Chamber Meeting Day 189 (2024)

Yukon Legislative Assembly=

Whitehorse, Yukon

Tuesday, April 23, 2024 — 1:00 p.m.

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Speaker: I w=ill nowcall the House to order.

We wil=l proceedat this time with prayers.

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Prayers

Withdrawalof motions

Speaker: The= Chairwishes to inform the House of a change made to the Order Paper. The followi=ngmotion has been removed from the Order Paper at the request of the member:Motion No.684, standing in the name of the Hon.Premier. =

DailyRoutine

Speaker: We =willproceed at this time with the Order Paper.

Are th=ere anyvisitors for introduction?

Introductionof Visitors

Hon.Mr.Clarke: Mr.Speaker, in honour of the tribute for Sikh Heritage M=onth,I have guests to introduce. We have: Navdeep Kaur, who is the president of =theGuru Nanak Sikh Organization of Yukon; Inderjit Singh, who is thevice-president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Organization of Yukon; Raman Grewal; =also Hardeep Singh; TarandeepSingh; and Taranpreet Singh. Welcome to the Assembly.

Applause

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Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Mr.Speaker,in our tribute to the Whitehorse St=artoday, we have one or two people, and I would like to introduce them. We ha=veAngela Salé-Roche, Michele Pierce, Jessi=caPierce, Melanie Pierce, Joni Pierce, JJ Stuckey, Chris Freeman, the magicalpress fellow Don Campbell, John Stuckey, Rhonda Glen, Judy Gibbons, John To=nin,Robbie Stuckey, Jim Butler — the editor — Tamara Carter, NatashaStuckey, and Stephanie Waddell — former reporter. We have the sharp-e=yedMike Thomas, Mickey Morgan, and Vince Federoff — the illustrious VinceFederoff up in the corner. Please join me in welcoming them to the House th=isafternoon.

Applause

Ms.White: Mr.Speaker,I ask my colleagues to join me in welcoming Murray Lundberg, who is here an=d isalways a delight, but I imagine that he is here because he documents thegoings-on of the territory. So, thanks for being here, Murray.

Applause

Speaker: Are= thereany tributes?

TRIBUTES

In recognition of Sikh He=ritageMonth

Hon.Mr.Clarke: Mr.Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Sikh Heritage Month=. Herein the Yukon where diversity is celebrated and cherished, we recognize theinvaluable contributions of the Sikh community to our territory’s richtapestry of cultures.

As we =delve intothe significance of Sikh Heritage Month, it is crucial to acknowledge theprofound impact that Sikh Canadians have had on shaping our nation’shistory. From the early pioneers who ventured to Canada seeking newopportunities to the present-day leaders in various fields, Sikhs have left= anindelible mark in our society.

In the= Yukon,our Sikh community plays an integral role in our social, economic, and cult=uralfabric. They continue to be a part of our vibrant, multicultural landscape,enriching it with their traditions, values, and unwavering spirit of servic=e.Moreover, Sikh Heritage Month provides us with a valuable opportunity toreflect on the principles of equality, justice, and compassion that lie at =theheart of Sikhism. The teachings of Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, reso=natedeeply with our shared values of inclusivity and respect for all individual=s,regardless of their background.

As wecommemorate Sikh Heritage Month, let us reaffirm our commitment to fosteringunderstanding, acceptance, and unity within our diverse communities. We wou=ldalso like to acknowledge the recent significant community celebration ofVaisakhi, the Sikh new year, and the traditional spring harvest festival. Byembracing diversity and celebrating our differences, we not only honour thelegacy of Sikh Canadians but also strengthen the social fabric of ourterritory.

Mr.&nb=sp;Speaker,I would like to take this opportunity to honour Joginder Grewal, who justpassed away at the age of 97. He was also the father of Raman, present toda=y.Joginder was an inspiration and mentor to me and to many Yukoners over the =past25 years for his thoughtful, insightful, and contemplative life philosophy,= hismasterful public gardening over so many seasons, and his purposeful activeliving for almost 100 years. He was a pillar of the Yukon Sikh community an=d hewill be sorely missed.

In clo=sing, Iurge all Yukoners to take this month as an opportunity to learn about Sikhhistory, culture, and traditions. Let us come together to celebrate thecontributions of Sikh Yukoners and Canadians and to reaffirm our commitment= tobuilding a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

Thank =you, Mr.Speaker,for the opportunity to recognize Sikh Heritage Month and to celebrate theremarkable contributions of the Sikh community to our great territory.

Applause

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Mr.Dixon: Mr.Speaker,I rise on behalf of the Yukon Party Official Opposition to recognize SikhHeritage Month, which celebrates the rich cultural traditions and contribut=ionsof Sikh Canadians and honours their spiritual traditions and teachings.Equality and justice are the focus of those enduring values and traditions,= andthe importance of fostering an inclusive and compassionate society is embra=cedaround the world.

Sikh h=eritage iscelebrated in April and marks the Sikh celebration of Vaisakhi, which iscelebrated both as a harvest festival and a religious event. Vaisakhi marks= thecommemoration of Khalsa, the Sikh community, and is a reminder of thefundamental teachings and values of Sikhism, including compassion, unity, a=ndequality.

Mr.&nb=sp;Speaker,I am told that the Yukon is now home to over 1,000 Sikhs and that attendanc=e atthe gurdwara is increasing quite rapidly as the population grows. As well,there is currently a campaign going on to collect funds to expand the exist=ingbuilding of the gurdwara and accommodate the needs of the community.

The lo=calVaisakhi celebration is held on April13 and 14 here in Whitehorse andincludes fundraisers both for those renovations and for the Whitehorse FoodBank.

There =are somany fun and beautiful traditions to be offered from our diverse population= ofYukoners and I encourage all to take this month as an opportunity to learn =andappreciate during this Sikh Heritage Month.

I woul=d like tothank all Sikh Yukoners for their contributions to our territory and forsharing your beautiful traditions and teachings with us. We are honoured tocelebrate Sikh Heritage Month with you.

Applause

MLATredger:&=#8195;Mr.Speaker,I rise on behalf of the Yukon NDP to celebrate Sikh Heritage Month, arecognition of the profound impact that Sikh Canadians have had on theeconomic, social, and cultural fabric of Canada. The theme for thisyear’s Sikh Heritage Month is “ChardiKala”. Chardi Kala is a concept in Sikhis=m thatdescribes a state of joy, optimism, and resilience. The idea comes from thePunjabi words “Chardi”, which means“rising” or “ascending”, and “Kala”, wh=ichmeans “skill” or “condition”. Together, these wordsdescribe a state of being with a positive and uplifted mind even in the fac=e ofchallenges, difficulties, and adversities.

Chardi Kala is deeply rooted =in Sikhteachings. It is considered a virtue and an integral part of the Sikh way oflife. I think of Yukon’s own Gurdeep Pandher and the beauty and joy inhis dance teachings as the perfect example of bringing people together in t=hespirit of Chardi Kala.

I woul=d alsolike to speak about why Sikh Heritage Month is in April. Vaisakhi is thecelebration of the new year in the Sikh tradition, falling on April13= or14. It has been celebrated for hundreds of years in India, marking the firstharvest of the season in the north. It is a day of prayers at the gurdwara =anda day of celebration with parades, floats, singing, dancing, and music. Thenight before Vaisakhi, families will gather together to cook as much food asthey can. Serving free food to the community is an important practice inSikhism, and it is a major part of the celebration of Vaisakhi to set up bo=othsalong the parade route to offer free food and drinks to anyone and everyone=. Itis a joyous and welcoming day for all who wish to attend.

The Va=isakhievent in Surrey, BC is the largest in the world and is so well-known thatpeople from all over the world, including India, come to attend the parade.This year saw more than half a million people coming together to celebrate,sing, dance, eat, and play music, and another 200,000 people went to the So=uthVancouver Vaisakhi parade.

The ea=rliesthistory of Sikhs in the Yukon goes back well over 100 years, with photos ofSikhs helping with the railroad construction in 1906 in and around Whitehor=seand Carcross. By the late 1960s and early 1970s, there were many familiesputting down roots in Faro. The Guru Nanak Sikh Organization of Yukon wasestablished in 1988, and in 2021, the members of the Sikh community set up =theYukon’s first permanent gurdwara.

Sikhis=m isgrounded in values of service, compassion, and equality, valuing community,connection, and support. We are fortunate to have this vibrant community aspart of the Yukon.

Sat Sr=i Akal toeveryone.

Applause

Inrecognition of the Whitehorse Star

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Mr.Speaker, we are talking about in=kstainedwretches today — the Whitehor=seStar and its staff specifically and newspapers generally. I am payingtribute to a rival I had the privilege of honing my pen against for 21 year=s.Ours was perhaps one of the last great newspaper wars, an epic worthy of so=ngor at least 450 words of copy. Whitehorse’s two newspapers fought forreaders and advertisers, breaking stories, writing thought-provokingeditorials. Without competition, it wouldn’t have been as fun, Jim Bu=tlertold me this week.

Butler= is the Whitehorse Star’s last edito=r. Hewas in the news business for 46 years. A pool of talent ran through hisnewsroom: John Dunn, Mike Thomas, Caroline Murray, Sherryl Yeager, StephanieWaddell, Chris Reynolds, Chuck Tobin, John Tonin, the ubiquitous VinceFederoff, and dozens more. This doesn’t include the paper’s pre=ss,ad, administration, delivery, and all those staff who go into producing anddelivering a paper every single day.

Butler= guidedthe locally owned Whitehorse Star=i> for43 years, starting the year that IBM built the world’s first PC power=edby a new firm, Microsoft. I heard Butler was once considered one of the besteditorialists in the country, capable of running the national The Globe and Mail. Few in Whiteho=rseknow this, but together, our newsrooms had almost as many cityside reporter=s asthe Vancouver Sun, which coveredmillions of people. It’s remarkable.

Friday= editionssaw our fiercest competition. Butler would read both, including the weeklyeditorials, and assess the good from the bad and the ugly. How lucky Whiteh=orsewas to be served by two strong papers, he told me. That ends too soon. On M=ay17, another Friday, the Pierce family — Michele, Melanie, Joni, Jessi=ca,and Judy Gibbons, who have been carrying the legacy of their late mother,Jackie — will publish their final WhitehorseStar, ending its 124‑year run. The Pierce family fell victim to t=heexistential problem common to newspaper owners: a tsunami of change called =the“digital revolution.”

There =is much torage against in the closure of the =WhitehorseStar, including the loss of yet another source of edited, verifiedinformation in a time when that isn’t always the case; the loss of ahistoric institution that served and bound our community together; and the =lossof a long, tenacious rivalry built on mutual respect.

Butler= enjoyedthat philosophical battle for readers’ hearts and minds and considere=d ita public good, and so did I. At its height, two editors duked it out in pap=ersthat were often 80pages or more in size. Butler won’t say who w=asthe better writer, thinker, planner, recruiter, or manager — in short,who was the better newsroom editor, and neither will I.

I will= say thatthe community will be less without the WhitehorseStar. Illegitimus non carborundum.=p>

Applause

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Ms.Van Bibber: Mr.Speaker, I rise on behalf of the Yukon Party OfficialOpposition to pay tribute to the Wh=itehorseStar. Being in business for 124 years is to be honoured and acknowledge=d.With mixed feelings, Yukoners are still absorbing the news of closure and t=helast edition coming soon.

Fondly= known as“the Star” with its iconic logo, <=spanclass=3DSpellE>Illegitimus non carborundum, that Harry Bo=yle,in 1954, then-owner, incorporated into the logo — loosely translated =fromLatin and so Yukon.

On Fri=day, Iwent to the Whitehorse Star off=iceand really looked at the sign outside. I would be a terrible witness foranything. It’s the first time I noticed that it says, “Voice of= theYukon”, and this has been true for 124 years. The editors gave usopinions, the reporters gave us stories of interest, the photographers capt=uredimages, locals wrote letters to the editor, and there were ads for sales,movies, and local events. One grabbed a copy to see if their event or story= wasput into print.

The ch=roniclesthat were captured and archived will be treasured — two World Wars, t=heAlaska Highway build, military presence, land claims, visiting royals anddignitaries, political stories, and everything in between one could read in= theStar.

A shou=t-out toMurray Lundberg, who researched some stories that had a huge impact on Yuko=n:May 2, 1904, the Kluane Gold Rush began; November15, 1918, the end of= theWorld War; March12, 1951, the federal government has officially annou=ncedthat the territorial government will move from Dawson City to Whitehorse; M=arch26,1963, Ralph Flores and Helen Klaben have been rescued 49 days after their p=lanecrashed southeast of Watson Lake; Edith Josie’s “Here Are theNews”, unedited, and just as she spoke, she wrote and we learned aboutlife in Old Crow; wedding and birth announcements; the obits; and a column =ofgreat interest, “Before the Magistrate”. It unabashedly pointed= outthe wrongdoings of local residents and their sentences imposed. Privacy was= notknown — we knew and it was just confirmed in the Star.

Specialfull-photo issues were printed for the Sourdough Rendezvous. I have several= inmy collection. We had updates on rural community events submitted by localsabout bonspiels, carnivals, and various happenings. This tribute will never= docredit to all that championed the W=hitehorseStar through the decades.

