Champagne and Aishihik Want to Change Haines Junction Municipal Boundaries

Wednesday, 28 February 2018 08:16

First Nations want their residential, commercial and industrial properties on settlement land to be included in the municipality.

The Champagne and Aishihik First Nations, the Village of Haines Junction and the Yukon Government are currently in discussions about possibly changing the municipal boundaries of Haines Junction. The boundary lines themselves are not expected to be redrawn, but the First Nations approached the Village about including their residential, commercial and industrial properties included within the boundaries, as those lands are currently exempt.

Chief Steve Smith says the exempt lands means that some residents of Haines Junction are not included in municipal services. “What we're hoping to do is have the current residential settlement land within the municipal boundaries, we're not expanding out, we're taking to account in the past Champagne and Aishihik settlement within the village of Haines Junction has been sort of removed from all discussions with the municipality voting, operating grants and those sorts of things.” “What we're trying to accomplish here is have our resident citizens included and residential and commercial/industrial properties, what we think better reflects what is actually the current state within the village of Haines Junction.” Smith stated.

The lands which are exempt are what Smith says comes from a very old regulation, which set aside “reserved lands” by the federal government well before CAFN settled its land claims. Smith says the First Nations have been internally discussing the possibility of changing the municipal boundaries for close to 25 years, since signing land claims and says they are in a better position to accomplish this.

Smith says the talks between all three parties are going well. Yet changing the municipal boundaries will take some technical considerations such as amending the Municipal Act, remuneration, financial transfers to Haines Junction. Smith is hopeful those challenges can be worked out within six months.

Community Services Minister John Streicker says he is allowing the First Nations and the Village to take the lead, wanting the process to be community driven, before taking more of a role in the process.

(Dan Jones Whitehorse Feb. 27, 2018)