The Yukon is over 482,000 square kilometers in size. First Nations traditional territories cover almost the entire land base. Most land in the Yukon is public land or First Nation settlement land. Only 0.06 per cent of the Yukon is privately titled land. Right now, there are two acts used to manage public land and these acts have not been reviewed in detail since the 1980s.
We need to modernize our public lands legislation so we can continue to uphold Aboriginal and treaty rights, improve administrative processes, balance the many interests of Yukoners, and enhance long-term planning. New lands legislation will manage many but not all activities occurring on public land. The new legislation will manage activities including land development, land sale, land use permitting, agricultural activities such as grazing, and recreational activities such as camping. However, it will not manage activities such as forestry, oil and gas, or mining which are addressed under different pieces of legislation.