Thank =you toeveryone who documented Yukon history for the paper — too many to men=tion— but there are a special few: editor Jim Butler, 43 years;photographer/reporter Vince Fedoroff, I think 50 years; and the girl at thefront desk — my favourite — Rhonda Glenn, who for years has giv=enthe best hugs and smiles; the late Jackie Pierce, 50-plus years — shebegan in 1972 and bought the paper in 2002.

To the= Piercefamily who grew in the business, thank you for staying as long as you could=. Ifor one will miss the ritual of getting the Star.A quote by Will Rogers: “A company is known by the people itkeeps.” Illegitimus non carborundum ̵=2;“Don’t let the bastards grind you down”.

Thank =you, all.

Applause

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Ms.White: Mr.Speaker,I rise today on behalf of the Yukon NDP to mark the end of an era. For the =last124 years, Yukon life has been documented and shared through the pages of t=he Whitehorse Star. Since 1900, the Northern Star, the White Horse Star, the W=hitehorseDaily Star, and finally the Whi=tehorseStar have had boots on the ground reporting on what matters most toYukoners.

In the= weekssince the Star announced the sh=uttingdown of the presses, there has been an outpouring of stories and gratitude =fromall corners of the globe. With many young journalists getting their start atthe Whitehorse Star, the storiesshared have been funny, poignant, heartwarming, and far-reaching.

There =aregenerations of Yukoners like myself who have only ever had life that includ=ed Whitehorse Star, and there are manyothers like me whose very first job was delivering newspapers in theirneighbourhood, dodging dogs, slogging through the weather — rain, hea=t,and snow.

No mat=ter howlong you lived in the Yukon, you’ve been touched by the Whitehorse Star — from sportscoverage to beautiful obituaries, stories on a matter of all local issues tocolourful ads on the back pages, the WhitehorseStar has grown alongside many of us.

I want= to addour thanks to the editors, reporters, photographers, publishers, printers, =andeach and every person who has had a hand in breathing life into this locallyowned and operated independent newspaper.

Mr.&nb=sp;Speaker,I want to add a special thank you to Vince Federoff, because Vince has beencapturing anything of note or interest in the capital city since 1974. I wi=llnote that I wasn’t thinking that I would have feelings when you allwalked in, but the impact that you have had has been incredible but especia=llyVince, because if there was any type of event — sporting, cultural, orotherwise — you are guaranteed to see Vince and his camera. Thereisn’t anywhere that he won’t go or hasn’t gone to capture= thelives of Yukoners. For 50 years, Vince has beautifully captured us throughhundreds of thousands of images. His career has been truly remarkable.

Again,= a hugethanks to all of those who put your heart, your soul, your sweat, and yourtears into this Yukon media legend and for recording the lives of Yukoners.= Ofcourse, I can’t not end with: You mustn’t let the bastards grindyou down.

Applause

Speaker: Are= thereany returns or documents for tabling?

TablingReturns and Documents

Hon.Mr.Silver: Mr.Speaker, I have a legislative return from our time inCommittee of the Whole for the Public Service Commission.

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Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Mr.Speaker, I have a letter dated April22, 2024 to= themayor and council.

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Speaker: Are= thereany reports of committees?

Are th=ere anypetitions to be presented?

Are th=ere anybills to be introduced?

Are th=ere anynotices of motions?

Noticesof Motions

Mr.Cathers: Mr.Speaker,I rise to give notice of the following motion:

THAT t=his Houseurges the Yukon government to work with the Ibex Valley Local Advisory Coun=cilto develop an emergency plan for the area to address potential threats to t=hecommunity, including the risk of wildfire, as requested by the Ibex ValleyLocal Advisory Council.

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Hon.Mr.Clarke: Mr.Speaker, I rise to give notice of the following motio=n:

THAT t=his Housesupports the Government of Yukon’s efforts to secure $31.125mil=lionUSD through the statewide transportation improvement program for upgrades tothe north Alaska Highway.

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Ms.White: Mr.Speaker,I rise to give notice of the following motion:

THAT t=his Houseurges the Government of Yukon to begin engaging with stakeholders and thepublic on how to make the land lottery process more fai=r.

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I also= givenotice of the following motion:

THAT t=his Houseurges the Government of Yukon to consult with transgender and gender-diverseYukoners and relevant organizations when reviewing policies related togender-affirming surgery and care.

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MLATredger: Mr.Speaker,I rise to give notice of the following motion:

THAT t=his Houseurges the Government of Canada to work with other countries to negotiate anagreement for the elimination of global plastic pollution by 2040.=p>

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Speaker: Is =there astatement by a minister?

This t=hen bringsus to Question Period.

QUESTION PERIOD

Question re: Whistl=e Benddevelopment subsurface water

Mr.Dixon: Mr.Speaker,yesterday when my colleague asked the Minister of Community Services about =thephase 7 lots that will be put out to tender in May, the Minister of Communi=tyServices directly contradicted the technical report that was commissioned byhis own department. He said that he had information that showed that the wa=terthat was causing issues was naturally occurring. The technical report, howe=ver,says — quote: “Presently it is anticipated that this water flow=ingthrough the deep utility pipe bedding is not naturally occurring and may be= aresult of municipal water leaks.”

Can th=e Ministerof Community Services confirm which is true? Does he indeed have informationthat suggests that the groundwater issues in phases 6 and 7 in Whistle Bend= arenaturally occurring, or should we believe the technical reports?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Mr.Speaker, I am happy to answer questions on the lotdevelopment that this government has undertaken on behalf of the territory.= Wehave made a record investment in lots and we are going to continue to do th=at.

The Wh=istle Bendphase 7 lottery and tender for 130 new lots and six re-released lots have j=ustbeen launched. The Land Development branch provides foundation design bulle=tinsfor each phase of Whistle Bend. This isn’t new; we have been doing it= foryears and years. These professional reports are released with each lottery =as aresource to builders in the City of Whitehorse.

The ph=ase 7foundation design bulletin notes that groundwater was not encountered in anytest pits or bore holes and that no water in the pipe trench zone has beenobserved to date. The bulletin does acknowledge that water could be encount=eredand that builders should be prepared to mitigate, if required. Trench-plugmitigative measures to reduce water conveyance in the pipe zones have beeninstalled in each phase.

Mr.Dixon: Mr.Speaker,I note that the minister didn’t answer my question.

The re=ason Iasked, Mr.Speaker — it’s important because the source ofpotential water matters when it comes to liability. In phase 6, which is ri=ghtnext to phase 7, the technical bulletin points out that water has been notedrunning through deep utility trenches. The phase 7 technical bulletin says =thatit anticipates that this water is not naturally occurring and that it may becoming from municipal water leaks.

My que=stion issimple: Who carries the legal liability for any damage that subsurface waterdoes to a home in this area? Is it the City of Whitehorse, the Yukongovernment, the contractor who installed the leaking pipes, or the developerwho actually built the home on the lot?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Mr.Speaker, as the member opposite has noted, it’s= acomplicated matter. I mean, who bears the responsibility for a pipe that wasnot connected to the municipal well properly? This is something that would =haveto be investigated on a case-by-case basis. I’m certainly not going tospeculate here on the floor of the House.

What I= can sayis that, once again, the phase 7 foundation design bulletin notes thatgroundwater was not encountered in any of the test pits or bore holes and t=hatno water in the pipe trench zone has been observed to date.

I havecorresponded with the MLA for the region. We have gone through this. The me=mberopposite has this technical report that we issue every single year. We prov=ideit so that builders know what they are dealing with when they build in theseareas, because they vary from subdivision to subdivision.

We are= going tocontinue to do that work. We have advised builders that they may run into w=aterif the connections are not there. The tests that we’re doing in Whist=leBend suggest that everything is fine. That’s where we’re at. =span>

Mr.Dixon: Mr.Speaker,well, the information that the department has provided suggests that there =iswater causing problems in phase 6 and the bulletin suggests that it could b=e aproblem in phase 7 as well.

When w=e askedabout this in the Legislature yesterday, the Minister of Energy, Mines andResources confirmed that there’s an active investigation underway todetermine the source of the subsurface water in the area. The ministercorrectly pointed out that there’s a big difference in what it means =forliability if the water is simply naturally occurring groundwater or ifit’s leaking from municipal infrastructure that was installed by acontractor working for Yukon government.

If thisinvestigation is underway and we don’t yet know the answer to thisimportant question about the source of the water, will the minister commit =toconcluding that investigation and communicating its results prior to any ofthese lots being sold to Yukoners in just a few weeks’ time?=p>

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Mr.Speaker, as my colleague noted yesterday, the people =whobuy lots in Whistle Bend want the time to buy the lots and pull together th=eirfinancing to find contractors to build on the lots. I know the member oppos=iteis raising this report. The report is produced every single year to advisebuilders about the lay of the land in the subdivision. As I’ve noted =inmy report, there was groundwater. We have investigated that. We found thatnothing in the municipality infrastructure is at fault, and really, whatwe’re talking about, as I’ve told the member opposite incorrespondence, is that there was a connection problem from a contractor to= themunicipal infrastructure. That has been fixed, as far as I know, andwe’re looking forward to a solid building season this year in WhistleBend.

Questionre: Educational assistants

Mr.Kent: Mr.Speaker,yesterday when we asked the Minister of Education about the consultant̵=7;sreport on EA allocations that led to the proposed changes that her departme=ntwas pushing, the minister refused to commit to share that report before thescheduled meeting with affected stakeholders later this week.

We the=n learnedthat the groups had requested the report through access to information, and= theresult of that ATIPP was a copy of the report with just about every single =pagecompletely redacted.

Then y=esterdayat 3:08p.m., the Liberals finally relented and provided a complete co=pyof the report. So, Mr.Speaker, why did it take so much pressure andquestions in the Legislature for the minister to finally relent and share t=hatreport with education stakeholders?

Hon.Ms.McLean: Mr.Speaker, again, I’ll go back in time a bit and =justcreate some context around the EA allocation work that is underway that rea=llyrelates back to the 2019 Auditor General’s report and the work that wedid on reimagining inclusive and special education that came from the Dr.&n=bsp;NikkiYee report that I became in receipt of in 2021. We have worked very closelywith all of our partners to identify all of the pathways to reimagine inclu=siveand special education.

Part o=f that wasto work toward reviewing and work toward the changed process for EA allocat=ion.Part of that, of course, includes doing research, ensuring that we are work=ingwith all of our partners. The department worked with a contractor to develo=p areport. We were working internally to do due diligence to make sure that we= areworking in the way that we’ve always committed to Yukoners to work— happy to continue to do this good work around EA allocation.=

Mr.Kent: Mr.Speaker,we are pleased that the due diligence was coincidentally concluded yesterdayafternoon after we asked about this in the House. We are glad the minister =hasfinally shared the consultant’s report that these education stakehold=ershave been asking for since they first wrote to the minister back on March&n=bsp;6.However, that wasn’t the only piece of information the groups wereseeking. The groups have been pushing without luck for comprehensiveinformation about the specific feedback from stakeholders that was relied o=n byEducation as a rationale for making these changes. As well, they have reque=stedwithout success comprehensive data that the department has referenced thatsupposedly justifies these changes to the EA allocation process.

My que=stion is:Will the minister agree to provide all of the information that has beenrequested by these stakeholders in advance of their meeting later this week=?

Hon.Ms.McLean: Mr.Speaker,again, we are very pleased to be doing this work in a good and right way to= bethorough to actually address the issues of the Auditor General’s repo=rtof 2019. I note that there was another Auditor General’s report that =theYukon Party was responsible for. There were many staled, failed attempts toactually do the right work. So, we now have their report card. We have a re=portfrom 2019 that we are working very hard to address. The Member for Lake Lab=ergecan continue to snicker and laugh at this good work that is being done. I h=oldup the work of our Department of Education. They are working hard, and wecontinue to be committed to working with our partners. Part of that is doingdue diligence and making decisions in a good and right way. I will continue= towork in that way and to work directly with our partners in education.

Mr.Kent: Mr.Speaker,once again, we are asking the minister to share the information that isrequested by the stakeholders before the meeting that they had at the end ofthis week. There is a pattern developing with this minister about secrecyaround information, whether it is these reports or embargoed reports withrespect to the Whitehorse Elementary School.

School= councilsare beginning to wonder whether the changes that the minister was planning =willactually come into force this year or not. They are particularly concernedabout what the changes will mean for their EA allocations for the next scho=olyear. This is the time of year when school communities are given theirallocation of both teachers and EAs for next year, and we have heard that t=heminister’s pause has created uncertainty.

So, wi=ll theminister commit to a clear timeline that this issue related to changes to t=heEA allocation process will be resolved, and will she share that timeline wi=thaffected groups prior to the meeting later this week?

Hon.Ms.McLean: Partners and stakeholders asked us to take urgent action toimplement the RISE agenda. This included conducting a review of the current= EAallocation process. There has been a tremendous amount of work that has goneinto this. I absolutely accept that, earlier in this session, information w=asbrought forward by our partners with concerns. I took the step of pausing t=hework on any changes or modifications to the EA allocation so that we couldreally understand, unpack that, and work with the Association of EducationProfessionals and the other stakeholders who brought forward concerns.

