The Council is please to release its annual report for 2017-2018. It gives highlights on its membership, roles and relationships, the status of Yukon regional planning, and Council and their staff activities. In particular, 3 successes and 2 challenges were highlighted:

Successes:

• Re-establishment of high-level communications with Yukon Government Yukon First Nations
• The Council hosted the successful gathering Peel Decision and Beyond
• Development of a Terms of Reference for the Dawson Regional Planning Commission

Challenges:

•  The lack of establishment of a senior staff-level regional planning committee
•  The establishment of a sub-regional planning exercise outside of Chapter 11 Land Use Planning

The Council recently wrote a letter to the Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources requesting a meeting. Items we would like to discuss include:

• The relationship the Council desires with Yukon Government;
• The implications of the recent Supreme Court of Canada's on the future of regional planning in the territory;
• Ideas the Council has for improving the process of regional planning in the territory.;
• The reviews of Chapter 11 Regional Land Use Planning that are occurring in the next two years;
• The Minister's invitation to speak at an upcoming workshop.

The letter is available here. This meeting is scheduled for January 31^st.

Last year, we hired Ryder Communication Management to do a jurisdictional analysis of planning strategies and to recommend the contents of one for the Yukon. With this report in hand, we are exploring ways to collaboratively create a Yukon Regional Planning Strategy. The report comes in 2 parts: a report, and a table of strategy components used in different jurisdictions.

Since 2014, we, our staff and contractors have been thinking about Yukon land use planning and the process we can all follow to get successful plans. In 2015, Lesley Cabott Consulting & Associates drafted an analysis of potential solutions. One of the most pivotal recommendations was to develop a Yukon Regional Planning Strategy or framework. This recommendation led us to commission this report.

Dennis Zimmermann was appointed as our newest member on December 7^th, 2017, and is the Government of Canada's nominee.

Dennis Zimmermann has over 20 years of professional experience in the North. He has a Master's of Science Degree in Rural Planning with a focus on community-based planning and engagement. He has worked in both the public and the private sectors, and in the last decade his work has revolved around the intersection of community, fish, wildlife and habitat. With this breadth of experience, he will sure to be a great addition to the Council.

More information on Dennis is found here.

The Council and staff recently had a day of media relations training put on by Calypso Communications, Mosaic Communications & AVCR Video Productions. It was a fun and informative day for everyone. There were presentations, discussions, and mock radio and TV interviews.

Lois Craig was appointed as our newest member on May 11, 2017, and is Yukon Government's nominee.

A long-time Yukoner, Lois has worked for the territorial and federal governments and in consulting primarily in sustainable development, natural resource management, land claims implementation and multi-party agreements and initiatives. She also has a Bachelor of Commerce in applied economics and statistics and has a Master of Applied Environmental Studies. Her work and education background will be an asset to the Council!

More information on Lois is found here.

We recently hired our new Senior Policy and Planning Advisor: Joe Copper Jack. With his long work history in the Yukon and western Canada, he is sure to be a great asset to Yukon regional planning. Welcome Joe!

Joe Copper Jack, is the grandson of Chief Jim Boss (Kishwoot) of the Ta’an Mun (Headwaters People) of Lake Lebarge, Yukon, and of Copper Jack of Chitina, Alaska.

Since late 2014, we have been focussing much of our effort on reviewing the Common Land Use Planning Process (CLUPP) in an effort to make future planning projects more efficient and successful. Over time, we will be adding discussion on papers that support this review here. Most recently, we added a discussion of the challenges associated with implementing Chapter 11 - Land Use Planning that have arisen since the land claim agreements were signed in 1995. We are hoping to add more discussion papers in 2017 that address different aspects of improving the CLUPP.

With around 230 attendees from across Canada and beyond, 60 presentations, 19 organised talks and countless informal discussions, the Northern Land Use Planning Conference was a resounding success. The proceedings are available here. Almost all of the presentations are in our document repository. They are also found, for now, on the conference website.

We are pleased to announce that Pearl Callaghan was reappointed for her second term as a member of the Yukon Land Use Planning Council, effective August 28^th, 2016. Scott Kent, Minister of EMR, confirmed the reappointment on June 10^th. Pearl was nominated by the Council of Yukon First Nations in 2013, and has been an asset to the Council ever since.