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CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Unusually low water in Yukon lakes this spring a sign of climate change, expert says
Social Sharing When Peter Heebink looks at the extra metres of sandy shore in front of his house on Marsh Lake, south of Whitehorse, he can't help but laugh. "I feel like having a beach party," Heebink said, standing in front of his beached kayak. Following a relatively dry winter and cool spring this year, water levels in some lakes and reservoirs across the Yukon are at record lows — including in the Southern Lakes region where Heebink lives. And while it's still early in the warmer months, one expert says things might not change much in the weeks or months ahead. "If the dry conditions continue, it would be very surprising to me that we reach the historical median or average in those lakes," said Benoit Turcotte, a senior researcher at Yukon University. Turcotte, who specializes in hydrology and climate change, says water levels are unusually low across the Yukon for this time of the year. He says that's due in part to some windy weather. "It just seems that we lost a lot of the snowpack to just sublimation — to the wind," Turcotte said. He says there's still enough snow up the mountains to fill up bodies of water in most areas in the Yukon. However, he says the territory will need a good amount of rain to reach average levels by the end of the summer. "That would mean a quite rainy summer and people would not be super happy about that," he said. Heebink says he would be concerned if the water level at his home stayed this low. But he's also somewhat relieved, recalling the serious flooding that hit the Southern Lakes region back in 2021. "Everyone was pretty traumatized," Heebink said. "You'll find most people are happy to see [low water levels] because if it's high this time of year, it's likely to be a flooding year, usually." Extreme weather patterns Yukon Energy said last week that Marsh Lake was not refilling as fast as usual, breaking a decades-old record. "Typically, snowmelt begins refilling Marsh Lake by mid-May, and in 75 per cent of years, it's underway by May 23rd," the electric utility company wrote on social media. "The latest start of refill since 1980 was June 1st. This year, due to ongoing unseasonably cool weather, we now expect lake refill after June 5th, which will be the latest on record." Yukon Energy says this is a "clear reminder" that with unpredictable weather conditions, climate change is affecting operations. Turcotte agrees. He says the territory will see more and more extreme weather patterns, including more drought and flooding. "We can always talk about climate change because we're in it," Turcotte said. "Anyone saying, 'oh, this is not climate change,' well ... everything is climate change, even a normal day is climate change ... In the Yukon, we're one rain storm away from a flood, and we're a few snowstorms that didn't happen or rain storms that didn't happen away from record-dry conditions." It's a serious worry for elder Charlie James from the Carcross/Tagish First Nation. He's been living in Carcross, about 72 kilometres south of Whitehorse, for at least 70 years. He says he has never seen the water level this low in the area. "We have a good relationship with the water ... everybody spends a lot of their time out on the water because it's healing," James said. "We dry a lot of our fish for winter. Lot of times, most elders like to have fresh fish year round. But we can't do that anymore." James says he's concerned about the fish, which need specific water conditions and depths for spawning. Fish habitat and migration, as well as energy production, and drinking water are among Turcotte's top concerns. He says the dry conditions are also a reminder that forest fires can start, and spread very quickly. "You can definitely enjoy this weather and all that, but we're never too close from having problems up here," he said.