We hav=e beenworking with all of the stakeholders to initially have meetings with them.There was a decision from the stakeholders to work together in a meeting. Weare now working toward moving forward with this important conversation with= allof our trusted stakeholders on April25. This will be a facilitatedconversation, and I am looking forward to the results of this.

Questionre: YESAB review of Yukon government infrastructure projects

MLATredger: OnApril11, the Minister of Highways and Public Works issued a statementhighlighting the significant construction work being done at the Erik Niels=enWhitehorse International Airport. Improved lighting, runway reconstruction,= newfacilities, a new access road, and improved drainage are among the upgradeslisted. Much of this work is taking place in or immediately adjacent to twogulches that drain into the Yukon River. A portion of one of those gulches =isbeing filled in, community assets like trails are being permanently reroute=d,and significant clearing of forests and earthworks are needed as part of theproject.

Projec=ts likethis typically trigger a YESAB assessment to look at environmental and soci=alimpacts, but for some reason, this project was not assessed by YESAB before= itstarted. Can the minister explain why the work being done at the airport wasnot assessed by YESAB?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: There is no intention of stopping any sort of access inPuckett’s Gulch, but in any event, Highways and Public Works has beenworking collaboratively with Community Services to develop a collaborativestructure to work seamlessly toward active transportation initiatives.

So, wi=th respectto the airport, it’s a two‑year project. As we know, the parall=elrunway is now complete and will be the only runway at Erik Nielsen Whitehor=seInternational Airport for this season. The plan is to finish half of the ma=inrunway in the summer of 2024, then reopen the main runway in October 2024, =andthen, in October again, we’ll be back to the parallel runway in thesummer of 2025 and complete the main runway at that point.

MLATredger: I’mtrying to understand why this government didn’t do a YESAB assessmentbefore the airport was done or started.

The Yukon Environmental and Socio-economicAssessment Act regulations explicitly include airport lighting as anassessable activity. It also states that projects on Crown land where there= ismoving of earth or clearing of land trigger an assessment. Anyone who hasdriven by the airport lately can vouch that this is exactly the type of workthat is going on both inside and outside the existing airport boundary.

I want= to beclear: These are important upgrades to help modernize the airport and wesupport them, but the environmental and social impact assessments are alsoimportant and they haven’t happened. Why was the airport reconstructi=onproject not assessed by YESAB when it clearly fits the description of proje=ctsthat trigger an assessment?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: So, I can certainly get back to the member opposite with respe=ct toYESAB with respect to this $250‑million major infrastructure projectbrought to the territory.

In 202=3,progress made on the main runway included preparation for the main runwayconstruction. As I indicated, major reconstruction work will begin on the m=ainrunway this upcoming 2024 construction season. Work is expected to includereconstruction of the north half of the runway, which will include rubblization of the existing asphalt and concrete sur=face,placing new base material and placing new asphalt pavement, installation of= newedge lighting, installation of a new storm drainage system, the constructio=n ofa new taxiway F, and adjustments to the north perimeter service road.

Over t=he comingyears, the main runway will be fully replaced with additional features:increased lighting and the improved drainage.

We hav=e engagedclosely with aviation stakeholders to minimize the impacts on their operati=onsduring the construction period. On August3 and September28,&nbs=p;2023,information sessions were hosted for aviation and tourism stakeholdersrespectively about the project. Both sessions were well-attended and provid=edthe opportunity to ask questions about the project.

MLATredger: Section51 of YESAA states that if any part of a projectneeds to be assessed, the whole project needs to be assessed. This work haspotentially significant repercussions for the natural area of Whitehorse fr=omincreased light pollution at night to effects on the gulches draining into =theYukon River to substantial loss of tree cover that may contribute to furthererosion of the clay cliffs. Without a YESAB assessment, we can’t say =forsure what these effects might be. None of these potential impacts appear tohave been studied or assessed before the project was green lit by thisgovernment. That is surprising given that this minister called this project= oneof the largest capital projects in Yukon history.

Can th=e ministertell Yukoners if there are any other major Yukon government infrastructureprojects that have not been assessed by YESAB?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: Mr.Speaker, thank you for the question from the memberopposite. I would just first and foremost indicate that, probably about a w=eekago, a full ministerial statement was offered and both opposition parties s=aidno to that.

With r=espect tothe question about YESAB, I will certainly get back to the member opposite.=

Howeve=r, what isembarrassing was the record of the Yukon Party and their capital projects f=rom2002 to 2016 but certainly incredibly embarrassing from 2011 to 2016. They =got,in 2010-11, $74million out the door. In 2011-12, it was $62mill=ionout the door. In 2012-13, it was $70million out the door. In 2013-14,= itwas $70million. Then there was a massive year, 2014-15, with $77&nbsp=;millionout the door.

Last y=ear, theHighways and Public Works capital budget — actually out the door R=12;was $313million.

Speaker’sstatement

Speaker: Ord=er,please.

I just= want toremind members that when members have the floor, please be respectful andmindful. Thank you.

Questionre: Mining legislation

Mr.Istchenko: Mr.Speaker,the Mining Association of Canada has concerns with the federal Liberal budg=et;however, they also had some positive things to say about it. They aresupportive of provisions to reduce timelines for new mines and other majorprojects — and I quote: “The government set a target of five ye=arsor less to complete federal impact assessment and permitting processes forfederally designated projects, and two years or less for permitting of thosethat aren’t federally designated.”

Howeve=r, here inthe Yukon, the assessment board is reporting delays and that some proponentscan expect extension timelines as a result. Funding for the YESA board comesfrom the federal government. So, have the Yukon Liberals reached out to thefederal Liberals to see how they will ensure that our permitting timelinesalign with those that they have promised in other jurisdictions?

Hon.Mr.Pillai: Mr.Speaker, yes, we had discussions this week on Mondaymorning with Minister Vandal for Northern Affairs on a couple of topics, onebeing that we, of course, were looking to see what the plan is for amendmen=tsto YESAA to ensure that there is some streamlin=ingand processes. There is a subcommittee of ministers right now whom we have =beenin dialogue with in December and again in January which is focused on ensur=ingthat there is a reduction in red tape. It does apply to support that we wou=ldbe looking for around the YESA act.

This g=oes backas well, as the member opposite speaks to, under Minister Bennett, which wa=s acommitment to increase funding to First Nations. I think that there was somemoney that flowed, but I want to come back and just verify that for the Hou=se,but I think that most First Nations would say that increased funding to thelands department would be something that they would be happy to see.=

So, we= arecontinuing to bring that up — the increased funding — but, also=, webrought up the fact that there needs to be appropriate capacity, especially= on districtoffice screenings at this time, and that we are concerned with thecommunication coming out of YESAB and that we believe the federal governmenthas a grave responsibility in ensuring that this is streamlined and that theright messages are being sent around to industry and how we go throughregulatory processes.

Mr.Istchenko: Mr.Speaker,this is important. These are families who feed their children, and they hav=e togo through this. They have to follow this permitting process — if theydon’t happen, they can’t work.

So, of= course,the assessment is only one aspect of permitting major projects here in theYukon. The quartz mining licence and a water licence are also required for =manyprojects to proceed. Those are the responsibility of the Yukon government a=ndare often lengthy processes once the assessment has been completed.<=/p>

So, wh=atmeasures will the Yukon government introduce to their licensing process to =makesure that the overall timelines are reduced and attempt to match thecommitments made by the Liberals in Ottawa?

Hon.Mr.Pillai: Mr.Speaker, I think that it is important that we provideaccurate information. The preamble — there is an adjustment that I th=inkis required when we talk about a water licence, because it is a tripartiteprocess, and there is a role with the federal government on appointments aswell as working with First Nations.

You kn=ow,it’s not the same sort of a governance structure as a quartz mininglicence. I think the member across knows that. You don’t have the sameability to effect efficiencies.

But, y=es, Ithink when we look at the QML process — q=uartzmining licence — which is, of course, the next step after a successfulprocess through YESAA and a decision document t=hatcan prove out a project — I would say that there are always ways for =usto tweak that. There is some work that has been done through the ExecutiveCouncil Office. I’m not ready today to speak to that, but the entirefocus of it was to look at reducing red tape within those processes.=

Again,= we havesigned — there was a previous MOU signed between the Executive Counciland the Water Board. I have gone back and now, in this role, have met with =theWater Board chair and the Water Board and again have focused on looking atefficiencies in both of those processes.

Again,= workingwith the federal government, the chair of that subcommittee is MinisterO’Regan. We co-chaired the mines ministers table a number of years ag=o,and I have urged him to ensure that he focuses on red tape reduction in themining industry here in the Yukon.

Questionre: Resource Gateway project

Mr.Hassard: Mr.Speaker,in a news release from 2021, the Yukon government announced a funding agree=mentwith Canada for the Yukon Resource Gateway project. This release states =212;and I’ll quote: “The contribution follows the successful comple=tionof six project agreements to date with Yukon First Nations for components u=nderthe Yukon Resource Gateway Program. Each of the project agreements identifi=estraining, employment and business opportunities for First Nations citizens =andbusinesses to ensure communities benefit from these infrastructureupgrades.” The overall value is listed at $359million. So far, =theonly shovels that have been in the ground have been for the Carmacks bypass=.

Now, t=he five‑yearcapital plan has total expenditures of $140million through 2028‑=;29.Is the minister confident that the entire envelope will be spent before theproject agreement expires in 2031?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: We certainly do have — there was a renegotiation to go to2031. I certainly commend Pelly Construction and the Little Salmon CarmacksFirst Nation on the Resource Gateway program, which was completed under timeand underbudget. Conversations are continuing with the Ross River Dena Coun=cilwith respect to completing portions of the road between Faro and Ross River— there is both the small portion and then a lengthier portion there.=

There =arediscussions with the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation on the Robert Camp=bellHighway, discussions with the Na-Cho Nyäk =Dun onthe Silver Trail — but what is important is that there are initialagreements that are in place with respect to the six projects, but ultimate=ly,there has to be a community development agreement or a project agreement inplace. Those discussions continue. The officials from Highways and Public W=orkscontinue those discussions, and we are certainly hopeful to continue with t=hosediscussions and to bear fruit in the right way.

Mr.Hassard: So,no commitment from the minister to have that money spent before the agreeme=ntexpires. He did mention the project between Ross River and Faro. As that is= ofparticular interest to my constituents, the minister’s fall 2023 brie=fingnote says — and I’ll quote: “The YESAB assessment is comp=leteand permitting is in place for a portion of the project near Ross River (km363.6 to km 367.5), which will allow work to proceed for this section of thecomponent.”

The ai=m was totender this work in the 2023‑24 fiscal year. Did the project get tend=eredduring the last fiscal year, and if so, how much was the successful bid, an=d isthere more work expected to start this summer?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: As the member opposite indicated, in April of 2020, a projectagreement for this component of the Robert Campbell Highway was signed for =twoprojects within the traditional territory with the Ross River Dena Council.= Theproject agreement is for construction and resurfacing of the Robert CampbellHighway from kilometre354.9 to kilometre 414.4 as well as bridgereplacements, line-of-sight improvements, and brush-clearing on the NorthCanol.

The de=partmentis working with the Ross River Dena Council to advance the Robert CampbellHighway component of the project. Right-of-way clearing contracts have beenawarded for this component of the Robert Campbell Highway. This was adirect-award contract to a Ross River Dena Council citizen-owned company. T=hisportion of clearing work has been completed. As the member opposite didindicate, the YESAB assessment is complete and permitting is in place for aportion of the project near Ross River from kilometre363.6 to kilomet=re367.5,which will allow work to proceed for this section of the component. In 2023,the Yukon government continued to work with the Ross River Dena Council toimplement the project agreement and to determine the next steps of this pro=jecttogether. The aim is to tender work to advance the construction of thisfour-kilometre component for this year.

Mr.Hassard:&=#8195;Mr.Speaker,I appreciate the information from the minister, but I still have to go back= tothat very first question that I asked. Will the minister confirm if he isconfident that the entire envelope will be spent before the project agreeme=ntexpires in 2031?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: Mr.Speaker, thank you for the question from the memberopposite. I certainly have confidence that the funds will be expended. Howe=ver,as I indicated in my first response, it involves having fruitful discussions— fruitful and respectful government-to-government discussions betweenthe Government of Yukon and the impacted First Nations. We are doing that. =Wehave done that with respect to the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse InternationalAirport with Ta’an K=wäch’änand with Kwanlin Dün. We entered into thosediscussions with Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation on the Carmacks bypass=. AsI indicated in my first response, we are also doing so with Little SalmonCarmacks First Nation, Ross River Dena Council, and the First Nation of Na-=Cho Nyäk Dun. Na-Cho Nyäk<=/span>Dun — these conversations are moving forward. They are taking time, b=utwe are going to do them in the appropriate manner, and we are more thanoptimistic that they will bear fruit both for this construction season and =forthe construction season going forward.

So, ye=s, we aregrateful that these resources are available, but they have to be deployed inthe correct manner.

&=nbsp;

Speaker: The= timefor Question Period has now elapsed.

Introd=uction ofvisitors outside proceedings.

