As a long-term Yukoner, I strongly believe that at least 50 per cent of the Peel Watershed should be protected.
Most of the citizens of this territory really don’t want to see a mining field, including uranium, in this jewel of pristine wilderness.
It deserves to be a world heritage site, not an industrial area full of airstrips and roads.
We all know that the long-term economic benefits of wilderness tourism far outweigh the short-term mining profits.
We also know that the huge costs of cleanups after mining are carried by our tax money.
Any kind of mining, but particularly uranium, does not belong in this most precious environment. Let’s follow the examples of our neighbours in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, as well as our biggest province, Ontario.
In Ontario, they are removing the free-entry system and protecting 50 per cent of their boreal forest.
In BC, uranium mining is banned.
In NWT, they are protecting 20 per cent of the wilderness versus Yukon’s 12 per cent.
In the Yukon, let’s be known for our care for the environment and our future generations, rather than destroying the environment for short-term gains.
Suat Tuzlak
Whitehorse