Canada Standard
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Canada Standard
First Nations Angered at Being Elbowed Out as Provinces Fast-Track Projects
Donald Trump's 51st State threats may have Canadians advocating for a more #ElbowsUp approach to strengthening the economy, but Indigenous people are concerned they're being elbowed out of the way by some elected leaders. New legislation to fast-track infrastructure projects in British Columbia, Ontario, and Nova Scotia has Indigenous organizations questioning the provinces' commitment to reconciliation. They say the push to accelerate project approvals risks violating treaty rights and undermining Canada's 2021 law to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Indigenous people need to be involved early in the process, Ken Coates, program chair for Indigenous governance at Yukon University, told the Aboriginal People's Television Network (APTN). "The government is already sending out the agenda and deciding what the priorities are going to be." Coates added that the federal government's promise to render decisions on major projects within a two-year timeline was unrealistic, given there are "hundreds and hundreds of Indigenous people-First Nations, Metis, Inuit-and they are very different." In this week's Speech from the Throne-written by the Prime Minister's Office and read by King Charles III-Mark Carney's newly-elected government promised faster approvals for major infrastructure as a top priority. The speech also pledged up to $10 billion in loan guarantees for Indigenous communities to gain ownership in large projects. But First Nations leaders warn that unless governments at all levels honour treaties and uphold the UNDRIP principle of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC), they risk triggering protests, blockades, and litigation. UNDRIP requires governments to involve Indigenous people in a way that is "free from manipulation or coercion, informed by adequate and timely information, and occur(s) sufficiently prior to a decision so that Indigenous rights and interests can be incorporated or addressed effectively as part of the decision-making process." A wave of unprecedented moves to strip environmental protections, skip Indigenous consent requirements, and give governments more power is uniting Indigenous people across Canada, much the way Trump's threats united Canadians. In Ontario, Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservative government is yielding to some First Nation demands by amending its controversial mining bill to include duty to consult provisions throughout, reported The Canadian Press. Bill 5, the Protect Ontario by Unleashing our Economy Act, is being reviewed and almost certain to pass with the majority government. It revises or repeals a number of other laws, including the Ontario Heritage Act, the Mining Act, and the Endangered Species Act, among others. Prior to news of the coming amendment, Chiefs of Ontario First Nations opposed the bill in a statement and said they wanted it immediately withdrawn so that meaningful consultation with First Nations could begin. APTN News reported the bill creates "special economic zones," exempt from many laws and regulations, a move being viewed by many Indigenous peoples as an attack on First Nations lands, rights, and legal agreements with the Crown. After testifying at the standing committee reviewing the bill, Indigenous representatives spoke to reporters from a lectern with the message "Our rights are not for sale." That language echoed Ford's baseball cap slogan, popularized prior to this year's provincial election, with its message that "Canada is not for sale." "Ontario is trying to legislate us out of the conversation," Chief Shelly Moore-Frappier of the Temagami First Nation said of the original bill. "They are about to learn what happens when a nation has nothing left to lose and everything to defend." The amendment to Bill 5 would create a new category of zones, adding in "special Indigenous economic zones" at the request of First Nations for projects they want fast-tracked. But Indigenous peoples across Canada fear that special economic zones are being considered by other provinces and at the federal level, Chief Alvin Fiddler, Grand Chief of Nishnawbe Aski Nation, told the news conference. He predicted "conflict on the ground," adding that First Nations will do "anything and everything that will make this government listen to us," reported the Toronto Star. In British Columbia, First Nations leaders said proposed legislation to fast-track resource projects would likely lead to "conflict, protests, and litigation" unless the government engaged with First Nations on potential amendments. Bill 15, the Infrastructure Projects Act, was tabled May 1 by Premier David Eby's New Democratic government, which holds a narrow majority in the legislature. The Globe and Mail reported that Eby hoped to pass the bill by the end of the month, promising "none will be built without First Nations' consent-and financial benefits." In a statement, Grand Chief Stewart Phillip, president of the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), said the province did not consult or cooperate with First Nations in developing the bill and didn't follow its own rules for aligning with UNDRIP. "While we support the Province taking action to counter Trump's erratic behaviour, such action must be principled, respect First Nations' basic human rights, and be done in consultation and cooperation with First Nations," said Phillip. BC Assembly of First Nations Regional Chief Terry Teegee called the bill "overreaching" in the statement, adding that "it enables the Province to bypass permitting processes and expedite environmental assessment for any project they deem a priority." According to the Globe, Eby "was forced to apologize in person" to the First Nations Leadership Council of the UBCIC. Eby has since said that if First Nations oppose a particular project, his government will look to other proposals. The Nova Scotia Assembly of Mi'kmaw Chiefs told the legislature's natural resources committee this week that Indigenous communities should not be hearing about important developments, including policy or legislative changes proposed for the mining sector, from the evening news, CBC News reported. Chief Tamara Young of Pictou Landing First Nation said her community has serious concerns about recent decisions, including the adoption of legislation lifting the province's ban on hydraulic fracturing and rescinding a prohibition on uranium mining. Bill 6, An Act Respecting Agriculture, Energy and Natural Resources, was tabled February 18 in the Nova Scotia legislature by Premier Tim Houston's Progressive Conservative supermajority government. It became law on March 25 and the First Nations backlash was immediate. The Halifax Examiner reported that a letter signed by Chiefs Carol Potter, Cory Julian, and Tamara Young said it was "unacceptable that this government is fast-tracking the extraction of natural resources that will permanently devalue and damage our unceded lands and adversely impact the exercise of our Section 35 rights." Section 35 of Canada's 1982 Constitution Act protects Aboriginal and treaty rights. Source: The Energy Mix