Introductionof Visitors

Hon.Mr.Pillai: Mr.Speaker, I just want to welcome a couple of individua=ls whoare here with us today. They have been key leaders on the work on the Yukon= Health Authority Act. I would like= towelcome to the Assembly Stephen Mills and Doris Bill. Thank you for being h=eretoday.

Applause

&=nbsp;

Speaker: We =will nowproceed to Orders of the Day.

Orders ofthe Day

Hon.Mr.Streicker: <=spanlang=3DEN-CA>Mr.Speaker, I move that the Speaker do now leave the Cha=ir andthat the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.

Speaker: It =has beenmoved by the Government House Leader that the Speaker do now leave the Chairand that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.

Motion agreed to

&=nbsp;

Speaker leaves the Chair=p>

Committeeof the Whole

Chair (Ms.Blake): Committee of the Whole will now come to order. The matter befo=re theCommittee is continuing clause-by-clause consideration of Bill No.38,entitled Health Authority Act. =

Do mem=bers wishto take a brief recess?

All Hon.Members: Agreed.

Chair: Commi=ttee ofthe Whole will recess for 15 minutes.

&=nbsp;

Recess

Chair: Commi=ttee ofthe Whole will now come to order.

Bill No.38:Health Authority Act=

Chair:̳=5;The matter before the Com=mitteeis continuing clause-by-clause consideration of Bill No.38, entitled =Health Authority Act. We are curre=ntlyconsidering the amendment as proposed by the Member for Lake Laberge to cla=use74.

On amendmen=t toClause 74 — continued

= Chair: Is there any furtherdebate?

Hon.M=s.McPhee: Thank you for the opportu=nity to speakto this. Just briefly at this point this afternoon, I note that we havereceived some additional information just moments ago. I am currently tryin=g toconsider the impact of that information.

As a result, I move that you reportprogress.

Chair:̳=5;It has been moved by the =Memberfor Riverdale South that the Chair report progress.

Motion agre=ed to

Chair:̳=5;The matter now before theCommittee is continuing general debate on Vote51, Department of Commu=nityServices, in Bill No.213, entitled FirstAppropriation Act 2024‑25.

Do members wish to take a brief recess=?

All Hon.&nb=sp;Members: Agreed.=

Chair:̳=5;Committee of the Whole wi=llrecess for 10 minutes.

Recess

=

Chair: Commi=ttee ofthe Whole will now come to order.

Bill No.213:First Appropriation Act 2024‑=25 —continued

Chair:̳=5;The matter now before theCommittee is continuing general debate on Vote51, Department of Commu=nityServices, in Bill No.213, entitled FirstAppropriation Act 2024‑25.

Department =ofCommunity Services — continue=d

Chair: Is th=ere any furthergeneral debate?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Madam Chair, I have been informed that I have seven minutes an=d 33seconds left, but you know what? I look forward to the opposition’squestions so much that I am going to forgo my time and open it up, so I lookforward to questions.

Ms.White: Colourme surprised. I am just going to get right into it. Welcome, of course, to =theofficials here from the Department of Community Services.

One of= thethings that has been mentioned before is the agreement between the Red Crossand the Emergency Measures Organization. There was a note that Red Cross hadbeen hired to provide services during emergencies like fires and floods. Howmuch is this agreement costing Yukoners? There is no contract that we couldfind in the contract registry, so what is the contract value for this?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Madam Chair, this issue has come up at our federal-territorial-provincial me=etingson emergency management with Public Safety Canada.

One of= thefederal initiatives that we are dealing with is to fund civilian emergencyresponse. This is surge capacity within the territory, so that includes the= St.John Ambulance and the Red Cross, and that is being supported by the federalgovernment. The contract is coming through Health and Social Services, notCommunity Services, so I would urge the member opposite to perhaps direct t=hatquestion to Health and Social Services. We don’t hold the contract in= CSfor St. John Ambulance or the Red Cross for the surge capacity that we aretalking about today.

Ms.White: Ithank the minister for that. Could the minister let us know what kind ofservices they will be providing to the Emergency Measures Organization?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: I would again encourage the member opposite to hold that quest=ionfor Health and Social Services. The contract is held — it’s foremergency social services support and surge capacity so those questions areprobably better directed toward my good colleague in Health and SocialServices.

Ms.White: Justfor clarification then, the Red Cross folks aren’t there to help, forexample, with sandbagging or volunteer organization or anything that could =haveto do with flooding or anything to do with fires?

I am j=ustlooking for clarification. The minister is saying that the Red Cross folks,= aspreviously mentioned, supporting Emergency Measures will have nothing to dowith fires or floods. If they will, can he let me know what positions theycould fill?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: It is our understanding that we are seeking the assistance of =theRed Cross through their medical support.

Ms.White: Ithank the minister for that clarification.

The mi=nister haspreviously committed to releasing the “what we heard” document =onthe four communities affected by transfer station closures in the spring. Ibelieve we are firmly in the spring, so can the minister give me an update =asto where we are in the “what we heard” document?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: I can tell the member opposite that we are currently working o=n acommunications plan and getting that out to the communities affected and topeople, so we will have more to say on that in the coming days.

Ms.White: Canthe minister give me an approximate timeline or a date to expect that?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: I believe I said “a few days”.

Ms.White: Thereason I was looking for clarification is because I was once told we would =haveinformation in the spring and then it came out in August, so there aredifferent times when government says things like “spring” or“a few days”, so I guess I will wait until Friday to see. I bel=ievethat will be a few days. If the minister has a different definition of what“a few” is, I look forward to that clarification, too.=p>

Can th=e ministerlet me know if there are any plans on changing the landfill facility in Pel=lyCrossing? There have been some rumors in that community that the facility isclosing.

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: We certainly do have plans similar to other regional landfills=. Weare working on the Pelly landfill. There have been issues with the Pellylandfill that we are aware of, so we are looking to bring it to standard li=kethe other regional landfills — gated, staffed, and the rest of it. Ibelieve that is our plan and we will continue it. It will be one of ourregional landfills for the region.

Ms.White: Canthe minister give me a timeline on those changes?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: As I have said several times in the House, this is a staged pr=ocess.The next stage of this whole investment and improvement in our regionallandfills has to do with getting the municipal agreements in place with themunicipalities. We are very close to having that done. Once those improveme=ntsare made to the municipal landfills — turning them into regional hubs— we are going to turn our attention to those that are in unincorpora=tedcommunities like Pelly Crossing. That will be the next phase after we get t=hemunicipal hubs in place.

Ms.White: Canthe minister give me a list of those regional landfills and the timelines f=orthem — which one is going to change first and so on and so forth unti=l weget into unincorporated communities like Pelly Crossing?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: We have a — the goal is to have a waste management systemadapted to the north — environmentally sustainable, cost-effective, a=ndensuring the proper disposal of solid waste. To get there, the Yukon govern=menthas begun working with municipalities on regional agreements to assist them= inproviding a standard level of service and bringing Yukon facilities to the =samestandards. So, that is the overall goal.

It has= beenrolled out in three phases. Phase 1 was Mount Lorne, Carcross, Marsh Lake, =andTagish, and those are virtually done.

The se=cond phaserequired deals with municipalities on this to compensate them properly for =thewaste that they would be receiving from the outlying areas — so that =theyknew what they were getting and that they were compensated for it adequatel=y. Wehave struck deals with Carmacks, Mayo, Teslin, and Watson Lake, and work isactually proceeding in Carmacks and Mayo and is soon to happen in Watson La=keand Teslin. We’re talking weigh scales and that type of thing. We had= toget power to Mayo. There is all sorts of work. W=e haveto get power gates. In some cases, we have to have supervisors — like= abuilding that they can stand in so they don’t freeze — all thosethings.

That w=ork isunderway. We are working on agreements with Faro — which is a uniquesituation because of its history — but we are talking with Faro, andthose talks are proceeding. Haines Junction is the last one to sign. Once t=hoseare all done, we will proceed with all of the investments that we are makin=g tomake those — to get the standards in place — the standardinfrastructure in place so that those municipalities can start managing the=irlandfills properly and exerting some control over those landfills.=p>

Then p=hase 3will be the unincorporated communities, and the last of those will be Old C=rowand Beaver Creek because they are the farthest landfills that we own in theterritory — that are operational in the territory — Old Crow andBeaver Creek.

So, th=ose wouldbe the last to go, but we will be working on Eagle Plains, Stewart Crossing,Pelly Crossing, Destruction Bay, Ross River, and then we have the other onesthat are already done. That is the phased approach we are doing. We are veryclose with the deals with the municipalities. We are working on those. The =onesthat have already signed — the money is starting to flow. I think tha=t weare looking at that — how much money is being spent this year. I canupdate the member opposite when I have those numbers compiled.

Ms.White: Ithank the minister for that. For the things like the buildings for folks tostay warm in and gates and other things, where is that equipment or thosebuildings being sourced from?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: So, this year, we have $2.5million allocated in the budg=et forsolid-waste improvements and weigh scales in unincorporated communities as =wellas some water treatment money. That is all for the unincorporated communiti=es.The budget this year is $2.5million for weigh scales, solid-wastetreatment facilities, and water treatment facilities.

Inmunicipalities, it’s a little bit different. Municipalities will getfunding to upgrade these regional landfills. It will be agreement-specificwhether we upgrade the facilities through our procurement process or whetherthe municipality itself is taking the lead on upgrading the landfills that =aretheir responsibility. So, we would fund that through a transfer paymentagreement. It just depends on the agreement we have signed with themunicipality, and I don’t have those agreements before me this aftern=oon.

Ms.White: Therehave been some concerns raised around where money is coming from for thingslike scales for municipalities, with concern that it is actually gas tax mo=neythat is meant for non-incorporated communities. Can the minister eitherelaborate and either confirm or correct the record? Has any gas tax money t=hatis earmarked for unincorporated communities been used to pay for things likeweigh scales in municipalities?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Yes, there is gas tax money going into regional landfills. The= Yukongovernment gets a portion of gas tax revenue as well. That money is there toservice unincorporated Yukon. The Yukon government is using some of the por=tionfor unincorporated Yukon to invest in regional landfills that serviceunincorporated Yukon. So, the regional landfills — and the total valu=e ofthat gas tax investment is $2.5million, but that also includes waterfacilities — so, it’s regional landf=ills,it’s weigh scales, and it’s water facilities. Those are the thr=eefacilities captured by the Yukon government’s gas tax investment intounincorporated Yukon, and a portion of the unincorporated gas tax money wil=l begoing to the regional landfills that service unincorporated Yukon.=p>

Ms.White: Ithank the minister for that clarification. Can he help me to understand if =itis an easy process to track where the money comes from? Again, saying that =gastax money for unincorporated Yukon is going to regional landfills — s=o,for example, if we had heard that gas tax money that was earmarked for RossRiver was being utilized for the Teslin regional landfill — can theminister let us know if that’s accurate? If it’s not accurate, =canhe tell us how to track that financing?

How do= we knowwhat community — what unincorporated community — is losing part= oftheir gas tax money to go toward regional landfills? Is it as easy as astraight line? Can we say, for example, if it was Ross River, that it would= begoing to Carmacks as the nearest or Faro? Can the minister help me understa=ndhow that gas tax funding is going to regional landfills and whichunincorporated communities are missing out on that funding?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: So, the Yukon government gets — the gas tax money goes tomunicipalities or — it’s not “gas tax”; it’sCanada Community-Building Fund — CCBF. It= is aterrible name; I have said that before, but that is what it is. “Gastax” was a lot easier, but it is no longer that. It’s the CanadaCommunity-Building fund.

That m=oney goesto municipalities. It is split up: It goes to municipalities, it goes to Fi=rstNations, and some of it comes to the Yukon government for unincorporatedcommunities.

As I s=aid, weuse that money to invest in benefits to unincorporated communities. There isnot a straight line between the pot of money that the Yukon government cont=rolsfor unincorporated communities and the investment in unincorporatedcommunities. The goal is to improve all of our communities as fairly aspossible. We are making investments across the territory, and I can’tgive a specific breakdown on what it is. We are talking a little bit inhypotheticals in terms of how we are doing this. If the member opposite has= anyfurther details, I am happy to take them.

Ms.White: Canthe minister help us then understand what percentage or what amount of the =gastax — so, he said the Yukon government collects the gas tax money, andthen it goes out from there. Is each unincorporated community entitled to apercentage or an amount of that gas tax, or is it based on a needsbasis?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: We are talking about unincorporated communities, so communitie=s thathaven’t progressed yet to municipal responsibility. So, right now,it’s the Yukon government that is responsible for unincorporated Yuko=n.We invest in those communities on their behalf, as we are responsible for t=hemoney. There is no money allocated to each unincorporated community. The Yu=kongovernment does it on a needs basis, and that is= howwe have proceeded with the Canada Community-Building fund funding. <=/p>

Ms.White: So,just understanding that, can the minister help me understand — as anexample, Pelly Crossing is directly associated to the highway, right next tothe highway. Ross River is at the end of a highway. One is easier to reach;= onehas a paved road; one has more housing. So, how does the minister decide wh=atcommunity gets what based on needs? My experience in Ross River is that the=reis always a housing shortage; there a lack of infrastructure, which makes ithard to expand housing. So, how does the minister decide where that fundinggoes?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: We take feedback from the communities into what is needed in t=heircommunities. My colleagues and I go on community tours and gather informati=onon what is needed. We have done that certainly for the Investing in Canadainfrastructure fund, and that also informs our choices. What we are talkingabout through the Canada Community-Building fund is a fairly small amount ofmoney. It is in the process of being retooled to look at housing investment=, sowe will see how that shakes out, and that may change the way that thegovernment invests that money.

