Posed Amendments To The "Yukon Quartz Mining Act and Placer Mining Act"

As a result of the Ross River Dena lawsuit against the Yukon Government with respect to consultation on the granting of rights to miners to conduct work without consulting and accommodating First Nations, the Yukon Court of Appeal has given the Yukon Government until December 27, 2013 to amend its legislation specifically with respect to Class 1 activities. Class 1 activities can include construction of lines, corridors, trenching, clearing for helicopter pads and camps, construction of access roads and use of explosives.

There were four areas of concern identified as part of the proposed amendments and they include, environmental protection and monitoring, consultation with First Nations, security for Class 1 exploration and identification of areas for specific operating conditions.