Latest news with #Yukon
CBC
2 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Q+A: Why the Yukon Chamber of Commerce could go out of business
Chambers of commerce aren't exempt from the same economic laws as their members —if expenses are higher than revenue, your days are numbered. That's the situation the Yukon Chamber of Commerce now finds itself in. Members will vote next month on whether to wind down the organization, or try to keep going with a new board. Managing director Patti Balsillie spokes to Yukon Morning host Elyn Jones about the situation. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. So we laid out some of the reasons that the chamber is is considering shutting down. Tell us more about the Yukon Chamber and how you got to this place. There's loosely 17 to 20 trade-related non-profit organizations designed for advocacy that are all trying to vie for additional member benefits and services and programs to attract revenue. This is not a situation that happened in three months. Since COVID, I think business communities have had to decide how and where to spend their money and they're looking for strong value and non-redundancy. So I think the state of today is an operational model that didn't respond to those changes. Where does the chamber's funding come from? Twenty per cent of revenue or less is member revenue. So if you imagine any NGO office having at least one staff person, that's $100,000 in wages and rent etc. So when you have more members, you need to diversify revenue streams from event sponsorship, delivery of services, anything that might have a fee for service and of course Yukon government funding. Over time, I think the momentum behind the role of the Yukon chamber has been distracted with fundraising and finding its relevancy. Forty years ago there was not the plethora of NGOs and today we're in a very noisy space. I, as a small business person, have five industry memberships right now either for professional development or networking or advocacy, and it's not sustainable. Would it make more sense in your mind to have one umbrella organization that would advocate for all those groups? Is that what you're proposing? I'm not proposing anything. I'm getting out of the way to let the membership decide. The owners of the organization are those who vote and pay membership. And so the members meeting is June 11th. It's their call on how they want to proceed. We have a motion to dissolve. Should they not support that motion, there needs to be an 'OK, then what?' And it needs to have a volunteer tsunami behind it. The current organization, the current board on their behalf, they are extremely disappointed to have to arrive at this place. It's been really tough and they've rolled up their sleeves to say, 'What do we do? If not this, then what? How do we not take responsibility?' We also have businesses to run and families to look after. How much of an issue has has member turnover been? I'm gonna say it's been a 50 per cent or greater turnover with resignations by board members for all kinds of reasons including business is busy and they have to pick their time. Volunteer hours are at a premium right now. Why is having a Yukon Chamber of Commerce important? We have over 10,000 people living or more living outside of the City of Whitehorse who are also running businesses and facing challenges with roads or waste or taxes or labour and they need an advocacy voice. And the Yukon chamber came into play in 1985 because of that. Today those businesses remain, their challenges are different yet similar and they need a leadership voice.
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Whitehorse officials stumped by rogue lumberjack who leaves logs, but no leads
Whitehorse city officials are asking for the public's help to figure out who is chopping down trees along the Millennium Trail. "It's a bit of a mystery at this point," said Nicole Tattam, the city's parks supervisor. Tattam said they assume it's not for firewood, because in one instance, whoever did it left the wood stacked neatly in place. The felled trees are also aspen, which she said is not a very popular firewood because it burns quickly, produces a lot of smoke and doesn't produce a lot of heat. Another hypothesis is vigilante FireSmarting — an effort to reduce the risk of fires spreading, should any start up in the area. "Possibly looks like they were [dead] leaning trees, so that was one thing that came to mind, but we're just not sure," Tattam said. Tattam said bylaw officers don't have any leads at the moment. She said her team is focusing on education. She said only city employees can cut down standing trees. Homeowners can submit a "tree removal request" to have a tree removed — for example, if it's threatening to fall through their roof. Residents can also apply for a "cutting authorization" to take up to one cord of wood from logs on the forest floor. She said the city usually responds to applications within a day or two. Tattam said instances like this are rare. "This was just a lot of trees, and as far as we can tell, live trees, in a very, very public area."
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Yukon gov't temporarily extends some placer mining licences while working through permit backlog
The Yukon government is issuing temporary licence extensions to placer miners in the queue for licence renewals as staff work through the backlog of permit approvals and licence renewal applications. On Thursday, the territory made "temporary" amendments to the Placer Mining Land Use Regulation and the Quartz Mining Land Use Regulation to approve extensions to eligible operators — and temporary additions to the Waters Regulation to authorize eligible operators to use water consistent with the terms of their existing licence while seeking a licence renewal. "We feel this will help alleviate the pressure on the overall system," said John Streicker, Yukon's minister of energy, mines and resources. The decision comes after placer miners and advocates went public about delays that were costing them their ability to work. Some had been in limbo for over a year waiting for their approvals. Streicker said extensions will be given to operators whose licences are close to expiring, including 19 operators whose licences recently expired while in queue for renewal. Extensions will also be given to "previously approved projects that have been through the First Nations consultation process and are within the temporal, spatial and activity scope of the decision documents already in place." "The way we're looking at this is because those mines have already been operating, already did consultation and engagement on them, we can allow them to continue in a temporary way while we work through the backlog," Streicker told CBC News. Streicker said this doesn't change the licence renewal or permitting approval process, but it's a temporary way to keep people working while still following regulations. He added that his department has already begun contacting placer miners to notify them of the extension. Will Fellers is the president of the Klondike Placer Miners Association. He said he was very glad to hear about new changes, but he wants to speak with the Minister before he gets too excited about anything just yet. "We know the government's been working on this behind the scenes and I'm glad to see something finally has came out of it," Fellers told CBC News. "I haven't been briefed on it yet. This is just new, so it will be interesting to hear from John [Streicker] exactly what the specifics are of this but if its the case it's a great step in getting the operators back being able to go out on the land and back to work again. "That makes me happy to hear."