Curren=tly, weare investing it in solid-waste, drinking-water, and waste-water projectsacross the territory that are necessary, and that is how it is allocated.=span>

Ms.White: So,moving on to the Residential Landlo=rd andTenant Act review, can the minister give me timelines on what the nextsteps are for the Residential Landl=ordand Tenant Act review?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: The“what we heard” document is in the final stages of drafting. We= areworking the final details out before it comes up for approval.

We are= still ontrack to get the act into the spring of 2025, and the policy team is doing =thework necessary — research to analyze the results of the publicengagement, do the jurisdictional scans, and review the current act to disc=ernsome of the gaps and how they might be addressed. That will then come fordrafting instructions. All of that work is underway right now. As I said, weare still on track to meet the deadline for the spring of 2025 to bring thatpiece of legislation before the House.

Ms.White: Ithank the minister for that. Can he let me know if there is any update on t=heresults of the engagements and if there is going to be a lessons-learneddocument from the experience of the Klondike River flooding? Can he let me =knowwhere we’re at with that and what next steps will look like?=p>

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: As I noted, the “what we heard” document is in the= finalstages of drafting and will soon come for a decision. So, that is coming— that is for the Residential= Landlord and Tenant Act work. As f=ar asthe “what we heard” from the Klondike from last season, it is w=itha private firm and we haven’t seen the final draft yet. We will make =aninquiry with the private firm to see where that work is at; we haven’tseen it yet.

Ms.White: Knowingthat we are kind of on the cusp of flooding season, is the minister at allconcerned that we don’t have that document from the private contracto=r,knowing that action should maybe be taken now and not once the flooding sta=rtsor once the flooding has happened? Is the department taking steps to eitherhelp residents protect their property or to make sure that government assetsaren’t lost? Last year, the flooding was quite extensive and it was v=erycostly to people who were affected. I just want to know what the plan is forthis year. If we are waiting for a contractor and we haven’t receivedthat and we’re in April and we know that the Klondike River, for exam=ple— the ice has broken. What is the plan?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: So, the Yukon government has heard the feedback to activate theEmergency Coordination Centre and set up a local incident management team e=arlyenough to ensure a smoother response, and we will work with local governmen=tsto do so. We are working very closely with the municipality and the Tr’ondëk Hwëch=8217;in.You may have heard the fire chief on the radio this morning. That was becau=sethe local team is engaged and well-supported by the team at Community Servi=ces.

The Em=ergencyMeasures Organization set up a portable radio transmitter in mid April, pri=orto ice breakup, to ensure that the public and the Klondike Valley could tuneinto any necessary radio updates. A sandbagging machine and sandbags will besent to Dawson City for use by responders and volunteers. That work is alre=adyin process.

We hav=e alsobeen talking about local preparedness with the City of Dawson and the Tr’ondëk Hwëch=8217;in.Ice-jam flooding is difficult to predict. The Yukon government will make ev=eryeffort to issue an evacuation alert before evacuation becomes necessary. Th=eywill be issued as broadcast-intrusive alert-ready messages, and that is sen=t toall cellphones, radio, and cable TV stations; this is if necessary. We havedone an awful lot of work. We have had tabletop exercises up in the Klondike— two of them so far.

So, we= have donean awful lot of work in the Klondike following last year to make sure that =thecommunity is better prepared. It’s part of the work that we’ve =donethroughout the territory with municipalities and unincorporated communities=, sothe team at Community Services has been doing an awful lot of preparation w=orkfor this year.

As I s=aid, everyyear, we are getting more and more practised at this, unfortunately. I wish= itwasn’t the case, but our changing climate makes that necessary, so we= areworking very hard to prepare our communities even as we invest in the energ=y infrastructure we need to start to hit our targets forgreenhouse gas emissions.

Ms.White: Iguess just to highlight some concerns, it is my understanding that, forexample, not all places in Henderson Corner have access to or reliablecellphone. It also often means that they may not have access to cable or ot=herthings. Last year, one of the real concerns during this flooding was that t=herewere people who were really adversely affected by the flooding who didnR=17;tget the notice to evacuate. They were still on the property trying their be=stto salvage what they could. They were just told by passersby that they need=edto evacuate. I just want to make sure that we don’t repeat mistakes ofthe past. I appreciate that work has been done and that it’s ongoing.= Ijust want to make sure that people are as safe as possible, so that’s= whyI was asking the questions about it.

The 20=23confidence and supply agreement has a commitment= toreform the land lottery system through a process that includes publicengagement. We have heard lots about the problems with the current system, =andmany Yukoners come to talk to us about the issues. Yesterday, I had aconversation with the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources, but I know t=hatthe Minister of Community Services likes to talk about how many lots he has= onthe market and how many lots he is going to sell, so I want to know what pa=rtof the CASA commitment to engage around the land lottery process he is invo=lvedin.

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: There is a consultation. There are two things: There is a broadconsultation going on to do with the LandsAct, and there is a focus concentrated on the lottery system that istargeted. We want to make sure that the system works as intended. I believe= mycolleague answered this question yesterday. We have very little to add.

We bui=ld thelots, make sure that they are up and ready to go, and then we pass them off= toEnergy, Mines and Resources, which then does the selling of the lots. We, ofcourse, work very closely with EMR providing wh=ateverexpertise that Energy, Mines and Resources needs — any information th=atthey may need on the lots and that will feed into the sale of the lots R=12;but that process is actually handled by Energy, Mines and Resources, and I =frequentlystand and talk about all of the lots that we built, but it is my good colle=aguefrom EMR who actually does the selling.<=/p>

Ms.White: Recyclingis an issue that is very important to the territory. When the minister talksabout the importance of landfills or regional landfills and such, a big par=t ofa landfill, of course, filling up sooner is, for example, including things =likecardboard. Can the minister — and I know that my colleague fromCopperbelt North asked some of these questions — but can the ministerhelp me to understand what is going to happen with rural Yukon? So, rural Y=ukonhas the ability, for example, to collect recyclables. Can he let me know wh=atthe plan is now for the recyclables coming from rural Yukon?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Theplan for rural Yukon is no change. Rural Yukon will still continue to have =itsrecyclable — it will collect their recyclable materials. Those recycl=ablematerials will come into Whitehorse and they will be dealt with when they c=omeinto Whitehorse. As I signalled the other day — and I will repeat thatmessage today — there’s no change for rural Yukon. Rural Yukoncontinues to do as it’s doing. I don’t want to throw any disrup=tionto the system. The system works for rural Yukon and it continues as itcurrently exists.

Ms.White: Whenrecycling gets picked up in rural Yukon — and I’m imaginingit’s by a contractor for the Yukon government — where does it g=ettaken right now? When recycling gets picked up in rural Yukon, does it gettaken to one specific processor or both processors? Is the Yukon governmenttransporting it down south itself? Can the minister help me understand thatprocess?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: As I said earlier and in a former question, there is no change= torural Yukon. It will continue to be trucked to Whitehorse. Currently, theprocess of handling the non-refundable recycling products such as paper =212;is Raven. Raven has announced that it’s getting out of it. We are see=kingto work with another processor, so we’re in the process of findinganother processor. There is another processor in town. In light ofRaven’s recent announcement, we are working to find another processor= forthat waste.

Ms.White: Whathappens after September15?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: After September15, we have been informed that Raven will= nolonger be handling that material and we are seeking another processor to ha=ndlethat material.

Ms.White: Whatrole or responsibility does the Yukon government have when it comes torecycling when we talk about, for example, OurClean Future? The reason I ask that is because we know that Raven ReCentre has said that they are closing their publicdrop-off on September15, and the minister has previously said that, w=ell,that is their decision — which it 100&nbsp=;percentis. I understand that the minister has made an offer to the City of Whiteho=rsefor $2.4million. The City of Whitehorse has indicated that it is notenough and then why doesn’t the Yukon government pay for it in itsentirety — but I want to know what responsibility the Yukon governmenthas when it comes to recycling and waste diversion when we talk about, forexample, Our Clean Future?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: I want to thank the member opposite for this question. It is animportant question and it is a live question. It is a question that strikes= toan issue that is incredibly important to me and has been a priority for thisgovernment. It’s a broad question; it’s not simple.

The ov=erarchingmessage is simple. Diversion is important. It is critically important in th=isterritory. We want to keep as much material out of our landfills as possibl=e.We want to manage our landfills as well as we possibly can. We want to cont=rolthe material going into the garbage, going into our landfills, and handle itbetter. We don’t want places that make it easy for the public to get =ridof waste oil, auto parts, old metals, and that type of thing because thatpollutes the environment.

We aretightening — and have been for years now — our control over theamount of garbage that our society produces — garbage in all its form=s.Some of it is recyclable waste; some of it is not. Some of it is e-waste. T=hereare waste metals. We are taking measures to make sure that our society here= inthe territory adopts a more modern approach to this stuff because we areproducing tons of it. We want to get rid of it in the best way possible and= wewant to make sure that the people producing the most garbage pay for theprivilege of disposing of it — the need to dispose of it.

Divers=ion isimportant. We want to support responsible disposal of waste.

We sup=port wastediversion in several ways. The Government of Yukon is the primary funder forprocessing non-refundable recycling in the Yukon, with approximately $1.8&n=bsp;millionprovided in 2023 to ensure that the recycled material is handled and proces=sedaccording to the very best recycling practices available. Non-refundablerecycling and household hazardous waste programs are in transition as we wo=rkthrough implementing extended producer responsibility legislation for packa=gingand paper products, which comes into force in 2025. In the meantime, we areworking with the City of Whitehorse, Raven ReCentre,and P&M Recycling to ensure that there areappropriate methods of recyclable material collection in the City ofWhitehorse.

Now, w=hen themember opposite talks about our responsibility, we are responsible forunincorporated communities. Because diversion is important, we actually helpoffset the cost of recycling coming from rural Yukon to Whitehorse forprocessing by our local processors, and we pay our local processors to hand=lethat waste. However, I will state that recycling and waste disposal within amunicipality is a municipal responsibility. It is up to municipalities tohandle the waste in their respective municipalities, and everything that wedivert out of the landfill that we can recycle benefits the local municipal=ity.So, the municipality, in managing its waste, has a responsibility to take t=hestuff that’s recyclable out of its waste.

Watson= Lake andDawson have taken responsibility for that, and both of those smallmunicipalities with somewhat less than 2,000 people, in most cases, pay morethan Whitehorse on recycling. Their budgets are higher for their recyclingcommitment than the waste coming out of Whitehorse. Whitehorse does not pay= asmuch as Watson Lake and Dawson for recycling within its borders.

Raven =has done agreat job for 30 years. They came to us and said: We are getting out of thebusiness of handling this non-refundable waste. That started a year ago, butWhitehorse was not expecting this and wasn’t prepared for it. So, to =helpWhitehorse with the transition to extended producer responsibility, we look=edat it and came forward with an investment of up to $2.4million over t=henext two years. That includes diversion credits to help the City of Whiteho=rseto bridge the gap between the closure of Raven’s public drop-off on S=eptember15and the adoption of extended producer responsibility in 2025.

So, to= themember opposite’s question: Whitehorse is responsible for waste diver=sionwithin its borders, and the Yukon government supports diversion throughout =theterritory, because it is important. So, we are going to continue that suppo=rtand have extended — because of the speed with which Raven has announc=edits closure, we have stepped forward with money to help the City of Whiteho=rsebridge that gap. I think that this is important. The member opposite said t=hatthe City of Whitehorse said that is not enough money. That is not the word =thatI have had. Actually, they said that they were happy with the generous supp=ortthat we are giving to the City of Whitehorse for diversion. It is not the f=ullamount, but it should, based on the estimates that we have for the cost ofstarting a blue box program within Whitehorse — whether that iscontracted out or the city does it, that is a decision for the City ofWhitehorse to take — but the information that we have is that the fun=dingthat we have provided to the City of Whitehorse is roughly 50percent =ofthe cost of a diversion program.

We kno=w thatwhen EPR comes in, it should cover at least 50percent of the cost, if= notmore. So, to bridge the gap, we have stepped in with funding for the City ofWhitehorse to help with their diversion. It is a live discussion within themunicipality of Whitehorse, and we sincerely hope that they take us up on o=uroffer to help bridge that gap to a blue bin system within the City ofWhitehorse, because we know how important it is to our citizens that they a=reable to continue recycling here in Whitehorse.

Ms.McLeod: MadamChair, it is always a pleasure to stand up and talk about Community Service=s. Ihave a few questions for the minister. I am going to start with the disasterfinancial assistance. Now, we understand that the minister is working on thedevelopment of a disaster financial assistance program that is aimed atclarifying and streamlining how Yukoners and businesses and municipalitiesaccess funding to recover from a disaster — so, a few questions aboutthat.