CBC
26-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Yukon Nominee Program reopens for applications from pre-approved businesses
The Yukon Nominee Program is now accepting applications from businesses that expressed interest this past spring and have been pre-approved. The government said it received 502 eligible expressions of interest from employers, and 392 of those "aligned" with the government's priorities for this year. Employers were prioritized if their nominee candidates were Yukon University graduates, French-speaking or have lived in the Yukon for a year. Selected businesses will now be invited to apply for the program via email, the government says. Those who were not selected will also be notified. Applicants with a temporary measure letter of support will be prioritized for approval, the government says. The remaining spots will be randomly selected. There are 215 nominee spots allotted to the Yukon for 2025. The Yukon government changed the application system after the program's popularity began surpassing the number of available spots. The nominee program is restricted to the number of nominees allowed by the federal government. This past spring, the Yukon government announced that businesses would be required to express interest and get approved based on a list of pre-set priority areas.
CBC
03-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Yukon's labour supply can't meet existing demand, report shows
A new report from the Conference Board of Canada says Yukon's labour supply can't meet the demand for workers, and says that challenge is expected to continue in the years ahead. Lead researcher Amanda Thompson said the report, called Learning from One Another — Labour Markets in the Yukon, aims to "keep employment and wealth in the North," by identifying labour market demands. She said the goal of the research is to help identify the skills Yukoners need to adapt to a changing economy. Over the past five years, the Yukon has consistently had the highest job vacancy rate in the country, according to the report. Thompson said immigrant labour and workers moving from other parts of the country offers a possible solution, but a "major barrier" is the territory's strained housing market. Whitehorse rental rates at all-time high The report says the cost of purchasing a home in Whitehorse had increased by 75 per cent from 2012 to 2022. It also said Whitehorse rental property rates are at an all-time high. Thompson said that's a deterrent for Canadians from down south who might be interested in moving to the North but can't find a place to live. "In talking to employers, they identified they were able to recruit people with specialized skills, but once it came time to find a house, employees just weren't able to relocate to the territory," said Thompson. The report says education offers one potential solution. The number of working-age adults without a job is greater than the number of vacant jobs, but potential workers may not have the training and skill sets the market requires. Twenty-eight per cent of immigrants in the Yukon with a post-secondary education aren't working in a job that requires a post-secondary education. The report suggests foreign credential recognition could free up highly skilled immigrant labour. The report also highlighted the opportunity to address the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous working-age adults. "The disparities in education and employment are slightly higher than we see in the southern provinces in Canada," said Thompson. In 2023, the labour market participation rate of the Indigenous population in the territory was 63 per cent, while 75 per cent of the non-Indigenous population were participating in the labour market. She said Yukon University is working to make the school more inclusive by integrating Indigenous ways of knowing and doing in its programming, and by educating the university population on the histories and realities of Indigenous people. GDP in relation to employment rates by industry By far the largest employer in the territory is public administration and defence, which employ a third of the working population. Public administration is also the largest contributor to the territory's gross domestic product. While mining is the third-largest contributor to gross domestic product, Thompson says it's not a major employer of Yukoners. "There's a lot of fly-in, fly-out labour going on," said Thompson. When workers don't live in the Yukon, it means they're spending the majority of their paycheques elsewhere. She said in a previous study focused only on the territory's mining industry, researchers found only one in three employees of the Eagle Gold mine — which is no longer operating — resided in the territory. "So it's not going to have a huge impact on the mining labour market [in the Yukon], but it will have some trickle down effects including wholesale, resale and trade, as well as accommodation and services for those fly-in, fly-out workers," said Thomspon. Unions not considered The Yukon Federation of Labour is criticizing the report for not considering the role of unions in building a strong economy in the territory. Thirty per cent of the workforce is employed by the public sector which is, by and large, unionized. Teresa Acheson, president of the federation, said unions negotiate fair compensation and benefits packages for their members, contributing to a standard of living for Yukon workers that meets the cost of living increases, inflation and unique needs of working in the North. "When we're talking about the housing crisis, that's the reason some of the federal workers coming up here actually have housing as part of their union benefits," said Acheson. She said the union is also an advocate for increasing the number of women in trades. The Conference Board report acknowledges women are an overlooked source of labour in the trades. Acheson also said unions have been instrumental historically in helping to narrow wage gaps. In the Yukon, women make on average $54,100 per year compared to men, who make an average $62,150 per year, according to the report.
