The Association of Yukon Communities(AYC) could be asking the Yukon government to look at changing who's eligible to cast ballots in municipal elections in the territory.

At Monday evening's council meeting, Mayor Bev Buckway, who also sits as the AYC's president, was the lone vote against taking the recommendation to the organization. The AYC acts as a united voice for municipalities in the territory.

"I just can't see that this is the most effective way (for business to have a voice),” Buckway said before voting against taking the issue to the AYC.

The request to look at voting criteria came from a resolution of the Yukon Chamber of Commerce. It stemmed from concerns of entrepreneurs who own businesses in a community but have no vote because they

live outside municipal boundaries.

In a presentation prior to the vote, chamber chair Jerome Babyn sat alongside Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce director Dan Charlebois, who owns the local Canadian Tire store, to encourage the city to take the matter to the AYC.

As Babyn explained under questioning by Coun. Dave Stockdale, the proposal came out of the chamber's 2006 annual general meeting in Dawson City. There, the Dawson chamber noted its concerns that many members were unable to vote municipally despite paying taxes on their buildings within the town.

He explained in an interview last week the issue hadn't been dealt with until now.

In Whitehorse, the issue is much the same.

"This is a very important issue to our membership,” Charlebois said, arguing that taxation without representation goes against everything Canada stands for.

Naming off the top 10 taxpayers in the city, he said none, including himself, could vote in the 2009 Whitehorse civic election because they don't live in the city.

City administration and some councillors argued last week against moving ahead with the proposal when it was brought forward due to the complexity that would come around enumeration and other issues.

Charlebois, however, argued the issue needs to be debated on the merits of the proposal rather than the complexity it would create.

Included in the packages Charlebois handed to council on the chamber's behalf were examples of other communities in places like Quebec and Ontario, where business owners have been granted the right to vote.

Issues like enumeration and how a vote would work could be considered as part of the AYC's review of the process, he said. The question before council was simply whether to ask the AYC to explore the issue, Charlebois added.

Before council began dealing with the matter, there were questions for Charlebois. Stockdale wondered why the owner of Canadian Tire lives outside the city.

Charlebois explained that after having lived in Granger for four years he and his wife moved to where they can have their five dogs, a residence with a pond and live closer to wildlife, enjoying their privacy and the scenery.

Buckway asked how many of the other taxpayers Charlebois listed – the Westmark hotel chain, Loblaws and Wal-Mart among them – can make an informed decision about a municipal election when their offices are nowhere near the city.

Charlebois acknowledged that indeed, in many cases, those businesses likely wouldn't be educated enough to vote for candidates.

However, there could be a clause in the regulations that would permit business owners who live outside a municipality but within the territory to vote in the municipal election where their business property is.

That was not enough to convince Buckway, and she voted against bringing it to the AYC.

Other council members said they wanted to see it at least discussed at the AYC level before turning it down.

"There's a lot of information we need to absorb,” Coun. Florence Roberts said, pointing to the paperwork provided by the Whitehorse chamber.

Stockdale, who a week earlier had argued against the move, stating it would open a Pandora's box, changed his tune last night. He commented his only concern now is if the city would have to raise taxes to deal with any additional costs.

As Coun. Doug Graham, said the issue wouldn't take up any city staff time or labour. Rather, the AYC would do the research and bring it before the Yukon government, if it moves ahead.

He also voiced his support for comments made earlier by Coun. Betty Irwin. She had said that while she's not in favour of such voting rights for all business owners in the city, where the business owner has land and pays property taxes in the city, it should be considered.

Voting in favour of the move would merely see the matter move to the AYC, she stressed. That organization could then look at it and decide how to proceed.

Irwin was also successful in her motion to reword the resolution so council would simply vote for or against sending it to the AYC, rather than "not” sending it to the AYC, as city staff had proposed.

"Let's discuss the merits,” said Coun. Dave Austin.

Coun. Ranj Pillai was quick to note the healthy debate that is happening on the issue.

Municipal councils from throughout the territory traditionally bring recommendations, such as this one, to the AYC at the organization's annual general meeting in the spring.

This year, the meeting is scheduled for April 15-18 in Dawson.