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Changes to Jordan's Principle funding requirements could negatively impact Yukon's rural nutrition programs
For the past five years, the Jordan's Principle nutrition program has provided all Yukon First Nations children with two healthy meals a day, but those who run the program say recent changes to the eligibility requirements for Jordan's Principle could change that. Jordan's Principle is a human rights principle established by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal to make sure that First Nations children do not face gaps, delays or denials in accessing government services because of their identity as First Nations children. The focus of the program hasn't changed, but the requirements for funding have. "In February, the federal government sent down, for Jordan's Principle [funding], new operational requirements for reporting and applying," said Melanie Bennett, executive director for the Yukon First Nation Education Directorate (YFNED). Bennett said the new requirements call for each individual child's name and status card number to be attached to each funding proposal. She called the new requirements "tedious" and said she doesn't understand what they are meant to accomplish. "Those operational requirements now put a significant barrier, in my eyes, on the access to the funds." Impact on rural nutrition programs Bennett said the changes to Jordan's Principle negatively impact First Nations nutrition programs in Yukon, especially in rural communities. She said YFNED fully operates the nutrition program offered in Whitehorse. But in rural communities, YFNED only writes the funding proposals to Jordan's Principle and does a "service co-ordination" that supports the local First Nations that implement the program themselves. Bennett said many Yukon First Nations are already working at full capacity. She said adding extra administrative work puts even more pressure on their staff. "Let's say I have a hundred children and I've now provided information on that, but one month later I have three hundred children. What's the mechanism in place that I'm going to be able to ensure that there will be an adjustment on that funding?" Bennett said that right now, the changes to Jordan's Principle don't come with any straightforward ways to get funding adjusted as programs grow, and there are privacy issues as well. "When you have to identify numbers and names, we have to make sure that that information is being kept confidential and secure. We weren't provided from the federal government any method or path we could use that would ensure that," she said. Bennett said YFNED wants to show Indigenous Services Canada and Jordan's Principle that the way things have been going for the past five years has been working well in the Yukon. The organization is urging the federal government to rethink its new requirements. Bennett said YFNED has secured funding for the nutrition program until the end of July. Yukon MP says concerns are being heard Yukon's Liberal MP Brendan Hanley said the new requirements for Jordan's Principle funding are in place across every province and territory in Canada — not just Yukon. He said they are aimed at improving the tracking of funds, and accountability of those accessing them. "I think what the department is trying to do is have more clarity and consistency around the criteria in general," Hanley said. Hanley said he's heard from YFNED and Yukon First Nations about their concerns over the changes. He said he has relayed those concerns to both the previous and current ministers of Indigenous Services Canada and trusts the message was heard loud and clear. "Minister [Mandy] Gull-Masty is herself Indigenous, and I know Jordan's Principle for her is a large priority," He said. "Of course, there's work to be done. Jordan's Principle will be honoured, and we will let the departments and ministers work out how the funding will be secured, as well as where this personal information that's being required is not a good fit for how the program is delivered through YFNED. "I obviously can't give you a definitive answer but I can tell you that we have relayed those concerns, and I will continue to be a part of that conversation," Hanley said.
CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
Whitehorse hospital making improvements after equipment sterilization problems
Water and steam quality are to blame for a months-long equipment sterilization issue at Whitehorse General Hospital that triggered the cancellations of nearly 150 surgeries and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. A report released Monday details a review of the issue that caused residue on surgical instruments from the end of January to early April. The 363-page report, written by third party contractors, provides over one hundred recommendations to improve hospital infrastructure. Tiffany Boyd, CEO of the Yukon Hospital Corporation, says three-quarters of those recommendations are already underway. "We wanted not only to resolve the issue in a very thorough and complex way to protect our community and our population for the future, but we wanted to build redundancy. Because we're a rural and remote site, having redundant capacity is really important," Boyd said. The Whitehorse hospital has been back to its full surgical capacity, and completing its own sterilization on site, since April 7. It uses reverse osmosis treated water in a final rinse of equipment to ensure instruments are properly clean. To plan for any future emergencies, the hospital has purchased extra sets of equipment and staff have developed a system to sterilize equipment off-site if necessary. It involves packaging the instruments, sending them to Vancouver where staff sterilize them, re-pack them in sterile packaging, and return the equipment to careful airline staff who ensure the instruments arrive back to Yukon intact. "That pathway now exists and we can use it anytime we need," Boyd said. The hospital is also working on implementing other recommendations, including installing a reverse osmosis system and ultrafiltration systems — two methods of treating water. The report also recommends installing new water softeners, discarding expired supplies, keeping the door to the sterile storage room closed and better marking clean and soiled supplies. In the two months of sterilization issues, the hospital cancelled 165 surgeries. Most of those, 135, were cataract surgeries because the small equipment is too fragile to be transported for sterilization offsite. Dr. Alex Kmet, the chief of medical staff with the Yukon hospital corporation, said the disruptions had a major impact on patients and doctors having to make those decisions. "Deciding and recognizing that you have to preserve equipment for a potential emergency, knowing that there's a person scheduled and then deciding 'is it OK for me to go ahead or not' that is a profound moral and ethical issue on the providers," he said. "I have so much respect for my colleagues who navigated that." Boyd said the issues cost about $500,000 total, with the money being spent on shipping instruments for offsite sterilization, buying more equipment and consulting fees. She said there will be further costs to implement the consultants' recommendations and improve their infrastructure, but the hospital corporation will work with "partners" to ensure cost isn't a barrier.
