80% of Yukoners oppose mining in the Peel Watershed region. That’s a lot. In 2010, a large outcry from several First Nations communities forced the territorial government to implement a staking ban prohibiting mining companies from unrestricted access to the land. On September 4th the Yukon government may silently lift the ban, which is a crucial part of protecting the watershed.
The Peel Youth Alliance release a banner demanding the Yukon government to respect the Peel Watershed Protection Plan and to extend the staking ban.
On August 9th, the Peel Youth Alliance launched a campaign to extend the moratorium on staking in the watershed, an area the size of Scotland with seven major rivers, delicate watersheds, and tons of wildlife. They deployed a banner saying “Extend the Ban. Accept the Plan.” which referred to a watershed protection plan that took six years to develop.
The Peel Youth Alliance is a group of young Yukoners that have come together to “stand up to the Yukon Government and demand democracy and fairer wilderness and mining policies” –a direct response to the government’s attempt to ignore the ban and forge ahead with their own agenda.
Most recently, the group involved Change.org to release a petition to send to the Yukon government in which they state that “most attention has been on the efforts to develop a watershed protection plan, but few are aware the staking ban may soon expire.” Support the Peel Youth Alliance and 80% of Yukoners by signing the petition and sharing it with your networks through email, facebook, and twitter. The territorial government must understand that all of us are watching.
The Council of Canadians and the Canadian Youth Climate Coalition have also been supporting the Peel Youth Alliance through Power Summer Yukon, a weekend of Non-Violent Direct Action training and skill building to run effective campaigns that shift power back into the hands of communities and from corporate control.
