Conservation groups support compromise Peel plan, urge gov't and industry to do the same

CPAWS-Yukon and the Yukon Conservation Society say the final recommended Peel plan isn't all they hoped for but it will do.

“It is a tough compromise, but one that we can live with,” says CPAWS-Yukon executive director Mike Dehn in a news release.

“The Peel is a national treasure and we are willing to accept industrial access in some of the watershed in exchange for protecting 80% of the watershed. This plan honours the overwhelming support by First Nations and the Yukon public for Peel protection while leaving some of the watershed open to paced industrial development.”

To date the Yukon government has ignored vast public support for protection, opting instead to back industrial special interests that want mines and roads in the Peel, says the release.

In response, the planning commission has now eased restrictions on industrial access to some parts of the watershed, but held firm on sustaining the watershed's globally significant wilderness values.

The Yukon's mining industry has been booming for the past two years despite a staking ban in the Peel, the two groups point out.

“Mining investors have shown that protecting the Peel will have no impact on their investment decisions," says Dehn. "We can protect the world class Peel wilderness watershed and the mining boom and the jobs it brings will continue unaffected.”

Now it's time for the Yukon government to support the plan, says Karen Baltgailis, of the Yukon Conservation Society.

“YTG worked very hard to defend the special interests of the mining and oil and gas sectors in the Peel, and the planning commission weighed those demands against the broad public and First Nations support for more protection," says Baltgailis.

"No one got everything they wanted, but we can accept the trade-offs this plan represents. In this election year, we urge the Yukon government to do the same. Yukon voters will have the final word on this.”

The two groups expect "responsible resource firms" to respect First Nations and the Yukon public by withdrawing their interests in the 80% of the watershed slated for protection.

“Responsible companies listen to the voices of local people and First Nations and respect public processes. It's time for the good guys in the mining and energy sectors to show some leadership in the Peel,” says Baltgailis.

Click here to listen to a July 27 CBC Yukon radio interview with Mike Dehn.