Can th=e ministertell us the status of this work? Have consultations begun, and if so, who h=asbeen consulted, what is the timing of the creation of this new program, and= isthere a budget for this program?

Chair: Do me=mberswish to take a brief recess?

All Hon.Members: Agreed.

Chair: Commi=ttee ofthe Whole will recess for 15 minutes.

&=nbsp;

Recess

&=nbsp;

Deputy Chair (MLATredger): =b>Committee of the Whole will now come to order.

The ma=tter nowbefore the Committee is continuing general debate on Vote51, Departme=ntof Community Services, in Bill No.213, entitled First Appropriation Act 2024‑25.

Is the=re anyfurther general debate?

Ms.McLeod: Ijust wanted to question whether or not the minister needed me to repeat thatquestion.

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: Before I attempt an answer this afternoon, I want to welcome m=y goodcolleague from Watson Lake to the debate on CS today. I always enjoy ourconversations. I may not show it every time, but it’s nice to have ch=atswith the member, and I look forward to our discussion this afternoon.

I also= have notyet introduced my officials this afternoon. We have Matt King and we also h=avePhil MacDonald here this afternoon, and I want to thank them for being here=. Myapologies for not doing it earlier, gentlemen.

All ri=ght. So,as I understand it, you were asking about the disaster financial assistanceprogram and what we are doing. The short answer is this: Last year, we put =intoplay an assistance program for the Klondike Valley. We are looking to use t=heprinciples and the approach we took, which was based on the federal program=, asit currently stands this year. The wrinkle and complicating factor in thisdiscussion is that the federal government is changing the program, andthat’s happening this year. It’s actually in process now, and weexpect to hear more about it soon. So, this is a live conversation. =

Once w=e learnhow the federal government is going to proceed into the future with thisprogram, we will then be in a position to take what the federal government =hasgiven us and then go and talk to municipalities about it to ensure that ourprogram matches the federal program and everyone understands how it works. =

So, we= arewaiting for information from the federal government. I am led to believethat’s coming fairly quickly, but we haven’t seen it yet. Once =wehave that, we will be able to build a program for the future. Currently, wehave a program that worked relatively well last season, and we are going toadopt those principles for the coming season.

Ms.McLeod: Ithank the minister for that information.

Now, f=ollowingthe 2021 flood and the 2022 high-water years for Marsh Lake, I understand t=hata committee was formed in Marsh Lake to press the government for changes,particularly in the area of Army Beach and South MR=17;ClintockBay. I was told that the committee sent a letter to the minister, so can heconfirm that he has received a letter from this group, and if so, what was =hisresponse?

Hon.Mr.Mostyn: I thank the member opposite for the question. I have received aletter. It would be impolite of me to tell the Legislative Assembly the ans=werbefore I actually communicate it to the people who took all the time to wri=teme the letter, so more to come on this file.

Afterintroducing and letting the member opposite know how much I appreciate herquestions, how much I am looking for more questions, I am now going to movethat we report progress.

Deputy Chair: It hasbeen moved by the Member for Whitehorse West that the Chair report progress=.

Are yo=u agreed?

Some Hon.Members: Count.

Count

Deputy Chair: Acount has been called.

&=nbsp;

Bells

<=/o:p>

&=nbsp;

Deputy Chair:̳=5;Allthose in favour, please rise.

Members rise

Deputy Chair:̳=5;Allthose opposed, please rise.

Members rise

Deputy Chair:̳=5;Theresults are nine yea, eight nay.

I decl=are themotion carried.

Motion agreed to

&=nbsp;

Hon.Mr.Streicker: <=spanlang=3DEN-CA>Deputy Chair, I move that the Speaker do now resume the Chair.=

Deputy Chair: It hasbeen moved by the Member for Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes that the Speaker do= nowresume the Chair.

Motion agreed to

=

Speaker res=umes theChair

=

Speaker:=195;May the House have a repo=rt fromthe Deputy Chair of Committee of the Whole?

Chair’sreport

MLATr=edger: Mr.Speaker, Committ=ee ofthe Whole has considered Bill No.38, entitled Health Authority Act, and directed me to report progress.

<=/o:p>

Committee of the Whole has also consid=eredBill No.213, entitled FirstAppropriation Act 2024‑25, and directed me to report progress.

Speaker:=195;You have heard the report= fromthe Deputy Chair of Committee of the Whole.

Are you agreed?

Some Hon.&n=bsp;Members: Agreed.=

Speaker:=195;I declare the report carr=ied.

Hon.M=r.Streicker: I move that the Speaker d=o nowleave the Chair and that the House resolve into Committee of the Whole.

Speaker:=195;It has been moved by theGovernment House Leader that the Speaker do now leave the Chair and that theHouse resolve into Committee of the Whole.

Motion agre=ed to

=

Speaker lea=ves theChair

Committeeof the Whole

Deputy Chair (MLATredger): =b>Committee of the Whole will now come to order.

The ma=tterbefore the Committee is continuing clause-by-clause consideration of Bill N=o.38,entitled Health Authority Act.

=

Do mem=bers wishto take a brief recess?

All Hon.Members: Agreed.

Deputy Chair: Committeeof the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.

&=nbsp;

Recess

Bill No.38:Health Authority Act — continued

Deputy Chair: Committeeof the Whole will now come to order.

The ma=tterbefore the Committee is continuing clause-by-clause consideration of Bill N=o.38,entitled Health Authority Act. =We arecurrently considering the amendment as proposed by the Member for Lake Labe=rgeto clause74.

On amendment to Clause 74 — continued

=

Deputy Chair:̳=5;Isthere any further debate?

Hon.Ms.McPhee: I appreciate that I had the floor when we completed this debat=e lastweek. I am joined again by the Deputy Minister of Health and Social Service=s,Tiffany Boyd; by Jenny Imbeau, who is the director of legislation andpartnerships; and also by Pamela Muir, our legis=lativedrafter with respect to Bill No.38. Thank you to them for being heretoday.

I am h=appy tosay, in continuation of my comments regarding the amendment that is on thefloor, that I met with a number of officials and the unions that arerepresenting employees at the Department of Health and Social Services and =theYukon Hospital Corporation last week. We discussed the creation of a memora=ndumof understanding. We are working to achieve the best protections for employ=ees.I have committed to that work here on the floor of the Legislative Assembly=. Weare continuing to work through potential protections for employment andagreement to do so.

I comm=itted atthat meeting last Wednesday to providing the unions with a letter of commit=mentfrom me. There was a bit of back-and-forth with respect to comments about w=hatshould be included there, and I provided that to them yesterday. I did rece=ivevery late in the day today — and I certainly appreciate that time is =ofthe essence and everyone is working to respect that — a draft of whatcould be an MOU. It took some time to review.

I note= that wedid not intend, at the meeting that I had with the unions last week, to hav=e anMOU ready by the time this matter was being called back. I am mindful of thecommitments that we have made to Yukon First Nations, to employees, and to =allYukoners through the development of a health authority act of the timing andthe importance of making sure that Bill No.38 is passed in thisLegislative Assembly, so we continue to work together on behalf of Yukoners=.

I will= notethat, with respect to this particular amendment, the changes that would be =madeto section2(c) are problematic, in my view. I have confirmed that it =isnot for the minister to be responsible to negotiate a clear plan showing howpay benefits and pensions will be affected with the union or unions. I have= notrouble providing a plan to the employees who will be affected — and =theproposed transfer will clearly do that anyway — but this section asdrafted seems to infer that the minister would be responsible to negotiate =withthe unions. That is not appropriate outside of the representation of theunions. Unions, of course, have processes included in the collective agreem=ent.They are responsible for negotiating on behalf of their members, and it iscritical that this section, in my view, not be supported, as it requiressomething that is not available or appropriate for the minister to do.

Amendm=ents mustbe considered in relation to the related sections that they affect and as p=artof the bill or the potential legislation as a whole. So, despite best effor=tsof the Member of the Legislative Assembly who has proposed this amendment, =weare not legislative drafters. They are highly skilled professionals. They w=ritelegislation to include things like definitions and enabling sections, legalauthorities to act, responsibilities of parties, regulation-making authorit=ies,transition provisions, and certainly other related sections. The most impor=tantaspect, I think, of their skillset is that they determine how all of thesethings fit together.

We are= bringingsome amendments to this particular bill. We have reviewed and drafted thoseamendments with the benefit of legislative counsel and we have determined t=hat— certainly my comments going forward — they will enhance theoverall bill.

Those =are mycomments with respect to the amendment that is on the floor. I urge members= notto support the ideas that are included in what will be section2(c),should this pass.

Mr.Cathers: Todaywas extremely odd. In fact, we know that the government has mishandled thislegislation throughout the process, including failing to consult with healthcare workers and sidelining them during them the process. Today — withthe bizarre situation we saw with the government calling business, thenreporting progress, and then coming back — is the direct result of thegovernment sidelining health professionals and unions representing healthworkers employed by government and the Yukon Hospital Corporation. <=/p>

We kno=w that theminister was embarrassed into making other amendments prompted by the risk =ofpossible litigation by the Association franco-yukonnai=se.We saw the odd situation earlier today when the government called this bill= fordebate. The minister immediately rose to report progress, citing somecommunication that she has still not shared with us, and then the governmenttried to bring it back. We have yet to see what this communication was.

We kno=w that ourproposed amendment last week prompted scrambling by the government, includi=ngthe minister, meetings between officials, the minister, unions, and a lot ofe-mails back and forth — some of which we have seen and some of which= wehaven’t. We saw as well, even today, both before the House actually b=eganafter the government identified Bill No.38 as business and then thisafternoon — there has been quite a bit of back-and-forth between theunions, labour organizations, government, the Third Party, and us. However,= wedon’t have a clear explanation from the government of what we saw tod=ay.

Earlie=r today,after the government called Bill No.38 for debate, the ministerimmediately moved to report progress, citing some communication that she hasyet to share with this Legislative Assembly. Will she share that communicat=ionnow and let us know — provide us with written copies of the correspon=dencebetween herself and the union today?

Ms.White: Idon’t think it’s going to surprise anyone that I disagree with =theMember for Lake Laberge for a whole section of reasons. I actually really w=antto commend the minister and her team on the leadership that they are showin=g intrying to work together to get this through in a good way. That’sultimately what this is about; it’s trying to do it in a good way. It= hasnot been comfortable, it has not been easy, and it has been deeply knot-tyi=ngin all those ways, including what I’m about to do right now. <=/p>

The on=e thing Iwant to say is that I really fundamentally believe that the minister and theunions are so close right now to getting that memorandum of understanding sothat we can move forward in a good way without amendments. I have that firmbelief, which is why I am going to take this next step.

Again,= I believeit is a strength to try to correct. I believe that is a really powerful thi=ng,and unfortunately, we don’t see that enough in politics because we aretoo busy taking each other down when we make mistakes. So, when we are able= torectify those and we are able to acknowledge and we are trying to do that i=n abetter way, that is far more powerful. I do appreciate — and I wanted= tosay that. I really appreciate the work that has been done so far.

So, I =am askingfor a little bit of grace here.

I will= move thatclause74 be stood over until the conversation around an MOU with theunions can happen. I fully anticipate that we will be back very soon, so I =amexpecting that this is a day. I would expect that we will be back heretomorrow.

I move= thatclause74 be stood over.

Deputy Chair: It hasbeen moved by the Member for Takhini-Kopper King that clause74 be sto=odover.

Clause 74 stood over

On Clause 75

Clause 75 agreed to

On Clause 76

Ms.White: Pursuant toStanding Order14.3, I request the unanimous consent of Committee of t=heWhole to deem clauses 76 through 98 of Bill No.38, entitled Health Authority Act, read and agr=eedto.

Unanimousconsent re deeming clauses 76 through 98 of Bill No.38 read and agree=d to

Deputy Chair: TheMember for Takhini-Kopper King has, pursuant to Standing Order14.3,requested the unanimous consent of Committee of the Whole to deem clauses 76through 98 of Bill No.38, entitled HealthAuthority Act, read and agreed to.

All Hon.Members: Agreed.

Deputy Chair: Unanimousconsent has been granted.

Clauses 76 through 98 deemed read and agreed to<=o:p>

On Clause 99

Ms.White: I willmove that clause99 be stood over until more conversations can happen =withthe union around that MOU.

Deputy Chair, I move that clause9=9 bestood over.

&=nbsp;

Deputy Chair: It hasbeen moved by the Member for Takhini-Kopper King that clause99 be sto=odover.

Clause 99 stood over

On Clause 100

Clause 100 agreed to

On Clause 101

Clause 101 agreed to

On Clause 102

Clause 102 agreed to

On Clause 103

Hon.Ms.McPhee: Deputy Chair, thank for the earlier support last week to stand= oversection70 so that we could speak to section103. I anticipate th=atwe will return to section70 immediately following the conversationregarding 103, as it relates and is consequential to the change that I am g=oingto suggest here in section 103.

There =is anopportunity to link meaningful implementation of the Languages Act through an amendment to section103 of the b=illand ultimately to section70, where it is mentioned as well, to make itclear that representatives of the Yukon’s francophone community must =beengaged in the initial board, including its chair and chief executive offic=er,regarding planning for the implementation of the Languages Act.

