In an Aug. 5 assertion, Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai defined the federal government’s place. He said that halting mining, as FNNND requested, would have vital financial and authorized impacts. Yukon’s mining permits are ruled by federal and territorial legal guidelines rooted within the Umbrella Last Settlement.
The Umbrella Last Settlement outlines how Yukon First Nations and governments ought to negotiate Yukon First Nation Last Agreements.
Whereas the Umbrella Last Settlement itself will not be legally binding, a Yukon First Nation Last Settlement consists of its provisions plus further phrases particular to every First Nation. As soon as ratified, signed, and enforce, a Yukon First Nation Last Settlement turns into legally binding.
“The scope and nature of FNNND’s request to halt all exploration and mining actions on their Conventional Territory has vital authorized and financial penalties,” Pillai stated.
Pillai stated stopping all mining actions would require actions not envisioned within the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Evaluation Act (YESAA) or the Waters Act. Such a transfer would have severe penalties for all Yukoners.
The federal government won’t cease current mining operations that have already got permits. Nevertheless, it proposed to FNNND a ban on new claims in areas of cultural or environmental significance the place mining can be inappropriate. Moreover, there can be a two-month pause on ongoing mine licence consultations in FNNND territory and no new consultations will begin throughout this time.
Pillai stated that no new heap leach amenities can be licensed till the landslide’s impartial assessment is built-in into Yukon’s mining insurance policies. The federal government stated it stays dedicated to regional land use planning, as required by FNNND for resuming mining actions.
“Whereas large-scale mining operations are the spine of our territorial financial system, we should be certain that trade working at the moment will not be doing so on the expense of future Yukoners or the atmosphere,” stated Pillai.
“As caretakers, it’s our accountability to make sure our kids and our kids’s youngsters can dwell in a future the place it continues to be secure to drink the water and harvest the animals from the land. Whereas mining has its financial advantages, the federal government of Yukon acknowledges that extra must be performed to guard public well being and the atmosphere within the context of mining and exploration actions.
“We wish the Yukon to draw corporations that share this philosophy and are right here for the lengthy haul.”