Court Strikes Down Yukon’s Peel Watershed Land Use Plan

On December 2, 2014, the Yukon Supreme Court struck down the Yukon government's Peel watershed regional land use plan because of the government's failure to follow the process for developing that plan under final agreements (modern treaties) with the Na-Cho Nyak Dun, Tr'ondek Hwech'in and Vuntut Gwichin First Nations. The case marks the first time that a court has been asked to consider the meaning of land-use planning provisions contained in the Umbrella Final Agreement between Canada, Yukon and Yukon First Nations, which forms part of eleven final agreements across Yukon. Among other things, the final agreements provide First Nations with the right to participate in land and resource management decision-making processes for Crown lands, including land use planning processes, in exchange for the release of claims to Aboriginal rights or title to those lands.