Final Recommended Dawson Regional Land Use Plan

The Dawson Regional Planning Commission released the Final Recommended Dawson Regional Land Use Plan (FRP) in March of 2026, marking a significant step towards respectful and sustainable management of land, water and resources in the region.

The Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Yukon governments have many consequential recommendations to consider as they work toward a consensus on the contents of an Approved Plan.

Within the next year or so, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in and Yukon governments will be faced with a decision on the FRP.
- Accept the FRP as written
- Reject the FRP, which is unlikely, given that it incorporates both parties’ proposals; or
- Vary various aspects of the plan

However, their power to alter the text of the FRP is limited to minor changes, as the Supreme Court of Canada noted when considering Yukon’s proposed changes to the Peel Plan in 2016.

In light of the coming decision and engagement on the FRP, and given that it is quite a large document, YCS has worked to summarize several things we particularly like about it and would like to keep in the FRP

Favourable FRP Approaches

Heap Leaching
The FRP does not support heap leaching as a quartz mining method, at least not until it has been shown to be safe in a northern context and mining legislation has been updated. This seems like a reasonable move, given the still-unfolding catastrophe in Dubin Gulch, when the Yukon government and Victoria Gold Corporation mismanaged a heap leach so badly that it collapsed, spilling millions of litres of cyanide into the environment.

Riparian Protection
The FRP includes a 30-meter no-disturbance setback from certain rivers, including the Yukon, Stewart, Fortymile, Sixty Mile, Klondike, Indian, and White rivers, which would, for the first time, impose similar rules on placer mining that apply to all other sectors when it comes to disturbances in riparian areas.

Critical Minerals
The FRP explicitly treats so-called critical minerals the same as all other minerals, noting that disturbances caused by critical minerals are just as disruptive to the ecosystem as disturbances caused by non-critical minerals.

Access Management Plans
Acknowledging that roads are significant disturbances, and that they breed disturbances, the FRP calls for Access Management Plans (AMP) in land management units (LMU) that contain many roads, such as the goldfields south of Dawson and in the Sixtymile area. The FRP also requires an AMP for the busy Klondike valley. Consequently, it requires AMPs where access is plentiful, rather than Yukon’s proposal to use this tool where little or no access currently exists or is likely to exist.

Caribou
The FRP includes a whole section devoted to caribou and their needs. Because a healthy caribou population requires a healthy landscape, this section is critical to protecting Yukon’s caribou population.

The FRP includes a Cumulative Effects indicator just for caribou: a lichen cover indicator.
Areas identified as critical for the Fortymile caribou herd’s migration, summer foraging, calf survival and winter range are withdrawn from quartz staking exploration and mining.
No new roads or other permanent infrastructure are permitted above 700 meters of altitude, and where work can take place, it must stop if caribou are around.

These critical areas are mapped as ‘overlays’ on the FRP. A summer range overlay closely matches LMUs already managed for the Fortymile and Nelchina herds, and a winter overlay identifies key habitat and protects patches of winter habitat across the region.

These overlays apply year-round and to all activities except placer mining below 700 meters.
Woodland caribou overlays for the Clear Creek, Hart, and Klaza herds are also mapped and provide some habitat protection, primarily during fall rut, and restrict new roads.

Importantly, the woodland overlay and the directions for LMU 9, Clear Creek, are inadequate to protect caribou; as written, the FRP could see the end of the Clear Creek Caribou Herd in LMU 9.

Salmon
Salmon, like caribou, are central to the Dawson Region's socio-economic and cultural well-being and are a vital umbrella species. The FRP recognizes the Yukon Government's role in protecting the broader environment that supports salmon, calls for updating the Fish Habitat Management System, and calls for addressing well-known concerns about how placer mining affects salmon and salmon habitat, including through the implementation of riparian buffers.
It identifies the effects of jet boats on specific environments such as spawning beds and rearing areas. These directions all need support.

