The joke’s on us!

I find it to be a big joke that the 10-member Yukon Minerals Advisory Board, funded by the Yukon Party government, is stacked mostly with mining executives based in Vancouver.

They are working hard to convince our government to reduce constraints for the mining industry, and tell them that the Yukon Environmental Assessment Board is an unnecessary regulatory body.

Talk about a convenient setup.

What we have to expect from these people and their mindset becomes pretty clear when we look at Alberta and other jurisdictions, where years of exploiting and polluting the land took its toll, and getting away with it was also accepted.

The taxpayer still has to pay for the cleanup costs, and irreparable damage to the ecosystem has to be endured by people who live there for years to come.

But the industry still wants fewer constraints and the only criteria that seem to count for them is maximum profitability with no responsibility.

If a mining operation is not viable because it has to work under our framework of environmental standards that ensure decent ecosystem protection, it should not operate in the first place, because the price for society in the long run is way too high.

Therefore it seems obvious that we need a land-use plan with well-defined guidelines and regulations before any long-term leases or tenures can be granted.

It is mandatory that a land-use plan takes true consultation with all stakeholders seriously.

Areas of concern that are crucial in keeping unique ecosystems and wildlife populations intact, have to be identified and protected.

We need a government that is willing to stand for a balance between development and environmental stewardship.

If we talk about balance, true balance —and when it comes to respecting First Nations, the environment and sustainable development, including mining — we need a different approach than the current Yukon Party government provides.

Rainer Rembe

Watson Lake

Return us to

Dominion Day

It used to be called the Dominion of Canada.

The founding fathers wanted to build a nation under God’s dominion.

They recognized that wisdom comes from God and sought that wisdom through prayers.

Queen Victoria, a born-again Christian, worked with many men and women to bring this about, and the British North America Act came into being.

No guns, no lives lost. Just prayer. The founding fathers were men and women of their word.

Sadly, our modern leaders have chosen to take a country out of God’s dominion and have renamed the holiday “Canada Day.”

We have become more enlightened.

Without God we have much bloodshed.

Life is cheap.

Nobody keeps their word anymore.

We’ve come a long way, baby, but maybe we need to retrace our steps.

Dale Worsfold

Watson Lake