The territory's chamber of commerce is calling on the Yukon government (YTG) to help private developers cut through bureaucratic red tape which binds the territory's land disposition process.

Rob McIntyre, the board chair of the Yukon Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview earlier this month his organization has identified the YTG's current system for disposing of public lands into the private sector as a problem that needs to be addressed.

'Anyone we know who has secured land feels they've done so in spite of the regulatory agencies,' McIntyre said.

'Lots of people said they wouldn't do it again knowing what they know now about the process.

'An orderly and fair basis where developers feel like they're not trying to thwart society's goals is what's needed,' he said, suggesting no such policy exists.

YTG officials said last year that land disposition applications are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

McIntyre said while past reasons for not having a clear disposition policy, including land claims negotiations, were valid, the government now has few encumbrances preventing it from proceeding with policy development.

With devolution, where the federal government's authority was passed on to the YTG in 2003, the territorial government now has the authority to act.

'Now is the time to act. We are going to take a look at systems in other jurisdictions that work. There's some interesting stuff happening in B.C.,' he said.

Over the past year, the territory has seen a number of conflicts over the disposition of Crown lands in YTG's care.

After receiving a letter from Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Archie Lang, development hopeful Daryl Novakowski said he was distraught to find out the government was also working with the city to transfer portions of the Holly Street greenbelt in Porter Creek.

Before leaving town last year, Novakowksi said he didn't understand how there could be ongoing intergovernmental discussions on the land when he was given authority by the minister to act as the government's agent in negotiations with the city.

Whitehorse city council expressed frustration when a planned 280-plus lot residential development for a separate Porter Creek greenbelt, referred to as Porter Creek D, was thwarted when it came to light the same land had been identified for several different purposes.

Community Services Minister Glenn Hart had eyed the greenbelt as a protected area.

Then-education minister John Edzerza had been negotiating with Yukon College to have the area transferred to the post-secondary institution as endowment lands.

The matter is still being decided by the YTG.

Last year, then-mayor Ernie Bourassa said he advocated having all Crown lands in the city transferred to the municipal government.

Mayor Bev Buckway said earlier this month that while she is wary about having Crown lands transferred to the city, she does feel better communication is needed by the various levels of government to make land disposition clearer and easier to understand.

'We're always looking at ways to see how governments can work better together,' Buckway said.

'With jurisdiction, some people feel that many things just tend to get passed from government to government.'

Buckway said frustration over on-again, off-again land planning was one of the factors driving the creation of a land development protocol between the YTG and the Whitehorse municipal government in 2006.

Prior to the protocol, subdivision planning and development were the responsibilities of the YTG, with the city responsible for issuing permits and granting zoning authority.

Both levels of government had legislated requirements for public consultation.

Under the protocol, the city is responsible for subdivision planning and approvals, with the YTG only responsible for construction.

Rick Karp, the president of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, said he too believes a clearer land disposition process would benefit the territory in terms of economic development.

'We need a free-flowing, co-operative system,' he said.