DAWSON CITY – Two Klondike-area miners have demanded that the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in (TH) First Nation remove families, homes and infrastructure from the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in subdivision so the area can be mined.

Since 2001, the Tr’ondëk Hwëch’in have been establishing a substantial subdivision in their residential settlement lands just north of the Ogilvie Bridge over the Klondike River.

The Tr’ondëk subdivision is part of the land claims settlement classified as C-4, so the subdivision tends to be locally known as C-4.

This is quite ironic, since the growth in the number of homes in the area has been nothing short of explosive over the 15-year period.

There are currently 31 buildings on the site, a mixture of single-family and multi-family dwellings that house some 40 families.

Aside from the buildings are the sewer, water and power infrastructure, and the landscaping associated with people’s homes.

In addition, TH spent last summer preparing the ground and laying in the infrastructure for a planned expansion of the subdivision. The area is also the site of various storage and work buildings at the south end of the lot.

In late June, TH was issued a July 15 deadline by the claim holders, Michel Vincent and Mike Heydorf, to remove all buildings, power lines, sewer and water lines, survey stakes and any other possessions from C-4.

TH advised the claim holders they would have to conform to the provisions of the Yukon’s mining legislation.

That includes requirements to provide security and compensation, before any mining activities could be undertaken.

Just where all those buildings could be relocated until after the mining was completed, and where the people who reside in them could live, in a town that is chronically short of housing, are among the more obvious issues.

In mid-August, TH was notified that the Yukon Surface Rights Board had received an application from the miners requesting an “order” that would compel the First Nation to comply with the request to vacate the land.

Just how such a demand will be viewed when it bumps up against the Umbrella Final Agreement and the local land claims final agreement is another major issue.

The First Nation said Thursday it does not intend to co-operate with this demand, should the Surface Rights Board accede to the miners’ request.

Chief Roberta Joseph cites this as just another reason why the territory’s mining legislation needs to be brought up to date.

“We are optimistic we’ll succeed in saving our residential neighborhood and retain our settlement land that we fought so hard for,” Joseph said in a statement.

“But the fact this conflict exists in the first place is yet another indication we need renewed mining legislation and regulations that reflect modern values.”

Joseph also noted the Klondike Plateau is covered in mining claims.

Consequently, other residents could find themselves in this situation, she said in the statement.

The area was historically mined in the early 1900s, with construction of the neighbourhood beginning in 2001.

TH has invested an estimated $10 million to $15 million in planning, development, and construction of the subdivision over the last 15 years.

It did so after rebuilding the land in question from the tailings that were left from the mining era.

More housing construction was planned for next summer.