roughly 10 per cent of the territory, across the traditional territories of three self-governing First Nations.

Feedback will go to a Senior Liaison Committee, which will help the Yukon and Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in governments decide whether to accept, reject or modify the plan. The Yukon government is also consulting the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun and the White River First Nation about their rights in the region.

The plan is built on co-management, with both governments sharing equal power in carrying it out, monitoring the region and making decisions on public lands. Town boundaries and territorial parks are excluded. It divides the region into Landscape Management Units, with rules ranging from flexible areas open to balanced development to protected areas where mining is prohibited.

The plan also proposes a system to track cumulative environmental effects, using measures such as ground disturbance and road density, with advisory, cautionary and critical warning levels. Areas needing dedicated access management plans include the Goldfields, Tr’ondëk (Klondike) and Sixty Mile (Khel Dëk) regions.

The two governments plan to publish a “What We Heard” report in early 2027.

Northern land and community decisions are also in the news elsewhere in the territory, including Haines Junction’s frustration over repeated post office closures and Parks Canada job changes affecting 125 northern staff.

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