We submitted our proposal to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board (YESAB) in July of 2024. You can read the Proposal here.
Between January 2023 and April 2024, Yukon Energy completed engagement to inform the development of its project proposal to YESAB. Through this engagement, several key themes emerged. Yukon Energy's response to this feedback can be found in Chapter 7 of the Project Proposal.
Overall, both Citizens and non-Citizens are keen to see Yukon Energy install fish passage at both the Mayo Lake Control Structure and at Wareham Dam. They expressed the importance of fish, and that Yukon Energy should be planning around them. FNNND Citizens shared that the initial construction of the dam by the Northern Canada Power Commission, which done at a time before Aboriginal titles and rights were recognized in the Yukon and without FNNND involvement, has impacted fish and that these impacts are still felt today. Both Citizens and non-Citizens were supportive of the return of łyok det'aw/salmon to the watershed in Mayo.
Whenever Yukon Energy undertakes an engagement process, comments are received about energy planning in general. Both Citizens and non-Citizens were interested in understanding the options Yukon Energy is considering for the future and stressed the importance of reliable and sustainable options. Some stakeholder groups were interested in the long-term plan for the Mayo Generating Station, and whether it would ever be decommissioned. Both Citizens and non-Citizens wanted to understand the impact of climate change on Yukon Energy’s infrastructure and operations, and what Yukon Energy is doing about this. Finally, some FNNND Citizens were interested in ownership options for past and future energy projects and generally were interested in more FNNND participation in the energy sector.
Particularly during the FNNND Citizen community meetings jointly hosted by Yukon Energy, FNNND Citizens questioned what benefits the community had received since the dam was built and what Yukon Energy is doing or going to do to reduce the environmental impacts of the infrastructure. This included concerns about the closing of the Yukon Energy office in Mayo and the loss of jobs in the community, as well as perceptions about Yukon Energy's relationship with nearby mines (i.e., the perception that the Mayo dam was built to supply the mines with electricity, but it is Mayo residents who are left to deal with the dam’s impacts. FNNND Citizens also brought up commitments they said had been made about ownership or equity in energy projects and promises of free or less expensive electricity. Overall, Citizens expressed the importance of working together moving forward and the opportunities of being partners in the Yukon’s energy future.
Both Citizens and non-Citizens were interested in various elements of the Project, or proposed items that they believed should be included in the Project. This included:
Boat launch
Both Citizens and non-Citizens are eager to see the boat launch improved and ideally would like to see it extended to accommodate larger boats. They also expressed concerns about personal and equipment safety, and the boat launch’s overall accessibility.
Ice setting protocol
Yukon Energy currently has an ice setting protocol to reduce the risk of winter flooding in the lower Tadze Nyäk/Mayo River. The Village of Mayo expressed wanting to see this included in the water use licence so that it is mandatory for Yukon Energy to follow each winter.
Changes to the land or water
Some stakeholder groups were interested in understanding if Yukon Energy would be adding infrastructure that could affect placer miner claims. Both Citizens and non-Citizens were interested in understanding if Yukon Energy was still considering lowering the low supply level of Daghro Män/Mayo Lake, as proposed in the Mayo Lake Enhanced Storage Project. Yukon Energy is not currently proceeding with the Mayo Lake Enhanced Storage Project due to lack of support from the FNNND.
At a public open house, one person expressed concerns about accessing their trapline. They also were interested in learning about the studies Yukon Energy is conducting and how this information might mitigate access issues. More information can be found in Appendix 4A.3 Stakeholder and Public Meeting Notes. Difficulty accessing the wetland hunting/gathering areas, as a result of changing water levels, was echoed by FNNND Citizens as well.
Whenever Yukon Energy undertakes an engagement process, comments are received about the high cost of electricity. Both Citizens and non-Citizens questioned why they pay for electricity that the nearby mines use and why their electricity bills are so high. Concerns were also raised about the complexity of electricity bills and that it is not clear where all costs come from.
Both Citizens and non-Citizens were concerned about the possibility of a dam failure, and how long it would take for the community to flood or how long they would have to evacuate. They wanted to know details about Yukon Energy’s dam safety plan, had interest in practicing the plan and receiving safety or emergency items. FNNND Citizens emphasized that the plan must be tailored to different demographics (i.e., Elders).
There were also concerns about prolonged power outages, especially in the winter. Some FNNND Citizens wanted Yukon Energy to provide back-up generators for individual homes as well as surge protectors to protect appliances, while some Citizens wanted Yukon Energy to compensate residents for meat that had gone bad or damaged appliances/electronics.
You can read more about our engagement efforts in the What We Heard report below.
Our current water use licence and Fisheries Act Authorization for the Mayo hydro facility expires on December 31, 2025. To continue to generate electricity, and to continue to provide Yukoners with renewable electricity, we need to renew our water use licence. As part of this, we are looking to put processes in place that will allow us to continuously monitor and adapt to changing climate conditions, respond to community input, and minimize our impact on the environment.
Our current water use licence sets out requirements for:
Storage range
Operating restrictions
Dam safety
Adaptive monitoring and management
Sets out requirements for:
Instream flows and ramping rates
In-water works
Habitat compensation/offsetting
Adaptive management and monitoring
We recognize the importance of working collaboratively with First Nations governments and are applying lessons learned from other relicensing processes to this project. In 2022, we started discussions with the First Nation of Na-cho Nyäk Dun so as to understand their interests and values in the facility and the relicensing process. We will continue to have these discussions as the project continues.