The loss of funding for the Katimavik program, announced in last week's federal budget, could cause problems for Yukon non-profit organizations, including the local food bank.

Jason Watters has been the local Katimavik project leader since June 2011.

He has seen firsthand the effect the program has had on the youth volunteers, as well as the local non-profits.

Losing it, he said, will directly impact the non-profits and the services they provide to community members.

"The overhead that they have, they don't have the funding to hire someone at minimal wage to do extra work,” Watters said Friday.

"It's not just affecting the kids, it's affecting those non-profits. They can't service as many people anymore, which in turn affects the people of the community, the people that actually really need assistance and help, there's a greater impact to it all,” he said of the cuts.

"And then you have kids out here, they're volunteering, they're supporting Canada, living together, they're learning about each other, learning about themselves and it's really taking away from the experience,” he added.

The Katimavik program is moving into its third year of a three-year funding agreement with the federal government that is scheduled to end on March 31, 2013.

The government announced, in the budget, that at the end of this agreement, the funding would not be renewed.

Stephen Dunbar-Edge, the executive director of the Food Bank Society of Whitehorse, is concerned about the food bank's future without the steady influx of Katimavik volunteers.

In 2011, volunteers from Katimavik provided the food bank with 2,500 hours of work.

"What is different about Katimavik versus just regular volunteers in town, is it's a stable volunteer pool, and what I mean by that is I might have somebody that says, ‘Yeah, I'll volunteer for you for the next month,' but they're a volunteer, so I can't rely on them 100 per cent to be here 100 per cent of the time,” said Dunbar-Edge.

"Whereas with Katimavik, they are guaranteed hours, and that is a stable volunteer base that I can't get in any other fashion,” he said.

If the food bank were to lose the volunteer base provided by Katimavik, Dunbar-Edge said, it would have to look into hiring someone to fill in.

"Considering we are not a wealthy food bank, that could potentially impact our ability to survive because I can't afford another person,” he said.

Dunbar-Edge said the benefits of Katimavik to Canada's economy and labour force are also something to be considered.

"Because of my own experience in the work force, and my own skills as an executive director, one of the things that I've really noticed with my Katimavik people often many of them haven't had a job yet and I'm able to give them professional evaluations that train someone for a workplace in the future,” he said, giving a future employer an employee they don't have to start from square one with.

Watters, Katimavik's local project leader, said 44 youth volunteers come to the Yukon each year through the program.

There are four three-month rotations of 11 volunteers, each working full-time for a non-profit during their time in the territory.

Other organizations who have benefited from Katimavik volunteers in the territory include the Yukon Conservation Society, the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter, the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, the Yukon Arts Centre, the Yukon Quest, Blood Ties Four Directions Centre, and the Yukon Aboriginal Sports Circle.

Jan Stick, the Yukon NDP critic for Health and Social Services and Economic Development, said the loss of the program is "really sad” for the territory.

"That program has been bringing youth and young adults to the Yukon for 35 years, and I'm sure they have been in every community in the Yukon doing great volunteer work, not to mention the kids from here that have gone into the Katimavik program and gained experience across Canada,” she said.

A statement on Katimavik's website said the organization received a letter last week confirming the cuts and cancelling the round of volunteering set to begin in July.

"There is still time to reverse the government's decision,” says the group's website.

"In the weeks and days to come, we hope we can count on Katimavik's many supporters to speak with their elected officials about their experiences and articulate the value and benefits of a strong Katimavik for Canada.”

A statement from the Office of the Minister for the Department of Heritage said "ending the Katimavik program is a responsible decision that will save taxpayers over $15 million per year while allowing the government to find new, more efficient ways to give young people the opportunities they deserve.”

The statement also said that 98 per cent of Katimavik's funding has come from taxpayers, and one third of youth who enroll in the program eventually drop out.