The past 2 weeks saw Bills pass in the House, debate on a motion for diversified winter tourism, the cannabis framework released by the Yukon government, and the Yukon Financial Advisory Panel answering question in the House on their Final Report.
PTSD presumptive & preventative legislation passes in the House
It is not often that the passing of a Bill receives a standing ovation in the House, but that is exactly what happened on Thursday, November 16, as Bill 8 passed third reading in the House.
The passing of this Bill sees presumptive coverage of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for emergency response workers in Yukon. The Bill also permits for the creation of regulations aimed at preventing psychological injuries, including PTSD, in the workplace.
MLA for Mountainview and Minister responsible for the Workers Compensation Health and Safety Board, Jeanie Dendys, spoke to the Bill:
“It has been a learning and growing experience for me, as this is my first bill that I’ve led through this Legislative Assembly. I am confident that the result is a set of legislative amendments that this government can be proud of. These changes to the Workers’ Compensation Act and the Occupational Health and Safety Act will benefit both the workers and employers and employer communities in the Yukon. They will have a positive impact on the mental health of all Yukoners. Our accomplishment is a good example of how this government puts people first, Mr. Speaker. People first — that will continue to be the spirit of this government’s efforts. I thank you, Mr. Speaker.”
Debate on diversification of the tourism industry
On Wednesday, Nov. 15, members of the House debated a motion put forward by Liberal MLA Ted Adel, urging the government to increase winter tourism and diversify the industry. Members of the Yukon Liberal Caucus spoke to plans to increase tourism to Yukon in the winter.
“The government is committed to supporting a strong and growing tourism sector — a sector that balances economic endeavours with environmental stewardship, a sector that includes growing participation from Yukon First Nations, and a sector that has the potential to operate at a higher capacity in every season of the year.” – MLA Ted Adel
“The time is right to take tourism to the next level, to explore what is possible and decide together how we move forward. That is why this government is working with our partners to develop a multi-year, goal-oriented strategy to sustainably grow tourism in the Yukon.” –MLA Jeanie Dendys
Framework on Cannabis released
This week the Yukon government released their proposed framework for cannabis legislation. Yukoners are invited to review the proposed framework and submit feedback to the Yukon government by emailing cannabis@gov.yk.ca by December 20, 2017.
Read the Proposed Framework for Legalized Cannabis.
Learn more about this engagement on cannabis legalization and review the framework summary here.
Yukon Financial Advisory Panel answers questions in the House
On November 15, the independent Yukon Financial Advisory Panel released their Final Report. You can learn more about this report here.
On November 21, members of the Panel appeared as witnesses in the legislative Assembly to answer questions from members. The Panel reaffirmed to the Official Opposition that they had access to all of the financial information requested, and that there was no government involvement in the process of preparing their financial options.
The Panel answered over 40 questions from the Official Opposition, and 18 questions from the Third Party. You can read the full transcript here.
Tribute to Mike Smith
On November 22, Premier Silver rose in the house and paid tribute to the late Elder and Yukon Regional Chief, Mike Smith. Read the full tribute.
