It was a busy week in the Yukon Legislative Assembly!
The Yukon Liberal government launched the Better Buildings program, which provide loans – at the lowest lending rate in the country – of up to $50,000 for residential and $100,000 for commercial buildings for upgrades that reduce annual energy consumption. The program is now available to all rural Yukoners living outside of municipal boundaries. The Village of Haines Junction, the Town of Watson Lake, the City of Whitehorse and the Village of Teslin have all committed their support for the program and it will soon be available to those residents.
Premier and Finance Minister Sandy Silver tabled the 2021-22 Public Accounts this week, which confirm a surplus for the 2021-22 fiscal year of $8.9 million. This year the Yukon also maintained an ‘AA Stable’ credit rating from Standard and Poor’s, highlighting the government’s strong history of financial management.
On Thursday, Minister of Tourism and Culture Ranj Pillai announced a new $1 million Community Tourism Destination Development Fund to support community projects across the Yukon that focus on sustainable tourism development in their region. The new annual funding program will be available to local businesses, First Nations governments, First Nation Development entities, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations for projects that will improve tourism related services and infrastructure.
In addition, we were able to pass two pieces of legislation:
- The Midwifery Integration Amendments Act that will give midwives the tools they need to efficiently operate and completely integrate midwifery services into the Yukon’s health care system. Pregnant Yukoners from all over the territory can apply to receive free midwifery care.
- The Carbon Price Rebate Amendments Act, which received support from both the Yukon NDP and the Yukon Party, and will protect carbon rebates for Yukon businesses, municipalities and First Nations governments.
The Yukon Liberal government also updated Yukoners on the Nisutlin Bay Bridge replacement project that will serve as a critical transportation link along the Alaska highway. The project is anticipated to be complete in 2026.
Yukon Liberal MLAs also paid tribute to energy efficiency and sustainability efforts, Brain Cancer Awareness Day, the Nun Cho Ga discovery in the Klondike, the caring work behind the local Period Pantry, Diwali, the Wolf Creek Research Basin 30th Anniversary, and Community Land Trusts
Find out more about our work in the Legislative Assembly and tune in here: https://yukonassembly.ca/
