Pasloski attacks Peel protection advocates

The following is an excerpt from Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski's 2013-14 budget speech March 21:

"The protection of additional lands in the Peel watershed region will likely make Yukon the leading jurisdiction in Canada in terms of environmental protection of its land area.

Whatever the amount of land that the Yukon government protects in the Peel watershed region, it will never be enough to satisfy the demands of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).

CPAWS has a grand design for Yukon that is called Y2Y or Yellowstone to Yukon.

Y2Y is a joint U.S.-Canada non-profit organization that works with more than 110 organizations to implement a shared vision for conserving the biodiversity of a 500,000 square mile or 1.3 million square kilometre region stretching from Yellowstone National Park in Montana to the Peel Watershed Region in northern Yukon.

The Peel watershed region is in fact the northern anchor of this grand vision to create a corridor for Alaskan grizzly bears to allow them to wander down to Montana.

Established in 1997, Y2Y has offices in Canmore, Alberta and Missoula, Montana and between 1997 and 2012 it raised more than $46.5 million in conservation funding for the Yellowstone to Yukon region.

In 2009, Y2Y was successful in having the Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories expanded to become the largest core-protected wildlife habitat in the entire Yellowstone to Yukon system.

In Yukon, Y2Y is working with the territorial chapter of CPAWS and the Yukon Conservation Society.

Y2Y’s demands for new protected areas will not stop at the Peel Watershed Region.

Its next targets for protection include the Wolf Lake Ecosystem in south central Yukon including Teslin and the entire Upper Liard Basin in southeast Yukon including Watson Lake.

You can bet the bumper stickers are already prepared.

Should Y2Y succeed in protecting all these areas in conjunction with the existing parks – Ivvavik, Vuntut, Tombstone and Kluane – Yukon as we know it today would cease to exist.

Most of Yukon would be covered by parkland and the territory’s resource-based economy would not be able to sustain itself nor our current population, resulting in a substantial loss of jobs and an exodus of people. No jobs means no people.

CPAWS is not trying to save Yukon for Yukoners. It is trying to save Yukon from Yukoners.

Yukoners have to ask themselves if this is what they want.

Yukoners should be asking the territory’s political parties if they support the Y2Y initiative.

The Yukon Party, for the record, does not support the Y2Y initiative.

While we do not support the Y2Y projects or the CPAWS agenda of making the Peel region the northern anchor of Yellowstone to Yukon, we do support environmental protection and are committed to preserving Yukon’s wilderness beauty. We have created large protected areas and parks, and we intend to create more.

But we believe environmental protection starts with effective regulations that set high standards, while allowing responsible use – and this balanced approach is the best way to manage most areas of Yukon, including the Peel planning area.

Our proposed creation of Restricted Use Wilderness Areas in the Peel region allows for potential economic activity, while capping the maximum footprint of all activity at significantly less than 1%.

Doing this would ensure that 99.8% of the areas remains pristine wilderness – while allowing for the potential of responsible uses that provide significant economic benefit to Yukoners, and preserving both pristine wilderness and economic opportunities for future generations.

It is critical we find that proper balance that the final recommended plan failed to achieve.

The mineral wealth of the Peel watershed region could sustain the territory for generations to come.

The size and value of the Crest ore deposit alone are astronomical. The estimated volume of iron ore in the conceptual pit or just 15 percent of the total estimated deposit is 1.68 billion tonnes. Based on the 5 years average price of iron this fraction of the deposit would have a market value of $139.7 billion.

It would be irresponsible for any Yukon government to declare that this resource potential is off limits.

Future generations of Yukoners cannot afford to have this generation ignore the economic value of potential future development of large mineral resources like the Crest iron ore deposit. That deposit is a large strategic resource, and the former Commission acknowledged that it could provide over 100 years of economic benefit to Yukoners if it were to be developed. This government will not deny Yukon’s children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren the potential of economic benefit from responsible resource development.

Providing financial compensation for expropriation simply would not be possible as it would be far beyond the financial means of any Yukon government, both now and for the foreseeable future.

Accordingly, we are continuing to follow the planning process set out in the Umbrella Final Agreement and are now nearing the end of that process.

After completing consultations with affected First Nations, we will be adopting a plan that protects the environment and respects all sectors of the economy."

Related stories:
CPAWS responds to 'vitriolic diatribe' - CBC Radio, March 25, 2013
Premier warns of environmentalist threat - Yukon News  March 22, 2013
Premier launches spirited attack on CPAWS - Whitehorse Star  March 22, 2013