Environment key theme in tight Yukon election

WHITEHORSE— Issues facing Yukon voters as they head to the polls Monday in a tight territorial election will sound familiar to every Canadian.

Reconciliation with First Nations. Climate change. Expanding a resource-based economy when commodity prices are low and without damaging the environment.

“It’s always a teeter-totter between the economy and the environment,” said Donna Larsen of Datapath Systems, which has been polling in Yukon for more than a decade.

“We were hearing a lot of words like, ‘We need balance.’ Balance. Balance. Balance,” she said. “That was, historically, a key theme.

“Now, we’re seeing the population divide a bit more.”

A web-based Datapath poll done between Oct. 15 and 23 of 625 people found the Yukon and Liberal parties in a statistical tie with about onethird each of decided voters. The New Democrats trailed, but not by much.

The territory’s economy has depended on ore extraction, but its one operating mine — the Minto copper mine — is expected to temporarily close next year due to low prices.

Yukon’s economy has declined for three straight years, although a slight uptick has been forecast for 2016.

To turn that around, the government needs to support mining, said incumbent Premier Darrell Pasloski of the right-leaning Yukon Party, which has been in power for 14 years.

“We say now, more than ever, we need to stand for the resource industry,” he said. “We are the party that has been supportive of the resource industry.”

His opponents say Pasloski has gone too far.

Liberal Leader Sandy Silver calls Pasloski’s approach antiquated. He accuses the Yukon Party of alienating the territory’s aboriginal governments and of ignoring negotiated compromises around development in favour of mining interests.

Pasloski’s term has seen two major court challenges over control and regulation of land use. One is to go before the Supreme Court next year.

Climate change also separates the Yukon Party from its opponents. Pasloski is resolutely opposed to putting a price on carbon.

Silver and Liz Hanson, of the New Democrats, would both work with the federal Liberals.

“For people who live in the Yukon and love it, the environment is key to that satisfaction,” Larsen says. “But we all know we can’t live there without the economy.”