I woul=d like toreiterate that amendments are being introduced here to confirm that ourgovernment wishes to reflect respect for the Languages Act throughout the health and social services system =andto facilitate planning for the application of the Languages Act to a health authority.

I am t=hereforeproposing that section103 be amended to include subsection (2), pursu=antto subsection (1), to state that the initial board, the initial chair, and =theinitial chief executive officer must meet with representatives of YukonR=17;sfrancophone community, the Government of Yukon, the Yukon Hospital Corporat=ion,and the Yukon First Nation health committee to plan for the implementation =ofsection9(2) of the Health Aut=horityAct regarding the application of the LanguagesAct to the health authority.

&=nbsp;

Amendment proposed

Hon.Ms.McPhee: Imove:

THAT Bill No.38, entitled HealthAuthority Act, be amended at pages70 and 71 by:

(a) nu=mberingthe current clause103 as subclause103(1);

(b) ad=ding thefollowing subclause after subclause103(1):

(2) Pu=rsuant tosubsection(1), the initial board, the initial chair, and the initialchief executive officer must meet with representatives of Yukon’sfrancophone community, the Government of Yukon, the Yukon Hospital Corporat=ion,and the Yukon First Nation health committee to plan for the implementation =ofsubsection9(2) regarding the application of the Languages Act to the health authority.

&=nbsp;

Deputy Chair: Theamendment is in order.

It has= beenmoved by the Member for Riverdale South:

THAT B=ill No.38,entitled Health Authority Act, =beamended at pages70 and 71 by:

(a) nu=mberingthe current clause103 as subclause103(1);

(b) ad=ding thefollowing subclause after subclause103(1);

(2) Pu=rsuant tosubsection(1), the initial board, the initial chair and the initial c=hiefexecutive officer must meet with representatives of Yukon’s Francopho=necommunity, the Government of Yukon, the Yukon Hospital Corporation and theYukon First Nation health committee to plan for the implementation ofsubsection9(2) regarding the application of the Languages Act to the health authority.

Is the=re anydebate on the amendment proposed by the Member for Riverdale South?<=/p>

Mr.Dixon: Aswe have with other amendments that came as a result of discussions with the= AFY, we will be agreeing to this amendment, of course=, withthe proviso that this is yet another amendment that is the direct result of= theminister’s unprecedentedly poor handling of a bill before theLegislature. It wouldn’t have been necessary if the minister hadconsulted prior to tabling the bill.

Ms.White: I amgoing to take a different tack and I’m going to say that I appreciate= theleadership that has been shown in addressing the concerns that werehighlighted. We will be voting in favour of this amendment.

Deputy Chair: Isthere any further debate on the amendment to clause 103?

Amendment to Clause 103 agreed to

Clause 103, as amended, agreed to

&=nbsp;

Deputy Chair: On April16,2024, Committee of the Whole passed a motion proposed by the Member forRiverdale South that clause 70 be stood over until after clause103 hasbeen cleared. Consideration of clause103 being completed, we will nowconsider the previously stood-over clause70.

On Clause70 — previously stood over<=o:p>

Deputy Chair: Isthere any debate on clause70?

Hon.Ms.McPhee: As I noted in earlier comments, the amendment to section=70 isa simple cross-reference to the proposed amendments to section103 thathave now been made. Section70(y) will be amended to include the number“103(1)(b)”.

&=nbsp;

Amendment proposed

Hon.Ms.McPhee: Imove:

THAT B=ill No.38,entitled Health Authority Act, =beamended at page45 by replacing, in paragraph 70(y), the expression“103(b)” with the expression “103(1)(b)”.

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Deputy Chair: Theamendment is in order.

It has= beenmoved by the Member for Riverdale South:

THAT B=ill No.38,entitled Health Authority Act, =beamended at page45 by replacing, in paragraph 70(y), the expression“103(b)” with the expression “103(1)(b)”.

Is the=re anydebate?

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Hon.Ms.McPhee: I think it is incredibly important to take the opportunity tochallenge the criticisms that are coming from the members opposite in relat=ionto the amendments that have been brought forward by the government to enhan=cethis particular bill. Those have been done following conversations with theAssociation franco-yukonnaise. Whatever their o=pinionand criticism they want to give of me — but I think I must properlydefend the individuals who put so much work into creating Bill No.38,some of whom are with us today. Many more stand behind the three officials =whomI have with me today and the members of the gallery who are here representi=ngthe Health Transformation Advisory Committee and the Chiefs Committee on He=althas well as the unions that we continue to work with closely.

I alsoappreciate the comments from the Leader of the Third Party. Our job is to c=omehere and get the best possible bill and the best possible piece of legislat=ionto create and enable a health authority here in the territory, because that= iswhat Yukoners have told us to do and that’s what we have done in brin=gingit here.

Taking= theopportunity or the shots that the opposition is taking with respect to whattheir impression of how a bill might be made is or how improvements might c=omealong — and the complete commitment that this team has to making surethat the best possible piece of legislation is here for Yukoners should not= andcannot be challenged in my view. I must properly take the opportunity to notonly thank the individuals here to get them the appropriate recognition for= theincredible amount of work that has brought us to today, I thank the members= ofthe Association franco-yukonnaise for coming fo=rwardand for cooperating and speaking to us and determining how we could worktogether going forward.

I have= therelationship with the unions. I feel confident in that and I feel confidentthat we will get to a place that is for the protection of Yukon employees a=s wemove into a health authority world, something that has not even beencontemplated in the past by any government in this territory. The creation =ofsuch an integrated, person-centred, transformed health care system is the g=oal.It’s the goal on behalf of all Yukoners.

I know= that lastnight at a public meeting, one of the questions that came forward was: Why =dothis and why do this now? The heartfelt answer that came from one of themembers of the Health Transformation Advisory Committee was that it is beca=usepeople are dying. A health system transformation is what Yukoners have askedfor and is what we have brought forward here. We will continue to do that w=orkdiligently on behalf of Yukoners and with the support of the partners that =wehave so properly and importantly cultivated relationships with.

Deputy Chair: Isthere any further debate on the amendment?

Amendment to Clause 70 agreed to

Clause 70, as amended, agreed to

Deputy Chair: Wewill now consider clause104.

On Clause 104

Clause 104 agreed to

On Clause 105

Clause 105 agreed to

On Clause 106

Clause 106 agreed to

On Clause 107

Clause 107 agreed to

On Clause 108

Clause 108 agreed to

Some Hon.Member: (Inaudible)

Point of order

Deputy Chair: Memberfor Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes, on a point of order.

Hon.Mr.Streicker: <=spanlang=3DEN-CA>I will just ask the Clerks to assist. I just went out and aske=d theClerk — my understanding is that you would move back to the clauses t=hatwe have stood over, not move to the preamble.

Can th=e Clerksjust verify that for us, please?

Deputy Chair’s ruling

Deputy Chair: Wewill consider the stood-over clauses before proceeding to considering thepreamble.

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On =Clause 74— previously stood over

Hon.Ms.McPhee: Deputy Chair, I move that you report progress.

Deputy Chair: It hasbeen moved by the Member for Riverdale South that the Chair report progress=.

Motion agreed to

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Deputy Chair: Committeeis continuing general debate on Vote52, Department of Environment, inBill No.213, entitled FirstAppropriation Act 2024‑25.

Do mem=bers wishto take a brief recess?

All Hon.Members: Agreed.

Deputy Chair: Committeeof the Whole will recess for 15 minutes.

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Recess

Deputy Chair: Committeeof the Whole will now come to order.

Bill No.213:First Appropriation Act 2024‑=25— continued

The ma=tter nowbefore the Committee is continuing general debate on Vote52, Departme=ntof Environment, in Bill No.213, entitled First Appropriation Act 2024‑25.

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Department of Environment — continued

Deputy Chair:̳=5;Isthere any further general debate?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: Deputy Chair, I am pleased to be here again for main budget de=bateon the Department of Environment, and once again, to my immediate right isDeputy Minister Michael Prochazka and, to his right, Assistant Deputy Minis=terBriar Young.

I beli=eve that Ihave a bit of time, and I will also just continue a little bit with my comm=entsas they pertain to this budget, and then I will look forward to answering m=orequestions.

I rece=ntlyattended the Yukon Biodiversity Forum where a wide range of speakers discus=sedbiodiversity-related topics, which included some concerning trends. However,there were also optimistic indicators that biodiversity in the Yukon isflourishing.

To doc=ument theYukon’s biodiversity trends, the Department of Environment has conduc=tedbioblitzes across the territory which aim to record as many species as poss=iblewithin a designated location and time frame. One of the bioblitzes conducte=d inthe Beaver Creek area in 2022 recorded 1,852 species and only 27 were notnative to the region, indicating that there were very few invasive species =inthe area.

Govern=ment ofYukon collaborates with Yukon First Nations, the Inuvialuit, Indigenous gro=ups,wildlife management boards and councils, interest groups, and other governm=entsto complete this work and to ensure that we protect the wide range ofbiodiversity in the territory and conserve species at risk.

We pre=viouslycompleted, in collaboration with the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Boa=rd,the Yukon’s first conservation plan for grizzly bears. We are complet=ingthe fourth conservation plan for bison in partnership with affected FirstNations and renewable resources councils, and we are now in the process ofimplementing the wetland stewardship policy. This work is helping us to inf=ormprotected area planning, identify species that require monitoring, betterconserve Yukon diversity, and is helping us to reach our goals in the Canada-Yukon Nature Agreement sign=edwith the Government of Canada in 2022.

The Canada-Yukon Nature Agreement willsupport Indigenous leadership and conservation, protect and conserve new ar=easof the Yukon, monitor and protect species at risk, and support the protecti=onand conservation of lands and waters. Since signing the agreement, thedepartment has made progress implementing the agreement on several fronts,including increasing our monitoring and surveying of fish, wildlife, andhabitat, which will inform future land use planning processes. We are alsoworking to distribute funds for Indigenous-led conservation that will suppo=rt apath forward to protect 30percent of Yukon lands and waters by 2030.<=/span>

The ag=reementalso recognizes the relationships and roles that the Government of Yukon haswith Yukon First Nations in implementing final agreements and the co-manage=mentof protected areas.

In Jan=uary, acall for expression of interest went out to Yukon First Nations and othertransboundary Indigenous groups to access funding under the Canada-Yukon Nature Agreement.

Budget= 2024‑25includes over $7.4million — an increase of $803,000 — toadvance land use planning and create protected areas under the agreement wi=ththe goal of conserving 25percent of the Yukon’s land by 2025 andcreating a pathway to 30percent by 2030.

This f=undingwill directly support Indigenous leadership in conservation and the sharing= offoundational knowledge to protect and recover species at risk. I look forwa=rdto seeing how this agreement helps our territory plan for the future and en=surethe responsible management and sustainable use of our lands and resources f=orfuture generations.

The De=partmentof Environment remains committed to the responsible management of wildlife =inour territory in a way that ensures that populations of wildlife continue tothrive and Yukoners will have harvest opportunities for generations to come.The Department of Environment has a team of experienced biologists and gameexperts who collect data to help ensure that we make informed decisionsregarding wildlife management in the territory. We collect data by surveyingand monitoring our wildlife populations using information provided by licen=cedhunters and our co-management partners, including Yukon First Nations.

Just b=riefly, inbudget 2024‑25, we are investing: $24,000 to support research of thePorcupine caribou herd; $68,000 in wood bison research; and $109,000 forresearch and monitoring of moose and wolf surveys in the Porcupine caribourange, including the Vuntut Gwitchin traditional territory. These funds are= 100‑percentrecoverable from the federal government through agreements with Environment= andClimate Change Canada and Polar Knowledge Canada. This work ensures that theYukon’s wildlife continues to thrive but also that Yukoners havesustainable access to fishing and hunting opportunities from sustainablewildlife populations.

There =is more,but I will end my comments there and look forward to further questions.

Mr.Istchenko: Iwant to thank the staff for being here today. It has been quite the day. Th=erehave been staff in and out of here; they come, then go again, then come bac=k.It has been a really interesting day, but I’m glad you’re heretoday to support the minister, and I want to thank you for all you do and a=llthe people in the department who are on the phone right now ready to provid=e ananswer for the minister.

I aske=d this inQuestion Period I believe last week, and I will ask it again. It’s ab=outthe earmarked consultant’s contract which was for the purpose ofundertaking a mandated review of the Fish and Wildlife management branch of= theDepartment of Environment. I had asked the minister to explain why this rev=iewis being done and what engagement is being done to seek the views of thehunting, fishing, and wildlife management community, especially of our boar=dsand our renewable resources councils.

Now, I= was a bitsurprised that the minister didn’t really know much about this, but hedid say that he will receive a briefing with respect to the purpose of thatreview and could provide a more fulsome answer to me in short order. So, co=uldhe do that, please?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: I will certainly endeavour today — although I certainlywouldn’t forestall the possibility of there being a follow-up questio=n,but I believe that I do have good information about this topic.

