Peel

The PWPC was an arms length commission with members that are jointly nominated by the Yukon, Na-Cho Nyak Dun, Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, Gwich'in and Vuntut Gwitchin governments. Their land use plan is meant to apply to all Settlement and Non-settlement lands in the planning region. The Commission produced their Final Recommended Plan in July 2011. The Commission ceased operations shortly thereafter. The Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan was approved by those governments (the Parties) in 2019.

The Commission's website is still active, and serves up their documents. Their documents are also served on this website folder here . The Council also provides some of the the Commission's spatial data. When projects are proposed in the Peel Watershed Planning Region, Council staff provide opinions on the consistency of the projects to the Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan.

Commission Website: https://peel.planyukon.ca/

Area of region: 67431 km²

Peel Plan Implementation

It has been three years since the Peel Watershed Land Use Plan was approved, and the governments that approved it (Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, the Gwich’in Tribal Council, and the Yukon AKA "the Parties") have been busy starting to implement the many recommendations in the Plan. One of their first steps was to form the "Peel Plan Implementation Committee". In June 2020, this committee produced an implementation plan that details actions, roles and timelines stemming from the Aproved Plan. The committee's terms of reference and it's initial implementation plan are bundled together here. Recently, they documented the standard terms and conditions for projects in the Planning Region. This will help decisions around project approval in that region.

While the Yukon Land Use Planning Council is not a member of the implementation committee, and is not responsible for plan implementation, we do monitor implementation, provide advice and opinions, and now post news and documents regarding implementation on this website.

Dempster Fibre Optics Project: Double Consistency Opinion

When a proposed project is submitted to YESAB, they determine if the project will fall within a planning region with an approved plan. If so, it sends the YLUPC a letter requesting their opinion whether or not the proposal is consistent with the plan. YLUPC staff then provide their opinion, and what practices and strategies recommended in the plan would be the most relevant. Recently, we looked at whether the project "Dempster Fibre Optics Project" was consistent to the plans in both the North Yukon and Peel Watershed Regions.

Peel Watershed Consistency Opinions

Now that the Peel Watershed Regional Land Use Plan has been approved, it is time to put it into action. The Parties to this plan, the Yukon Government and the governments of the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation,Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in, Na-Cho Nyak Dun and the Gwich'in Tribal Council, have agreed on some plan implementation tasks. The Umbrella Final Agreement (section 12.7.1) and the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act (section 44.1) specify that planning commissions check the conformity of proposed projects to their plan. However, because the Peel Watershed Planning Commission is no longer maintained, the staff of the Yukon Land Use Planning Council (YLUPC) will provide an opinion as a third party as to whether projects are consistent with the plan. Here's how it works:

Plan Approved for the Peel Watershed!

Dignitaries and elders gather after the signing.

On August 22, 2019, the regional plan for the Peel Watershed was approved by all five Parties: Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun, Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation, the Gwich’in Tribal Council, and the Yukon. Hundreds of people gathered in Mayo for the festivities, many attending a signing and water ceremony on the shore of the Stewart River. This marks the second regional plan to be approved under chapter 11 of Yukon's Final Agreements, and a milestone for reconciliation in the Yukon.

What We Heard Report Published

Cover of What We Heard Report

The Parties to the Peel Watershed planning process consulted on the Final Recommended Plan in late 2018. They recently released a report detailing what was heard during that consultation. These results will help inform their discussions on finding a shared position on the Plan, and ultimately finalize and approve the Plan. The consultation and report were done by a consultant, Stantec.