View PC's letter to Yukon Government and First Nations re: Peel Watershed Planning Commission Final Recommended Plan and the Land Use Designations proposed by the Government of the Yukon

As you can see by reading and following the links below, First Nations and conservationists have been working for some years with a Yukon government planning commission  that was mandated to develop a land use plan for the Peel River watershed. The Peel watershed contains the Wind, the Snake and the Bonnet Plume Rivers which make the Yukon a destination of choice for those who value pristine wilderness and who in turn help to create a sustainable economy for Yukoners.

 Unfortunately, the current government now appears to want to ignore this work, and First Nations rights, and is promoting a seriously flawed plan weighted in favour of mining interests.  By signing on to the electronic letter of support below you may help to convince the government that it should adopt the more balanced approach recommended by its own commission.

 This letter is sponsored by the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society and is supported by Paddle Canada. I would be grateful if you would sign the letter and forward this to your networks.  Signatures will be accepted until February 25th. 

 The Peel watershed is a truly unique place and this is an historic opportunity.  Its protection deserves your support.

 Thank you

Jay Morrison

Environment Committee Chair

Paddle Canada

Visit CPAWS site for info on Peel Watershed and Letter. 

The following letter was received middle of this month from Friends of Grand River/Mistashipu, and is posted here for members to read, learn more and get involved should they feel inclined.

Dear Paddle Canada,
 
I am the Chair for the group Friends of the Grand River/Mistashipu and we welcome your involvement in our cause to Save Muskrat Falls and the Grand River (Churchill River). We are a volunteer group comprised of members from throughout Labrador, Newfoundland, Canada, and internationally with the mandate to protect Labrador waters from damming. Our current headquarters is out of Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

Enbridge’s Northern Gateway proposal involves building a $5.5 billion dollar, 1,170 km dual pipeline to carry 525, 000 barrels of crude oil a day from Alberta to the West Coast of BC, as well as 193, 000 barrels of condensate from BC to Alberta. Included in the proposal is the construction of a terminal with two tanker berths, one for Very Large Crude Carriers and the other for Suezmax-type condensate tankers, in Kitimat, BC. Such a project would introduce, for the first time, crude oil supertankers to the temperamental coastal waters of Northern BC. Each year, more than 250 of these ships would be required to navigate 90 degree turns and narrow channels in Douglas Channel and along the coast of the Great Bear Rainforest, a coastline that is well known to kayakers for its prevalence of wildlife and spectacular wilderness.