CBC
29-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Yukon government sets priorities to guide this year's nominee program
The Yukon government has announced a set of priorities for this year's Yukon Nominee Program, marking a departure from its past first-come, first-served approach for applicants. The program, which is intended to help fill local labour market gaps by bringing in skilled immigrants, has remained closed since the federal government cut the Yukon's annual allocation to 215 nominees — half of what it received in 2024. On Thursday, the government said it will invite employers to submit an expression of interest in applying for the program. Employers will complete a form online, providing basic information about a specific foreign worker they want to nominate. That intake period will open on Monday, and close on April 22. Then, the Department of Economic Development will invite employers to submit a full application to the nominee program if their candidate fulfills one or more of the priorities. Those include: residence and employment in the Yukon for at least one year, being a graduate of Yukon University, ability to speak French, and a temporary measure letter of support from the Yukon government to obtain a Yukon-specific work permit. This year, 10 nominations will be allocated for people in regulated health-care professions. Intake for the nominee program was first paused for Whitehorse-based employers in May 2024 when applications exceeded the allocation limit for that year. The federal government halved the Yukon's allocation of nominees in 2025 from the previous year, to 215. The Yukon government then extended the program's hiatus to consult local businesses on how to best use that limited number of spots. The territory's Economic Development department considers the new process to be fairer and more strategic than the past practice, where the quickest businesses got access to the limited number of nominees. The listed priorities aim to reduce staff turnover rates, target those who are more likely to stay in the Yukon, support Francophone immigration and help prospective nominees who were affected when the program was first closed. While Premier Ranj Pillai believes the priorities reflect those of the business community, he singled out retail as an industry that will see fewer nominees. "I don't think everybody will be happy. I think parts of the economy that have really leaned on these programs are probably not going to see the same amount of availability to workers," he said. Pillai said the Yukon and federal government are having conversations about adding 100 nominations to the territory's allocation. Opposition cites concerns raised by auditor general The nominee program was a subject in the legislature's question period earlier this week, with the official opposition asking the government how it was responding to concerns raised by the auditor general in January. When speaking to reporters, Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon only had a quick glance at the government's news release about the new priorities, which was posted Thursday as MLAs were sitting in the legislature. But he wanted to see changes that address the auditor general's concerns such as a lack of trust in the program's integrity and perceptions of unfairness. "We had hoped to see some sort of changes to the process that would accommodate the concerns raised by the auditor general, particularly around the lack of enforceable conflict of interest," Dixon said. NDP Leader Kate White also alluded to the auditor general's letter, which discussed the imbalance of power between employers and nominees. "There's a real vulnerability when you're a person from another country looking to come in through the nominee program. So I still have concerns," she said. In response to Dixon's comments, Pillai said he trusted department staff to act "appropriately," including by seeking advice from the conflict of interest commissioner. He also expressed confidence in the assistant deputy minister's oversight of the program. "I think we have a strong process in place. We're going to be chatting very soon about some [advice] we're going to have from outside the department," he said. "I think we're in a trust building process." According to the government's operational guidance, the intake for program applications will begin with those carried over from 2024 when applications outnumbered the Yukon's allocation for that year. This year's priorities will apply to those applications. The expression of interest phase will follow. If there are more expressions of interest that meet the 2025 priorities than there are available nominations, the department will invite those with the temporary measure letters of support to apply. The application spots left over will be randomly selected from qualifying expressions of interest.
