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Yukon Energy investigates employee’s action

“We reject racism and discrimination of any kind in the strongest terms”
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Yukon Energy in Whitehorse on April 8. Yukon Energy is conducting an investigation and speaking out against racism following reports that one of its Dawson employees was taking down Black Lives Matter posters in the community. (Crystal Schick/Yukon News file)

Yukon Energy is conducting an investigation and speaking out against racism following reports that one of its Dawson City employees was taking down Black Lives Matter posters in the community.

In a public statement posted on its website and social media pages, officials recognized concerns from Dawson residents “about the conduct of one of our employees and his actions to take down Black Lives Matter posters placed on our power poles.”

A solidarity vigil was held in Dawson June 6, one of many held around the world against racism and sparked by the death of George Floyd, a Black man who was killed in Minneapolis while in police custody. Floyd was pinned to the ground for more than eight minutes.

A similar march was also held in Whitehorse the same day.

In its statement, Yukon Energy said that reports “of any sort of disrespectful behaviour are deeply concerning to us.”

It goes on to state a full investigation is underway and action will be taken to “ensure this doesn’t happen again.”

The statement directly speaks out against racism.

“We reject racism and discrimination of any kind in the strongest terms. We are proud to serve all Yukoners and believe that diversity, inclusion and equality in our business and communities makes us stronger.

“We are sorry for the hurt and pain this incident has caused residents in Dawson City. We are committed to making this right and with time, rebuilding trust with our customers, friends and neighbours.”

Asked for further details on how long the investigation is expected to take, potential disciplinary measures and more, Yukon Energy spokesperson Stephanie Cunha said in an emailed statement Yukon Energy would not be providing more information at this time.

“Because that investigation is ongoing, we cannot disclose any additional information other than what is included in the public statement we released yesterday,” she wrote. “For that reason, we are also not conducting any media interviews on this topic at this time.”

A number of people responded to Yukon Energy’s statement posted on Facebook by stating it’s good to see Yukon Energy is investigating while also making it clear they want the investigation results and actions from it to be made public.

Contact Stephanie Waddell at stephanie.waddell@yukon-news.com



Stephanie Waddell

About the Author: Stephanie Waddell

I joined Black Press in 2019 as a reporter for the Yukon News, becoming editor in February 2023.
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