The Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce has issued a caution to local business owners about hiring foreign workers, but a simple caution is all it is, says chamber president Rick Karp.

In its most recent e-bulletin, sent out last Thursday, the chamber advises businesses to make sure all work permits of their employees are valid and legal in the Yukon.

The measure will protect themselves, their staff and the Yukon Nominee Program, the territorial program which allows employers to sponsor foreign workers.

"We need to protect this program, as it has helped us with our labour market issues,” notes the newsletter. "So please, let's work together, in co-operation with the Governments of Yukon and Canada, to ensure that this program continues.”

The caution comes in light of the recent cases where two local workers believed to be working illegally in the territory were discovered by the RCMP and the Canadian Border Services Agency.

The issue, it's noted in the chamber's statement to its members, has "illustrated the need for all of us to be more vigilant in checking the validity of work permits.

"This is of even greater importance in considering temporary foreign workers from another Canadian jurisdiction.”

Just because a temporary work permit is issued in another province or territory doesn't mean it can be used in the Yukon, the chamber stated.

That was among the lessons learned through one of the affected workers who had come to Whitehorse from Alberta, where he had been laid off from his job there.

While his work permit was valid for that province, it was not meant to allow him to work in the territory.

As Karp pointed out Tuesday, it's important Yukon employers hiring temporary foreign workers ensure the work permits and social insurance numbers are valid, something that can be done easily with a phone call to the territory's advanced education branch at the Department of Education.

"The Department of Education has been absolutely outstanding,” Karp said.

He pointed out the amount of work the department has proved beneficial in helping to deal with labour issues in the territory for both workers and employers through the Yukon Nominee Program.

"We are all urged not to employ any prospective candidate holding a work permit from a jurisdiction other than Yukon without checking with the Department of Education – advanced education,” the chamber advises its members.

"They will advise you of your options and restrictions.”

While the newsletter stresses the need to protect the nominee program, Karp said the newsletter is more of a way of advising businesses how to proceed if they want to employ a foreign worker they are not sponsoring.

"So please, let's work together, in co-operation with the Governments of Yukon and Canada, to ensure that this program continues,” reads the newsletter.

Karp argued it's important to recognize that not checking the paper work could create problems for both the employer and employee.

An official with the Department of Education said this morning, there haven't been any calls from employers to check on the status of employees or prospective staff since the situation came up with the two workers, but the department regularly works with employers throughout the territory on the nominee program.

Employers have expressed their support of the program to department staff, it was noted.