'We're at a critical turning point in the history of the territory,' says Rick Karp, Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce president.

That reality makes it that much more important the government be focused on the creation of partnerships in moving forward, says Karp.

The government must be willing to work with stakeholders, including business and first nations to help the territory embrace the economic growth it is experiencing, he says.

The Yukon Party government was elected on Tuesday night to serve a second mandate in office. Forming a 10-seat majority in the legislative assembly, it is the first time a party has been elected back-to-back since 1989.

'The Yukon is poised to continue its advance on the pathway of growth and prosperity by continuing the vision and direction that began with the election of the Yukon Party in 2002,' Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie told voters throughout the campaign.

The focus of the government must be to keep the economy headed in the right direction while proving to southern investors that the territory is 'open for business', says Karp.

The Yukon has a great potential for growth, he says, but is it still highly dependent on Ottawa and transfers from the federal government.

The Yukon Party must make sure regulatory regimes are welcoming and that challenges in the labour market are addressed, he adds.

John Witham, president of the Yukon Chamber of Mines, also says streamlining the Yukon's regulatory requirements must be at the forefront of the government's mind as it begins its second term in office.

Witham would also like to see a continued focus on skills training to help address the shortage of trained miners.

It is a commitment that was made by the Yukon Party during the election, stating if re-elected it would implement a comprehensive skills and trades training strategy, as well as, looking at ways to address the labour shortage and promote employee retention.

Having skilled workers on hand in the Yukon will only help enhance the ability of mining operations, says Witham.

The continuity of government is a positive thing for the mining community, he adds.

With one-term governments it takes far too long for new ministers and elected members to learn the ropes in addressing the priorities of stakeholders and investors, he says, and to get initiatives moving forward.

'For us having the Yukon Party returned to power is not such a bad thing,' agrees President of Association of Yukon Communities (AYC) Doug Graham. 'The people, the actors and the policies are virtually the same then.'

Graham says the re-election of the Yukon Party should mean many of the initiatives worked on between the association and the territorial government won't have to be put on hold.

For the AYC dealing with initiatives under the Northern Strategy and gas tax funding will remain majority priorities to conclude with the government.

Changes to the Municipal Act to create more flexibility for local area councils will also be important, adds Graham.

'To date we've had some really good discussions with the government. They've been very receptive to the community agenda.'

However, the returned government should also be aware not everyone in the territory voted for them and some Yukoners have different priorities, says Karen Baltgailis, the executive director of the Yukon Conservation Society.

The Yukon Party received 41 per cent of the popular vote on Tuesday night, while the Liberals took 35 per cent and the NDP 24 per cent. Independent candidates took one per cent of the overall vote.

'It indicates to me that they need to really be aware of what all Yukon people are thinking,' says Baltgailis.

Baltgailis says may Yukoners expressed a lot of interest in protecting the environment during the course of the campaign.

The Yukon Conservative Society will work to make sure environment remains a priority for the Yukon Party, she says.

The Yukon Party highlighted the environment throughout its campaign after being criticized repeatedly during its first term for its stance on the environment. A key commitment coming out of the campaign was to build a climate change research centre. The government will also create an action plan for dealing with climate change after it tabled a strategy framework just days before Fentie dropped the writ for the 31-day campaign.

Prioritizing land use planning, finishing the forestry management process and creating 'a real' climate change action plan must be on the government's agenda, says Baltgailis.

But really a government is only as strong as its opposition, says Karp.

The Yukon is set to make some very positive gains over the next five years, he says, but if the 'badgering' continues in the legislature it could only prove to stall the potential.

When the house sits the opposition benches will hold five Liberals and three NDP members.

'The onus is on them to really pull it all together,' says Karp.

Representatives from local unions were unavailable to comment this morning.

Council of Yukon First Nations Grand Chief Andy Carville did not return phone calls from the Star.