The Yukon government announced today it is undertaking a modernization of the Land Titles Act and hopes to have the process completed in the next two or three years.

At a morning news conference, Mike Nixon, the Minister of Justice, said the first, scoping phase will hopefully be completed by fall at the latest.

The first phase will involve meetings with stakeholders and a review of recommendations for updating the act provided by a Saskatchewan lawyer, who completed an inspection of the land titles process.

Lora Bansley is a lawyer with the Saskatchewan Crown corporation responsible for land titles, which has already gone through a modernization process.

She completed her review of the Yukon's act at the end of March.

"This modernization project will see a full-scale review and assessment of our legislation, the supporting computer system and the land titles office business processes,” Nixon said.

The computer system was developed in 1992 and implemented in 1998, he said.

The Condominium Act will also be updated.

Once the first phase is completed, what work needs to be done will become clearer, and officials will have a better idea of the timeline for completing the modernization will be, the minister said.

At this point, "We know that the computer platform is outdated, we know that it needs to be replaced, but what is that going to look like,” Nixon said.

Economic and population growth have increased the amount of work being done through the land titles office. This modernization process will affect every single Yukoner buying or selling land, said Nixon.

"The backlog puts pressure on surveyors, it puts pressure on the legal system, it puts pressure on realtors,” he said.

Right now, for anyone purchasing property, it takes about five to eight weeks to get a certificate of title. Nixon said he'd like to see the turn-around time move to two or 2 1/2 days.

Rick Karp, the president of the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, also spoke at the press conference, giving his full support for the modernization.

Nixon said he doesn't foresee any downsizing in the office as a result of the planned changes, adding it will depend on the outcome of the review and consultation phase.

He commended the land titles staff for their hard work and patience, comparing working with the current system to trying to build a house with only a screwdriver.

"If we're doing a job without the proper tools, it's going to have an impact on every aspect of that job whether it be front counter service, turn-around time, employee relations and so on,” he said.