It's official: Yukon devolution in effect

The Yukon belongs to Yukoners. At midnight Monday night, Ottawa handed control over land and resource development to the territorial government. Yukoners say 'devolution' is both a time of opportunity and risk.

CBC News Posted: Apr 01, 2003 10:01 AM EST | Last Updated: April 1, 2003

It took many years to negotiate, and is still a source of controversy, but Yukon management of the territory's land, water and mineral resources became official Tuesday.

With the transfer come more than 240 federal government workers, who woke up Tuesday morning as territorial government employees.

FROM DEC. 4, 2002 : Public servants make the switch

The territorial government is taking a low-key approach to the event, and will hold a celebration on Friday.

Kaska concerns

The Kaska First Nation in south-east Yukon has opposed devolution for years, saying Ottawa had to first settle land and resource claims with it before handing over control of them to Yukon.

Land claim negotiator Dave Porter says that's why the Kaska can't support the transfer of power over lands and resources from Ottawa to the territorial government.

"Devolution to us represents a major set back if we don't have an agreement that protects our rights and access, protects our rights to access and protect our lands in our traditional territory," he says.

The Kaska have been negotiating with the Yukon on control over resources in the south east.

Porter says the First Nation will be in court next month if a deal can't be reached.

Some federal departments that have controlled the Yukon for more than a century are now in the hands of the territory's citizens.

Scott Casselman, a vice-president of the Yukon Chamber of Commerce, says the territory now has the chance to prove they can do a better job than Ottawa. He's hoping territorial control over resource development will spur on mining activity.

Casselman says the industry is particularly hopeful that the Yukon government will be able to streamline permitting processes.

"It's amazing how difficult it is to go in and do the simplest of things now, very unobtrusive activities in the bush can require very onerous permitting," he says.

Questions have been raised about the Yukon Party's commitment to environmental protection.

Karen Baltgalis at the Yukon Conservation Society says there are checks and balances built into legislation and land claim agreements.

Baltgalis says however she is concerned that many key decisions about environmental protection will be made in the cabinet offices.

"It would be much more appropriate to have environmental assessment covered by the environment department where it belongs," she says.

But Baltgalis says there's also a good side to devolution.

She says Yukoners will have a lot more say about how they run the territory, and they'll be able to do it a lot more efficiently than has been the case.

Feds not completely gone

The Department of Indian and Northern Affairs will continue to have a presence in the territory, says Indian and Northern Affairs Minister Robert Nault.

"We will continue to be a part of the landscape working with First Nations citizens and the Yukon government to implement self government and the framework agreement," he says. "We're very close to agreements with a number of First Nations in the next number of months. At the same time, we will not be in the natural resource sector the way we were before."

Nault says he will continue to work on unemployment and infrastructure needs in the Yukon.

CBC's Journalistic Standards and Practices|About CBC News

Corrections and clarifications|Submit a news tip|