Young Peel activists unveil ‘Yukon Party wear’
Ian Stewart/Yukon News
Malcolm Boothroyd, right, and the Peel Youth Alliance model a new look for the Yukon government during a protest at the Yukon government building on Thursday. The group's satire is aimed at what they see as preferential treatment for mining companies.
A group of Yukon youth paraded what they have dubbed “Yukon Party wear” outside of the legislature before politicians took their seats on Thursday.
The suit jackets donned by the Peel Youth Alliance members were covered in homemade patches and logos of mining and resource companies operating in the Yukon.
“It’s obvious that the Yukon leaders aren’t listening to us. They’re, in fact, listening to mining companies and representing them, not Yukoners,” alliance member Colin Abbott told reporters and supporters gathered in the legislature’s lobby.
“We are launching the ‘Yukon Party wear’ suits to show who our government is truly representing,” he said.
“We are standing up to the Yukon government. The Peel watershed is our line in our sand.”
With fiddle and guitar music playing in the background, Sophia Flather and Malcolm Boothroyd showed off the suits.
Over the acoustic tunes, Abbott offered a quick sales pitch and description of the suits, which are “comprised of cutting-edge technology that is revolutionizing the art of politics.”
This includes a “streamline coating” to “reduce drag from environmental regulations” and helps “cut through public dissent,” said Abbott.
“An insulating layer protects the politician from the voices of Yukoners who care about the Peel watershed,” he said.
Abbott then outlined what they want the government to do.
First, they want the final recommended plan, developed by the Peel Watershed Planning Commission, to be accepted and signed.
They want democracy and the public’s wishes to be respected.
And they want the rules to change for mining companies in the territory so they have to pay more to Yukoners.
Mining companies should have to face the same rules as everyone else in the territory, said Boothroyd, referring to taxes, among other things.
According to the budget, the territory made more from camping fees last year ($308,000) than it did from mining royalties ($187,000), said Boothroyd.
Many of the alliance members have already started post-secondary studies across Canada in fields such as environmental science. They all grew up together in the territory and have already tried to voice their concerns in other ways, like writing letters, they said.
They also requested a meeting with the premier earlier this week, but were told he couldn’t see them on such short notice.
“But I’d hope they’d want to sit down with Yukon youth,” said Abbott.
NDP Leader Liz Hanson was the only politician at the news conference and fashion show.
The youth group said they hadn’t forewarned any politicians they’d be presenting “Yukon Party wear,” but they did offer to give Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski and Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Brad Cathers the jackets free of charge if they came to talk.
The group has other events planned for the coming weeks. They’re encouraging other interested youth to join them.
Contact Roxanne Stasyszyn at
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17 Comments
Sorry, I should have been more specific, I wasn’t aiming that at these young folks at all, I say good for them for educating themselves on the issues. It was more directed at some of the nay-saying folks making the comments, sorry guys.
Hey, yukonlinda: You really need to give your head a shake and read your own comment. You’ve done exactly the “name calling, generalizing and oversimplification” you’re railing against. And you definitely don’t seem to have done “any actual thinking about the real issues at hand”.
@yukonlinda
Oh yes, exactly. Everyone in support of protecting the Peel here is saying mining should stop completely… and their doing this on their computers which were dug straight out of the ground by your friendly neighborhood mining conglomerate. Stupid hypocrites. Well done. (slow clap)
Let’s keep up the name calling, generalizing and oversimplification. That way, we don’t have to do any actual thinking about the real issues at hand.
@Llyod: I’m well aware of how things work. Even in their worst years the mining/exploration industries performed more or less on par with tourism(only in the worst few years did tourism surpass it). If we had more mines we would be far more stable as the boom and bust cycles are predominantly exploration driven. Mines endure through the cycles(unless it’s Cantung of course…).
As for why we don’t have a trust fund, how about the little detail of the YTG spending about $31,725 per capita in the 2010-2011 fiscal year. Alberta by comparison(which does have a trust fund like you describe) spent $10,620 per capita. See the subtle difference? Trim some fat and we would have one.
Oh look at all the hypocrites, typing away on their “mined” computers, dissing the mining industry!
Apparently, the Yukon should be developing camping dig time! Haha!
mrs. a. All placer mines leave non toxic sites and animals and vegitation return once people leave the area. Placer mining is the reason that the Yukon has the infrastructure is has. So yes companies do and will continue to do this. Its been happening for well over 110 years in the Yukon.
Some reclaimed mines pics from BC are located here, http://www.trcr.bc.ca/photo-gallery/
There are many more successful reclamation stories all over Canada if you want to do a quick Google search.
Almost all operating mines in Yukon are based on First Nation lands and those First Nations are receiving their royalties. As mines on Crown land start producing, we will see those royalties…not before….
Jerry255: It’s great that all that cash flowing through the territory. However if you’ve spent any amount of time in theYukon you would be aware of the boom and bust cycle. Two things will happen inevitably metal prices will fall and these nonrenewable resources will be gone.
You can guarantee that if metal prices stabilize those ones will shut overnight and guess who is left holding the bag for the reclamation and cleanup?
Paying royalties is expected by industry what is wrong with Yukoners building a legacy fund, nest egg for when the next bust comes?
Name one mining site that has been returned to a non-toxic state; to a state that can inhabit the environment and wildlife that inhabited that site before the mine existed. Is there a mining company in existence that can, and will, do this?
Is it true that the estimate of the time it will take to return an environment to it’s original state, after mining takes place in that environment, is 800 years? 800 years?? Will human beings still exist to realize this in 800 years?
It is refreshing to see young people engaged in politics. It is well past the point where mining industry should be paying real
royalties to the territory so we can offset the cost of infrastructure like schools, roads, hospitals, jails, more robust Internet/cell service etc
Well done!
Mr. A.
Where do you think these young people will spend their working lives, the government perhaps? Mining creates jobs for average people. The way mining is managed in this day and age is environmentally conscious and with the bonds that are required to be posted for a project to start it is a good balance of land use
I love how royalties are touted as the end all of mining contributions to the territory. Last year the mining industry spent about $450 million on exploration and development. It also had somewhere in the $420 million in resource extraction, of which a large portion contributes to things like the ~$660 million in retail sales for 2011 and employment.
In addition we had a 5.5% unemployment rate which is down from 7.2% in 2010.
http://economics.gov.yk.ca/Files/Outlook2011_FallUpdate.pdf
Also the Yukon conservation societies receive lots of funding from international organizations that care nothing for the people here and seek only to make this place jobless minus government employees paid for by the rest of Canada.
Random example of conservation society funding:
http://www.wilburforce.org/grant-history
Mining companies contribute most of the donations to the Yukon Party`s campaign funding thus they will be afforded protection. I am not saying that political contributions are bribes, its just that those that support receive support.
Conservation groups should have ponyed up and helped the Yukon Party rather than constinually having to protest and fight against the current.
That’s totally Awesome. Way to go Sophia, Colin and Malkolm….thanks for standing up for Yukoners. Freaky, that in their own budget - mining royalities pull in less camping. Considering how much money they spend in support of that industry.
$5.9 million royalty payment made to Selkirk First Nation
WHITEHORSE – The Government of Yukon has transferred a $5.9 million royalty payment received from Minto Explorations Ltd. to the Selkirk First Nation government.
The Yukon government administers the mineral rights at the Minto Mine under provisions of the Quartz Mining Act and the Selkirk First Nation Final Agreement. The royalty payment was calculated from production profits from the Minto Mine during 2009 and transferred to the Selkirk First Nation as the owner of the mineral rights.
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