Wetlands ProtectionWhen Yukon adopted its Wetlands Policy, it allowed certain parties, including Planning Commissions, to nominate Wetlands of Special Importance (WSI). As such, the FRP proposes WSIs for the Upper Indian River, Flat Creek, Scottie Creek, and the Ladue River.
The FRP recognizes that the Yukon’s Wetlands Policy and the designation of a WSI do not adequately protect wetlands, so it includes directions such as recommending against any form of development in bogs, marshes, or fens in any SMAs and WSIs. The FRP also creates “no disturbance” buffers around these wetlands.
While this improves on Yukon’s Wetlands Policy, it still does not protect all peatlands, which are the most biologically, climatologically, and ecologically valuable and hardest to replace wetlands.

Protected Areas
The FRP includes several Land Management Units (LMUs) as Special Management Areas (SMAs), including LMUs 1, 4, 7, 10, 16, and 20; places intended to be managed primarily for conservation. Altogether, these add up to 43% of the planning region to be formally protected.
While smaller than the Peel River Watershed (83%) or the North Yukon (50%) plans, this still allows the Dawson Plan to help Yukon meet its commitment to Canada’s 2030 conservation goal.

The FRP takes an innovative approach to LMU 6 in the Klondike region, west of the Dempster Highway's southern end. It allows most activities, except mining, and opens the door for Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in to lead management of the area.

The FRP says that LMU 3 in the Yukon River Corridor, Chu Kon Dëk, needs sub-regional planning after the Approved Plan is signed. While the FRP directs that the area be withdrawn from staking and that no new infrastructure be permitted until the sub-regional planning is complete, the LMU would be best protected by designating it as an SMA in the Approved Plan, which should also provide an opportunity for Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in to create an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area (IPCA) and pursue Personhood for the Yukon River.

The Yukon Government will face considerable pressure to water down the protection afforded to LMU 7 in Antimony, Wehtr’e, which the FRP designates as an SMA.
LMU 7 is critical to the future of the Hart and Clear Creek caribou herds. The area is economically valuable because it supports salmon, moose, sheep, furbearers, and a magnificent viewscape, along with associated industries like fishing, trapping, outfitting, and tourism, as well as traditional pursuits, regardless of mining interests.

Disfavourable FRP Approaches

Cumulative Effects
The FRP includes two cumulative effects indicators: linear and surface disturbance. It also lists potential improvements to these indicators, including adopting Zones of Influence.
Zones of Influence should be added to the effective footprint of linear disturbances. Unless these are applied, the cumulative effects of linear disturbances will not be fully captured.

The scale of an LMU might not be appropriate for capturing the effects of a disturbance footprint on a value. For example, a Wildlife Key Area (WKA) might occupy only a small fraction of an LMU, but if the entire allotted disturbance threshold for the LMU is within the WKA, it could be effectively alienated. Therefore, thresholds should be developed for WKAs that would complement LMU-scale thresholds.

Natural disturbances, such as fires and landslides, should be included in the surface disturbance thresholds.

Make Your Voice Heard

At this stage, it is critically important that Yukoners make their voices heard.

Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin Government and the Government of Yukon are seeking input on the Final Recommended Plan to fulfil their Consultation obligations under the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin Final Agreement. This input will help both governments determine whether to accept, reject or modify the Final Recommended Plan.

You can complete the engagement survey at https://yukon.ca/en/dawson-regional-land-use-planning, or submit written comments to dawson-rlup@yukon.ca by December 18, 2026.

In-person sessions are also being held in communities in the region, along with a virtual open house available online:

Dawson City:
November 9, 2026, 3 pm to 7 pm, Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in Community Hall
November 20, 2026, 11 am to 2 pm, Downtown Hotel
Mayo:
November 12, 2026, 4 pm to 7 pm, Mayo Curling Lounge
Old Crow:
November 16, 2026, 4 pm to 7 pm, Darius Elias Community Hall
Whitehorse:
November 18, 2026, 4 pm to 8 pm, Gold Rush Inn
Virtual open house:
November 24, 2026, 6 pm to 7:30 pm
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/5ycQsC1ZR4CvMx8kEkYcAA#/registration

The FRP is a very large document; we hope this provides a useful overview of some highlights.
For further reading, we strongly suggest the Commission’s Decision Document, which summarizes how it considered and decided on the proposed modifications offered by the Parties.