POLL RESULTS FOR PROTECTING THE PEEL CANNOT BE IGNORED
NDP leader Todd Hardy says the results of a poll showing huge public support for protecting the Peel watershed must play a key role in any land-use plans for the future of this special place.
"These results are significant but not surprising, and they show us yet again the Yukon public feels very strongly this area deserves to be off limits from some kinds of economic activities," Hardy says. "And I feel just as strongly their voices are important and cannot be ignored by the decision-makers."
A poll conducted this summer by the Yukon chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon and the Yukon Conservation Society says that 78 per cent of the 500 Yukoners polled in July want to see more than half of the watershed permanently protected.
"There has been some public debate around the planning process," he adds. "I don’t want to get into an argument today over whether it was as fair and open as it could have been. But I do expect to see the wishes of the Yukon public respected by incorporating them into the final plan."
The Yukon’s department of Environment has said ‘the uniqueness of this region should not be understated,’ he continues. ‘The long-term economic value derived from ecotourism, hunter-guiding and outfitting, as well as the positive implications of strong conservation measures in one of the last remaining pristine wilderness refuges on Earth, could equal or surpass the resource extraction values associated with this landscape.’
"With the results of this poll and the Environment department document eventually submitted to the planning commission, I strongly feel the government has no option but to ensure that critical areas of the Peel watershed are protected to ensure biological diversity, ecological viability and current recreational and cultural uses can continue," Hardy concludes.
The Yukon lags behind both the Northwest Territories and Alaska in the percentage of land that is protected from development. Alaska protects 40 per cent. The NWT will soon protect 36.5 per cent. But only about 20 per cent of the Yukon is currently protected.