In Mar=ch2024,the Department of Environment retained ERM Consultants, formerly Stratos, todocument how its mandate is defined through formal and informal requirementsand expectations and to gather input on mandate implementation. As wasindicated last week, the cost of this contract was $49,905, and this consul=tantwas chosen for the Fish and Wildlife branch mandate review due to theirfamiliarity with the work of the branch and partner organizations.=p>

ERM Co=nsultantscompleted a review of the Fish and Wildlife Management Board in 2019 undercontract with the Council of Yukon First Nations. The review of the boardresulted in 27 recommendations directed toward the actors implicated by the= Umbrella Final Agreement: the Gove=rnmentof Canada, the Government of Yukon, the board, renewable resources councils,and First Nations.

Onerecommendation from the 2019 Stratos report is directed at all actors toclarify, achieve consensus, and document the fish and wildlife structure andvarious roles within it based on the current context, legal landscape, area=s ofoverlap or duplication, and identified strengths and weaknesses. A review ofthe Fish and Wildlife branch mandate will contribute to fulfilling thatrecommendation.

I woul=d also atthis time like to clarify that the only active review with the Yukon Fish a=ndWildlife Management Board is the one that we are jointly undertaking to rev=iewthe wildlife regulation change process.

The ER=M reviewwill look at the strengths of the Department of Environment Fish and Wildli=fe branchin fulfilling its mandate, activities, and objectives and identifyopportunities for improvement. This is part of a cycle of continuousimprovement being undertaken by the branch to ensure that they continue toprovide relevant services to Yukoners.

The Fi=sh andWildlife branch leads the management of fish and wildlife and their habitatsfor the conservation, appreciation, and sustainable use of naturally diverseand changing ecosystems in a manner that is collaborative and adaptive whilerespecting Indigenous rights and title and the provisions of Yukon moderntreaties.

This w=orkincludes leading wildlife research and monitoring, coordinating harvestmanagement, and delivering public education programming. As mentioned, the =ERMreview will look at how the mandate is defined in the various agreements andlegislation and how it is being implemented alongside our partners. The rev=iewwill examine and be informed by the branch mandate, activities, and objecti=vesas established in the Canadian and Yukon legislation and agreements, Indige=nousagreements, ministerial mandate letters, and departmental and branch strate=gicplans. This includes but is not limited to: my 2020‑23 mandate letter,supplementary notes on minister’s mandate commitment in 2023, theDepartment of Environment strategic plan 2023‑26, the environmentstrategic plan 2023‑25, the branch plan for Fish and Wildlife 2023=209;26,and the Umbrella Final Agreementchapter 16 as well.

The re=viewincludes interviews with current and former Fish and Wildlife staff and mem=bersof the organizations that the branch regularly engages with, including theYukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, renewable resources councils, Fir=stNation land and resources directors, Wildlife Management Advisory Council N=orthSlope, the Yukon Conservation Society, and the Yukon Fish and Game Associat=ion.Interviews with key organizations and individuals are expected to be comple=tedby the end of April2024. Feedback from these partners is integral to =themandate review. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all particip=antsfor their input.

The Yu=kongovernment anticipates a final report summarizing the findings and providingrecommendations in 2024.

Deputy= Chair, Ibelieve that this provides a fairly comprehensive answer to the question ra=isedby the Member for Kluane, but certainly, we can endeavour to answer anyfollow-up questions that may arise.

Mr.Istchenko: Iappreciate what the minister had to say, but the minister just told me thatthis was going to be completed by the end of this month — April=2024?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: No, sorry; my briefing notes indicate “in 2024”. I= canconfer with my officials as to if there can be any greater specificity withrespect to that.

My inf=ormationis that the data will have been substantially gathered by the end of April&=nbsp;2024and then to anticipate that it will take a number of months to actuallycomplete the report and summarize the findings but an indication that it wi=llbe complete in the calendar year 2024.

Mr.Istchenko: That’ssuper disappointing because I just wrote down some questions I was going toask. I was going to ask about which communities you were going to consult w=ith,when will the community meetings be, where will they take place, and who wi=llhost the meetings. The minister did say who he has consulted with, but hedidn’t say “Yukoners”. He talked about the First Nations;= hetalked about the boards and the committees and the Yukon OutfittersAssociation, but there are a lot of resident hunters who maybe aren’tpart of the Yukon Fish and Game Association. The end of the month, if IR=17;mnot mistaken, is upon us real quick. I can confe=r withthe Member for Pelly-Nisutlin, but he probably would agree with me. =

I don&=#8217;tsee Yukoners getting very much input. I see the organizations getting input,but there are a lot of local Yukoners. The way consultation is supposed to =workis that there’s supposed to be community meetings. If there are commu=nitymeetings, then MLAs, resources councils, and those people who usually hostthose meetings can invite the community to come out and provide some input.=

I was =talking tosome friends of mine on the weekend and told them that there was a review g=oingon, and unless we had popped it up on the contract registry, I haven’tseen anything. I haven’t seen — you know, there are a lot of pr=essreleases that come out of the office upstairs on a regular basis with this =onit. I asked the question, and the minister didn’t really know anythingabout it. The end of April is tomorrow, and you’re going to have all =ofyour information already? Not good for Yukoners.

Hon.Mr.Clarke: I certainly hear the Member for Kluane’s comments. What Iwould say in my comments with respect to the engagement — thisengagement, in my view, certainly will — this engagement certainly wi=llcover — has covered a lot of different interest groups and organizati=ons.I take the member’s criticism, but to be clear — and I believe Iwas clear in my previous answer — this is an internal branch review, =andit is, in fact, focused on the co-management partners and those interestgroups.

I have= heard themember loud and clear, will take his comments and mild — maybe not somild — criticisms away, review those with my officials, and determinewhether there is room for slightly more outreach. I take the member’scomment, but it appears that the nature of this review was primarily aninternal branch review focusing on the co-management partners and interestgroups whom I have set out on the record in my previous comments. One momen=t,please — thank you, Deputy Chair.

Mr.Istchenko: Okay,I thank the minister for his comments there of a primarily internal review.=

I̵=7;m goingto check with some of the partners whom the minister speaks with in my area— mainly my resources councils and some of the staff with First Natio=ns— and see if they provided any input. I just want to see to make surethat they did in a meaningful way.

Then I= guess myquestion would be: When it comes to the review being finished sometime in 2=024,will this review be made public? Will there be opportunity for the averageYukoner to comment on this review and provide input? How will this review beimplemented into changes within the branch?

I had =askedabout some of the stuff that was going on with the Wildlife Act in my question in Question Period also and how this plays into it, but I am just wondering if the ave=rageYukoner is going to see any change in the department.

Hon.Mr.Clarke: I think I can be fairly brief on this matter, but I am advised= thatthe plan is to make the review public. The final question from the Member f=orKluane was whether there would be any change at the Fish and Wildlife branc=h.Well, of course, we wouldn’t want to — we can’t or Ican’t and no one probably can — prejudge the results of theengagement and the recommendations that the consultants ultimately provide.=

I am n=otnecessarily in the speculation business, because that is probably not a verygood idea to speculate, but I would say that it would be unlikely that therewouldn’t be some changes, but certainly in April, currently, right no=w,we are not really in a position to prejudge the results of the engagement a=ndprejudge the nature of the conclusions reached by the consultants.=p>

Hon.Mr.Clarke: As I indicated, action items will depend on the feedback that =wereceive. The ERM review will look at the strengths of the Department ofEnvironment Fish and Wildlife branch in fulfilling its mandate, activities,= andobjectives and identify opportunities for improvement. This is part of a cy=cleof continuous improvement being undertaken by the branch to ensure that theycontinue to provide relevant service to Yukoners.

So, th=e quickanswer to the first question is that, yes, the intention is for the review =tobe made public.

Mr.Istchenko: Ithank the minister for that. I will move on.

I aske=d thisquestion last year and I would like to get an update on it again. Our Clean Future states, intransportation, to get 4,800 zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2030.That’s just a little over five years from now. We will do this by wor=kingwith local vehicle dealerships and manufacturers to establish a system to m=eettargets for zero-emission vehicle sales, providing rebates, and investment =incharging stations. I have seen some of the rebates and I know that they areputting in charging stations.

It als=o says inthere that 50percent of light-duty cars purchased each year by the Yu=kongovernment are zero-emission vehicles. So, can the minister let me know if =thedepartment has been working with local dealerships and manufacturers? What =ishe hearing from them about whether or not this is actually attainable?

Hon.Mr.Clarke: I have more information — wearing my Highways and Public= Workshat — but I do know this file reasonably well. Working backwards, theobjective is to have 10percent of the light-duty — all governme=ntFleet Vehicle Agency vehicles — either plug-in electric, fullbattery/electric — and I think maybe hybrid as well — atapproximately 10percent of that number by the spring of next year. =span>

There =was asuccessful contract — a procurement that was let for 30 full-electric= KiaNiros. Kia Subaru was the successful bidder with respect to that contract. Ibelieve that 15 have been delivered in this fiscal year and 15 will bedelivered in the fiscal year of 2024‑25, so that is 30 full-battery/e=lectricvehicles. Members of the Assembly will know that there are two full-electricmail-delivery vans which are sometimes at the north side of the Jim SmithBuilding, sometimes the south side of the Jim Smith Building.

I had =theopportunity within the last six weeks or so to do a tour of the mail-delive=ryroom and the hard-working, motivated team downstairs, and I certainly thankthem for their tour. It was enlightening as to their duties andresponsibilities that they discharge on a daily basis, but I did have theopportunity to do a quick route within downtown Whitehorse in one of theirfull-electric Ford Sprinter vans. There are also a number of Ford Lightningpickup trucks but also a number either plug-in electric or hybrid SUVs.

The me=mberopposite also asked what the response of the dealers has been. Well, youcertainly heard during COVID — and the member opposite may have asked= mequestions toward the end of COVID as well — that there were supply ch=ainissues with respect to local dealers providing a supply of either plug-inelectric, battery/electric, or hybrid vehicles. I’m largely hearing t=hatthe supply chain issues have been overcome because Kia Subaru — or Su=baruKia — was the successful bidder. I’m in contact with that deale=rshipfairly regularly. I did ask for that dealership’s stats and I canendeavour to get them for the House, but they were impressive. Last year, K=iahad something in the range of 25 or 30percent of the vehicles eitherplug-in electric or full electric.

The nu=mbers wereobviously skewed by virtue of that significant government procurement ̵=2;over two fiscal years — of 30 vehicles, but nevertheless, my impressi=onstill is that the supply chain interruption or the supply chain issues havelargely been dealt with. My sense is that Yukoners are still enthusiastic a=ndearly adopters, that the supply that comes north of 60 — to Whitehorse— is being sold quite quickly. You have heard from the Minister ofEnergy, Mines and Resources over the course of the last six weeks or so tha=t weare the number-three jurisdiction on a per capita basis for plug-in electricand battery/electric vehicle registrations.

The fi=nalquestion, of course: Is the target for 2030 an ambitious target? Absolutely=, itis an ambitious target, but the supply that exists, that has come to theterritory, is being sold. I would say that I am more than cautiouslyoptimistic. I am putting my Highways and Public Works hat on. I have certai=nlybeen able to make at least some incremental changes at Fleet Vehicle withrespect to the principled use of battery/electric vehicles within the City =ofWhitehorse and hopefully within Yukon communities and some shorter tripsoutside of Whitehorse as well.

ItR=17;s anexciting time. There could be bumps in the road going forward —absolutely — but generally speaking, I believe that the Yukon is in agood space.

I coul=d talkabout this for a while, but Deputy Chair, seeing the time, I move that youreport progress.

Deputy Chair: It hasbeen moved by the Member for Riverdale North that Chair report progress.

Motion agreed to

Hon.Mr.Streicker: <=spanlang=3DEN-CA>Deputy Chair, I move that the Speaker do now resume the Chair.=

Deputy Chair: It hasbeen moved by the Member for Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes that the Speaker do= nowresume the Chair.

Motion agreed to

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Speaker resumes the Chair<=/p>

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Speaker: I w=ill nowcall the House to order.

May th=e Househave a report from the Deputy Chair of Committee of the Whole?

Chair’sreport

MLATredger: Mr.Speaker, Committee of the Whole has considered Bill N=o.38,entitled Health Authority Act, =anddirected me to report progress.

Commit=tee of theWhole has also considered Bill No.213, entitled First Appropriation Act 2024‑25, and directed me to reportprogress.

Speaker: You= haveheard the report from the Deputy Chair of Committee of the Whole.

Are yo=u agreed?

Some Hon.Members: Agreed.

Speaker: I d=eclarethe report carried.

Order,= please.The time being 5:30p.m., this House now stands adjourned until1=:00p.m. tomorrow.

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The House adjourned at 5:30 p.m.

The following legislative return was tabled April23, 202=4:

35-1-131

Respon=se tomatter outstanding from discussion with Ms. Clarke related to general debat=e onVote 10, Public Service Commission, in Bill No. 213, First Appropriation= Act2024-25 — Labour Relations Board (Silver)

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The= followingdocument was filed April23, 2024:

35-1‑247

Motionregarding a school in downtown Whitehorse, letter re (dated April22,2024) from Hon.Richard Mostyn, Minister of Community Services to Mayorand Council, City of Whitehorse (Mostyn)