DAWSON CITY – The Dawson City Chamber of Commerce didn’t waste any time holding the town’s territorial election forum Wednesday evening.

In fact, the date was selected and advertised before the writ was dropped last Friday. The Ancillary Room at the Robert Service School filled up slowly before the event began at 7 p.m.

Jay Farr, the NDP candidate, was the first to speak. Farr, a Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in member, former deputy chief and current member of Dawson’s town council, has lived in town for 40 of his 48 years.

He said his priorities are in line with the NDP’s emphasis on safety, health, recreational opportunities and a deep concern for the sanctity of the land and water.

Brad Whitelaw, the Yukon Party’s nominee, has lived in the Klondike for 30 years, residing in both the rural areas and the town. He is the owner of the Triple J Motel, which also operates the Klondike Spirit paddle wheeler and Tombstone Outfitters.

Whitelaw also expressed a concern for health and welfare, and a desire to see more successful businesses in the riding.

Sandy Silver, the Liberal incumbent and leader of his party, was quick to take the offensive, criticizing the Yukon Party’s record on the economy, the environment and First Nation relations.

After five years of hard work, during which he has defined his job as representing his constituents first, he said, he has recruited a solid group of candidates and is running to be the next premier.

“This time Dawson City has the chance, for the first time in modern history, to vote for a premier,” he said. “If you vote for a premier that comes from Klondike, you know that your voice will be heard.”

The evening’s first question came from one of the boxes that had been placed in various spots around the town, and dealt with the lack of housing.

Farr called this a serious problem. He advocates demolishing some derelict buildings, specifically a long-closed local hotel, and building on those lots.

Whitelaw said the Yukon Party would make the site of the former Korbo Apartment complex available for a building project. He noted that he had recently sold a portion of his own hotel’s land to the Klondike Development Organization (KDO) to allow for an eight-unit building.

Another questioner raised the issue of housing for summer workers. That prompted Whitelaw to have a nostalgic flashback to the days of West Dawson’s tent city, gone for two decades or longer.

The modern answer, he said, would be some sort of multiplex rentals.

Silver supported the recent KDO initiative and said he hopes to see more of that kind of evidence-based planning.

On the question of the Peel Watershed, Whitelaw spoke about the need to allow for economic development, as carefully monitored by regulatory agencies.

Silver noted that five years ago, this had been the number one topic at the last election forum.

He pledged that a Liberal government would accept the Peel commission’s final plan and restart the land use planning processes that have stalled in the interim.

Farr also said the NDP would adopt the final plan, adding that any government must be prepared to work with First Nations.

The next two questions addressed the federal government’s proposed national carbon tax. It would be implemented if all provinces and territories haven’t come up with an acceptable plan very soon.

Silver said the territorial Liberal plan is to give that money back to the people in some manner.

Farr didn’t really have a response for that question, but said the territory needs to get away from the use of fossil fuels.

Whitelaw stuck to the Yukon Party line of “no new taxes” nor levies. He insisted that finding more efficient ways to use the fossil fuels that still have to heat homes and run vehicles would be an equivalent solution.

Asked to explain the Liberal concept of revenue neutrality on this topic, Farr spoke of possible subsidies.

Whitelaw said the territory has to “deal with it regionally.”

Silver reminded everyone the carbon program is an inevitable federal initiative that requires a plan to deal with it.

On the issue of placer mining in town boundaries, Whitelaw said it’s right that no new mines could be staked, but added the issue is complicated by the town boundaries expanding into areas that had already been staked.

Silver said there had been a failure to plan ahead for the possible overlaps caused by mining, the Umbrella Final Agreement, boundary expansions and private property rights. Miners caught by this overlap deserve some compensation related to the amount of their investment, he added.

Farr focused on the recent issues at the Tr’ondëk subdivision (or C-4) which he said was “just wrong.” Two miners with claims under the subdivision are seeking its removal.

Silver advanced the idea that spending $15 million to improve the Art and Margaret Fry Recreation Centre is likely better than spending $60 million to build a new one. He reminded everyone of the sod-turning exercise that had been a feature of the 2011 territorial campaign.

Farr disagreed with the notion of patchwork measures, despite sitting on a town council that is doing just that.

Whitelaw essentially affirmed council’s direction. He pledged to continue supporting the centre’s upgrading, including finishing the second floor of the administration section, which never was completed.

The need for expanded services at the Dawson City Community Hospital underlined the need for visiting specialists in certain areas and the decline in the dental services that were formerly a regular part of the school system.

There was general agreement that more could be done at the hospital and that the reduction in the school dental program was not a good thing.

Asked about the future of the free entry system of mineral staking, Farr quipped that he thought the territory has been pretty well staked.

Whitelaw said he’d need to research the matter further. Silver said no to new staking inside town boundaries, but had no problem with it in other areas.

All candidates agreed with paving the runway at the Dawson airport, and vowed to get it done.

(Earlier, Air North’s Ed Peart had informed the monthly meeting of the Dawson chamber that the paving is anticipated to be complete by the end of September 2017.)

Some concerns were expressed about the heap leech mining operation originally planned by Kaminak, with lots of consultation with the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in, and now under the control of Gold Corp.

Farr called it a dangerous practice.

Whitelaw said he’s certain it could be done properly, while Silver spoke of the Kaminak experience, which he has been told Gold Corp. intends to continue.

Fire chief Jim Regimbal asked about support for first responders suffering from PTSD symptoms, receiving sympathetic responses from everyone.

Asked about fracking, Whitelaw cited the moratorium currently in place.

Silver pledged that the Liberals “will not frack,” while Farr said the NDP would “ban it once and for all.”

Is the Quigley landfill dangerous? This concern has been raised over the last 20 years.

Farr said it’s near the end of its useful life. Whitelaw said the regulatory bodies would have to look into it. Silver suggested that recycling and more careful attention to what goes into the landfill could be a big part of the answer.

Near the end of the evening, Sylvia Farr drew a laugh by placing a box of Ritz crackers in front of the candidates in celebration of the dropping of the election writ.

The question of year-round employment in the riding was one of the last questions of the evening.

Whitelaw remembered when there were more government jobs in Dawson a few decades back.

Silver noted that the devolution of federal powers to the territory seemed to have increased the number of jobs in Whitehorse, but not in the rural areas.

Secondments and required postings to rural communities might provide an answer, he added.

The most unexpected question of the evening was a request to take a position on abandoning the annual spring and fall temporal dislocations caused by Daylight Savings Time. No one wanted to tackle that one.

The forum ended with closing statements, which were not terribly different than the ones that had opened the evening.

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