The executive director of the Yukon Conservation Society is pleased the city will bring in an outside facilitator to begin planning for Porter Creek D.

"We're certainly willing to (enter the process) in good faith,” Karen Baltgailis said in an interview this morning.

She was responding to word from the city that a facilitator has been brought in to assist.

The society was one of several community groups which walked away from the Porter Creek D Working Group last year. It had been set to work with the city on plans for the area next to McIntyre Creek.

Also involved was the Yukon Real Estate Association, Yukon College, Friends of McIntyre Creek, the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, the Porter Creek Community Association, the Takhini Community Association and the governments of the Kwanlin Dun First Nation and the Ta'an Kwach'an Council.

When the Porter Creek Community Association left the organization last November, president Jeff Marynowski said: "It is now apparent the ‘working group' was simply thrown together to fulfill the city's legal obligations to have public input, but that the outcome had already been determined based on the influence of ‘for profit' interest groups.”

Baltgailis said she also feels other organizations like those working in environmental education and the Yukon Bird Club should also be part of the discussions.

She pointed out the bird club has extensive knowledge of the McIntyre Creek area bird habitats that could be used in deciding how to proceed with the area.

Despite her thoughts that more groups should be part of the process, Baltgailis said the conservation society will participate in the discussion.

If the city insists on moving ahead with planning for Porter Creek D, Baltgailis said, an independent facilitator unrelated to the city is needed.

That facilitator will be Christiane Boisjoly, a local consultant with more than 15 years' experience. She will begin working with the group this month.

What emerges from those meetings will be used for the public charette consultation process the city is planning for Porter Creek D.

"As we prepare to engage the community in the city's next major planning effort, council has instructed that preliminary consultations will involve the Porter Creek D working group charette,” Mayor Bev Buckway said in a statement Friday afternoon.

"These consultations will involve the Porter Creek D working group, and are designed to review the information presented to council on the working group's activities as well as collect the group's views on the draft Porter Creek D planning process.

What comes out of the meetings with the city will be presented to council in the fall.

"Council looks forward to achieving clarity on concerns expressed by some working group members and to receiving input on the proposed Porter Creek D consultation process as it's currently envisioned,” Buckway said.

The upcoming consultation is designed to help the city determine what a subdivision would look like if council decides to move ahead with the development.

It will cost the city $13,700 for Boisjoly's work.

The spending is outside of the $500,000 contribution agreement the city has with the Yukon government for the project and may require city officials to go to the territory for the cash.

As city planner Kinden Kosick noted this morning, it is not unusual for additional expenses like this as well as the wildlife corridor study to come up during major projects.