Minister Anandasangaree Announces Pilot Projects Supporting Yukon First Nations Studies Towards a Greener Economy

WHITEHORSE, YT, Feb. 7, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency announced a $2.5 million pilot program supporting five Yukon First Nation-led studies in areas with the potential for critical mineral and infrastructure development.

Indigenous participation and Indigenous Knowledge  will help to shape decisions on major resource and infrastructure development and strengthen the Yukon and Canadian economies. 

Each study will be designed to meet the needs and interests of First Nations across the Yukon, including environmental, social and economic impacts. Gathering this information early will inform regulatory processes, so decisions can be better informed and made faster. 

Investing in Indigenous-led research aligns with the Government of Canada's commitment to reconciliation, self-determination, and building a sustainable, secure supply of critical minerals for the future.

Quotes

"For decades Selkirk First Nation has raised concerns with governments and industry about impacts of cumulative effects from a range of developments - those in the past, present, and future - on our traditional lands and waters, the fish and wildlife that our people depend on, and our way of life. We view the assessment and management of cumulative effects as among the most serious that we as a nation must address. Federal funding enabling Selkirk First Nation to study the effects of cumulative developments on our environment and our people is an important step towards managing them effectively and addressing our longstanding concerns."

Kevin McGinty, Mineral Resources Director
Selkirk First Nation

"For many generations now, White River First Nation (WRFN) Members and our Ancestors have been experiencing dramatic changes to our home and way of life. Our families were separated by the Alaska-Canada border survey; impacted by logging, mining, and steamship traffic along the Yukon River; and relocated during the construction of the Alaska Highway. Today, heavy industrial development such as mining and resource roads are affecting large portions of our Traditional Territory. Unfortunately, the agencies charged with making decisions on industrial projects still tend to view projects as isolated from each other. When multiple projects happen at the same time in the same area, this can impact the environment, the animals, and our Sense of Place – the way in which we are connected to the lands and waters as Northern Tutchone and Upper Tanana People."

Chief Bessie Chassé
White River First Nation

“For thousands of years our people have existed by our collective knowledge, understanding and teachings of our ancestors. With traditions and a culture cultivated through a deep appreciation and understanding of the connectiveness of all living things. In the last century our balanced approach to subsistence harvesting has been severely compromised through expanding mineral development which saw no other value to our lands. As a consequence, no examination of the cumulative effects of such unfettered development has ever been conducted. Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation is pleased to have federal funding for one of the components required to build a framework to assess cumulative effects and its implications on the balance required between our treaty rights and development.”

Chief Russell Blackjack 
Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation

"Kluane First Nation and Champagne and Aishihik First Nations are proud to walk this journey together, co-developing an Indigenous-led Cumulative Effects Model that prioritizes our peoples' culture, treaty rights, and values in land management decisions. By uniting our voices, we ensure our Nations' interests are meaningfully incorporated in project assessments and environmental planning. This model not only strengthens our stewardship of the land but also brings transparency and clarity to all land users. As we uphold Dan'ke—the understanding that "We share and walk the land together"—we remain committed to sharing this tool with all Yukon First Nations, reinforcing our collective responsibility for the future of our Traditional Territories."

Kwanathi inlį Robert Dickson (Chief Robert Dickson), Kluane First Nation and Dän nätthe äda K'úkhįá (Chief Barb Joe), Champagne and Aishihik First Nations

"Yukon First Nations have a vital role to play in leading important research that will help inform reviews of critical mineral and infrastructure proposals within their traditional territories. and assist Canada in meeting its clean growth targets. As stewards of the land, their involvement is foundational to balancing major resource development with mitigating cumulative impacts in the Territory."

The Honourable Gary Anandasangaree
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency

Quick facts

• Funding is being allocated to the following recipients:
  • Champagne and Aishihik First Nations and Kluane First Nation (joint proposal) for their study entitled: "Indigenous Cumulative Effects Model"
  • First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun for their study entitled: "Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Cumulative Effects Framework Development"
  • Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation (LSCFN) for their study entitled:  "LSCFN Traditional Land Use Cumulative Effects Study"
  • Selkirk First Nation for their study entitled: "Assessing cumulative effects on wildlife and traditional land use in the Selkirk First Nation Traditional Territory"
  • White River First Nation for their study entitled:  "White River First Nation Rights, Culture, and Dineh k'èh / Dän k'e: Community Experience of Existing Conditions and Cumulative Effects of Human Disturbances"
• Regional, baseline, and cumulative effects studies are important decision-making tools in northern regulatory regimes, which inform projects, plans and policies.
• The Northern Regulatory Initiative provides the resources and support needed to ensure that northern regulatory systems reflect and respect the unique contexts in each of Canada's three territories.
• This work is funded through the Northern Regulatory Initiative, which is part of Canada's Critical Minerals Strategy and contributes to the implementation of the Cabinet Directive on Regulatory Efficiencies for Clean Growth Projects.

Associated Links
The Northern Regulatory Initiative
Introducing Canada's Critical Minerals Strategy - Canada.ca
Selkirk First Nation – Council of Yukon First Nations
White River First Nation
Champagne and Aishihik First Nations
Kluane First Nation

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SOURCE Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada

For more information, media may contact: Darcie Profeit, Communications Officer, Selkirk First Nation, [email protected]; Odin Miller, Lands & Resources Manager, White River First Nation, [email protected], Cell: 867.336.1983 / 907.303.5000; Ray Guness, Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, [phone], https://cafn.ca; Frank Andersen, Kluane First Nation, [phone], https://kfn.ca; Gregory Frame, Press Secretary, Office of the Honourable Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, [email protected]; Media Relations, Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, 819-934-2302, [email protected]