This week is extra long – the Legislative Assembly is sitting for an additional day on Friday, November 4th to make up for a shorter Remembrance Day week. Here is a quick look at what happened:
Masks required in public spaces
December 1st marked the day that masks are now required in all public spaces in Yukon. You can find all the details about what that means for you on Yukon.ca, https://yukon.ca/en/health-and-wellness/covid-19-information/your-health-covid-19/wearing-non-medical-masks-yukon
State of Emergency Extension
As we are posting this blog, MLAs are currently debating whether or not the current state of emergency should be extended.
According to Minister John Streicker, speaking to reporters on Wednesday: “I’ll keep saying that if you want to have border control, if you want to have isolation requirements, if you want to have enforcement, those things are in place because of the state of emergency”.
You will be able to read the full transcript of the debate once it is complete on the legislature website here: https://yukonassembly.ca/sitting-day/34-3-074
YCDC Contact Tracing Tribute
On Thursday, Minister Frost rose to pay tribute to the contact tracing team with the Yukon Communicable Disease Centre (YCDC). These tireless workers have been working long hours during a very stressful time and are one of our most important tools in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. They are doing an amazing job of keeping Yukoners well informed and reassured.
We are a strong and resilient territory, and we know that with these professionals by our side we will make our way through this second wave of the pandemic. The work of each of you makes a difference.
You can watch a video of this tribute here: https://fb.watch/2amPU7Zycx/
World Aids Day
Minister Frost also paid tribute to World Aids Day, which takes place every year on December 1. According to Minister Frost:
“Today, as Minister of Health and Social Services, I call on all Yukoners to challenge HIV stigma and discrimination, which we know still persists in our communities. By showing respect and compassion for those living with HIV we can improve outcomes and reduce the number of new infections.”
You can watch a video of the tribute here: https://fb.watch/28SJkzHR5X/
Later that week, on Friday, Minister Frost announced that the Preventative Human Immunodeficiency Virus prescription will now be covered by the Government of Yukon. You can read this exciting announcement here: https://yukon.ca/en/news/preventative-human-immunodeficiency-virus-hiv-prescription-coverage-coming-yukon
Mount Sima Upgrades
On Wednesday, Minister Streicker informed the Legislative Assembly about an exciting new recreational infrastructure project. Yukon Government, in partnership with the Government of Canada, is investing in Mount Sima’s snow-making and electrical infrastructure to help move the ski hill away from its reliance on diesel and support the ski hill’s transition to greener energy.
Currently, snow-making at Mount Sima is powered by diesel. The ski hill hauls diesel generators around the mountain to fuel snowmaking cannons. With the improvements from this project, Mount Sima’s snow-making will be connected to our local power grid so that the hill no longer has to rely on diesel generators for snow-making.
Work on this project is already underway and we anticipate these changes being in place by next season.
To both mitigate and adapt to climate change, this Liberal Government believes in making the transition to greener sources of power. Building a green economy, reducing our reliance on fossil fuels, and building healthy, active communities are cornerstones of our commitment to Yukoners.
You can read Minister Streicker’s full statement here: https://yukonassembly.ca/sitting-day/34-3-072
Our Clean Future Debate
On Private Members’ Motion Day (Wednesday), MLAs debated the following motion standing in the name of MLA Paolo Gallina : THAT this House supports meeting or exceeding the targets laid out in Our Clean Future — A Yukon strategy for climate change, energy and a green economy, including the greenhouse gas emissions and renewable energy targets.
Several Yukon Liberal MLAs spoke about this important topic including MLA Gallina, MLA Adel, Minister John Streicker, and Minister Pauline Frost.
If you are interested in learning more about the Our Clean Future document, you can read all about it here: https://yukon.ca/our-clean-future. There are tons of resources and information about all the new programs and rebates that are underway.
The Yukon Liberal Caucus also hosted a Virtual Town Hall in October on this important topic. You can view the whole thing here: https://fb.watch/28Vfobc2a4/
