‘Not the wild west anymore’: Yukon opposition weighs in on Klondike mining disputes – by Paul Tukker (CBC News North – September 14, 2016)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/

NDP, Liberals says government must help find resolution

Yukon opposition politicians are blaming the territorial government for dropping the ball when it comes to resolving disputes over mining claims.

The NDP and Liberals were reacting to a controversy in Dawson City, where two placer miners are attempting to evict members of the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in First Nation from their homes. The miners say the homes are on part of eight placer mining claims they own.

The First Nation is also involved in another dispute over mining claims on Dawson’s Dome Road. “These conflicts are a direct consequence of inaction by the Yukon Party government over the last 14 years,” said NDP leader Liz Hanson. She says the government has failed to update mining legislation to reflect current land claim agreements.

“It’s not just the wild west anymore, and our mining laws don’t reflect that,” she said. “First Nations government have been clearly pressing the territorial government on this matter for many years.”

Liberal Leader Sandy Silver agrees that “we probably should have been talking about this a while ago,” and it’s now up to the Yukon government to find a solution to the dispute involving the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in homeowners.

For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/dawson-city-mining-claims-trondek-hwechin-1.3761030