Frack no

The Council of Yukon First Nations has taken a strong stand against fracking.

The council, which represents most of the Yukon's 14 First Nations, as well as the N.W.T.'s four Gwich'in communities, passed a no-fracking resolution at its recent annual general assembly in Whitehorse.

It calls on the Yukon government to prohibit fracking in the territory and it declares all its traditional territories frack-free.

That includes the Peel watershed - homeland of Mayo's Na-cho Nyak Dun, Dawson's Tron'dek Hwech'in and Fort McPherson's Tetlit Gwich'in. The Vuntut Gwitchin, based in Old Crow, don't belong to the council.

So far the Yukon's fledgling oil and gas industry hasn't used hydraulic fracturing.

But it wants to.

Northern Cross, which is 60 per cent owned by China's CNOOC, spent this past winter exploring for oil and gas in the Eagle Plain basin. Its vast north Yukon holdings include parts of the Peel.

Last year it told assessors it wanted to use fracking, but later withdrew the controversial request.

Global petro-giant Chevron also has oil and gas interests in the northern Yukon, in addition to its Crest iron claims in the Peel.

It's paired up with Apache Resources to frack for natural gas in the B.C. portion of the transboundary Liard basin.The companies are eager to move into the Yukon part of the basin as soon as possible. But the territory's Kaska people have already made it clear they don't want fracking in the southeast region.

The industry has also set its sights on the Whitehorse basin. It stretches from Carcross to Carmacks and includes about 80 per cent of the Yukon's entire population. The current moratorium on its oil/gas development is only in place until the next territorial election.

In an attempt to quell growing opposition to fracking, the Yukon government recently created a committee of MLAs to study its "risks and benefits." 

Three of its six MLAs belong to the ruling Yukon Party: Environment and Economic Development Minister Currie Dixon, committee chair Patti McLeod (Watson Lake) and backbencher Stacey Hassard (Pelly-Nisutlin).

The others are NDP MLA Jim Tredger (Mayo-Tatchun), Liberal MLA Sandy Silver (Klondike) and Independent Darius Elias, who represents the riding of Vuntut Gwitchin.

So far the committee has only met once and that was behind closed doors. Most of its meetings will likely  be held in secret except for public meetings it has committed to hold in Old Crow and Watson Lake.

It's supposed to report its findings to the legislature by next spring.