The Association of Yukon Communities has shared the resolutions which came out of the annual general meeting on April 24 to 26.
All four of the resolutions submitted by the City of Whitehorse — which were presented to council in March — were adopted by the association.
There were nine resolutions adopted in total. They include asking the Yukon government to provide more funding for the community recreation assistance grant, the fire marshall’s office, and wildfire prevention and disaster mitigation in general.
They also ask the Yukon government to update the Employment Standards Act, to enhance the Yukon Nominee Program, allow for information sharing between government departments, and change the way the territory adopts the national building code. Another resolution is that the government come up with a standard procedure for municipal elections, with Elections Yukon being the authority on elections in municipalities.
The Yukon government’s adoption of the national building code has been an issue for Whitehorse city council.
At a city council meeting on March 17, when the resolutions were being introduced, Coun. Dan Boyd shared the rationale behind asking the Yukon government to stop all automatic adoptions of updates to the National Building Code, until a full review of changes is conducted in consultation with municipal governments, First Nations, builders and other stakeholders.
Boyd said the resolution is a response to the issues the city has encountered with the backlog in issuing building permits.
The 2020 National Building Code was adopted in April 2023 without consultation or analysis, said Boyd.
Yukon should take the time to do analysis and consultation before automatic adoption like other jurisdictions around Canada, said Boyd.
“Would we be somehow throwing out the national building code and write our own Yukon Code? Absolutely not. We would not do that, we don’t have the capacity. That's not what it's suggesting,” he said at the time.
Other resolutions adopted by the Association of Yukon Communities in April include one directed to the justice minister, asking that they work with the RCMP to allow members to extend their postings, and develop relief strategies for members on extended leave.
There is another resolution which asks the Yukon Utilities Board to create a fourth rate group for municipalities and designated local authorities so that they can pay for actual energy consumption without demand charges or energy riders. According to the resolution text, they are currently charged based on peak rate.
The News reached out to the Yukon Utilities Board for comment, but did not hear back by deadline.
The department of economic development responded to the News, saying that they had not been approached by the AYC regarding the resolutions but that they “are keen to hear their perspectives and recommendations.”
In an email, economic development spokesperson Jennifer Hackwell called vacant jobs a “pressing issue for some employers in the Yukon,” with the need being greater in certain regions.
Hackwell said the department is interested in hearing more about the distinct challenges recruiting and retaining qualified staff for local governments as the department reviews the Yukon Nominee Program.
“One of our goals is to ensure that the design of the YNP can target areas of significant pressure in the Yukon’s labour market by being flexible and adaptive to changing priorities, allocations and labour market needs.”
Francis Lefebvre, the spokesperson for the department of justice, told the News that recruitment and retention of RCMP is a top priority.
Community services spokesperson John Tonin told the News via email that the AYC is set to submit each resolution to the appropriate Yukon department via official correspondence, although that has not yet occurred.
“We anticipate initiating formal work once the resolutions are received by the responsible department,” Tonin said.
“These resolutions are a valued part of our work. We appreciate the AYC’s continued leadership and advocacy on the priorities of Yukon communities and their role in building healthy, sustainable communities.”
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
