FOR RELEASE
June 5, 2025
Whitehorse, Yukon – The Yukon Chamber of Mines (YCM) is travelling to the nation’s capital next week to directly advocate for the needs of the territory’s responsible exploration and mining industry as related to Canada’s project assessment regime.
“We’re going to Ottawa to speak to the federal government and anyone else who will listen that any contemplated amendments to Canada’s project assessment legislation must consider the Yukon’s unique governance and regulatory environment,” says YCM Executive Director Jonas Smith.
“The Yukon must be included in the federal government’s proposed new approach to project reviews from ‘why’ to ‘how’ so that our industry, and the territory, can be competitive.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s recent campaign commitment to render final decisions on projects within a two-year timeline versus five years through a “one window” assessment approach, which was reiterated in last week’s Speech from the Throne, could inadvertently leave the Yukon behind;
as unlike in the majority of the country, projects in the territory are assessed under 2003’s Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Act (YESAA).
YESAA – legislation stemming from the tri-partite Final Agreements between Canada, Yukon and individual Yukon First Nations – and its resulting assessment body, the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB), have been plagued with increasing capacity challenges in recent years and the YCM believes that all Yukoners would benefit from fixed timelines and the resulting certainty.
“Having fixed timelines would be an enormously welcome development. Our industry has seen YESAB timelines for assessments slip from months to years and amendments to deal with these challenges were supported by both the Council of Yukon First Nations and the Yukon Chamber of Mines several years ago,” adds Smith.
“If we’re going to have a competitive exploration and mining industry here in the Yukon and contribute critical metals and minerals to nation-building, to Canada’s electrification and to social and economic success for Yukoners, we have to find a path forward before it’s too late.”
The Yukon Chamber of Mines will provide an update upon its return from Ottawa.