The Yukon Party is again being accused of loading territory-wide advisory boards with yes-men and yes-women.

Environment Minister Jim Kenyon has rejected a unanimous call from members of the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board (YFWMB) to reappoint Clayton White to a five-year term on the board, the Star has learned.

In response to an invitation from the minister to comment on upcoming appointments or reappointments, board members sent Kenyon a letter in December with an unequivocal recommendation that White be reappointed.

'Over the past year, he has served as vice-chair to the board where he demonstrated his strong leadership potential and abilities to work well with all YFWMB members and staff,' writes board chair Ed Kormendy in his response to the minister. '... In this case, based on his performance and unanimous support from the other YFWMB members, we feel Clayton White should be reappointed for a full five-year term.'

The Yukon Fish and Game Association, representing more than 800 Yukon members, had also written a recommendation supporting the reappointment of White, who is a member of the association, its president, Jim Haney confirmed this morning.

Kenyon notified the board yesterday, however, that he has appointed Wayne Hrynuik and Shirley Ford.

Opposition Leader Todd Hardy said there is no question the appointments are evidence the Yukon Party is continuing a practice of politicizing appointments with people who will see and do things the party's way.

'This is a travesty and disgusting for the Yukon Party to be doing that to somebody (White) that has so much respect and has done so much good work in this area,' Hardy said this morning.

Hrynuik, he pointed out, is the former longtime member of the Yukon Party, and a former member of the party executive.

Liberal Leader Pat Duncan also harshly criticized Kenyon for what she too said is nothing more than a political appointment.

This is an attempt to 'silence the board,' she said.

The Environment minister declined comment this morning. Cabinet spokesman Peter Carr said the matter is still in process, and Kenyon would not be responding until Monday.

Hrynuik said this morning he would expect Hardy to criticize the appointment, because he wouldn't be doing his job as Opposition leader if he didn't.

It was the same tune when he was appointed recently to the Labour Standards Board as the employee representative, he said.

A well-known angler, Hrynuik noted his interest on sitting on the wildlife management board goes back years, with application under the former John Ostashek government, Piers McDonald's NDP government and Duncan's short-lived Liberal government.

'I am excited about this appointment to the management board and look forward to bring a common sense approach to board issues,' he said.

Hrynuik said he feels the board has not had a strong representation for the interests of anglers in the territory, but he plans to change that.

'I am not worried about it,' he said about the criticism from the opposition.

The NDP leader also suggested the appointment of Ford, who has served on the board in previous years, is a reflection of the Yukon Party's desire to have it its way.

Ford, said Hardy, is a game farmer and has been an outspoken advocate of the game farming business.

He said it's well known the wildlife board is opposed to the concept of wildlife in captivity, though the Environment minister and veterinarian stands behind the business.

The management board was created under the Yukon land claim process as a central body to provide advice to the minister on wildlife issue of Yukon-wide interest.

It is made up of 12 members, six appointed by the Yukon government and six by the Council of Yukon First Nations (CYFN). Four terms will end tomorrow, with both YTG and CYFN required to fill two each.

Ford and Hrynuik are replacing White, who was seeking reappointment, and Neils Jacobsen, who was not seeking reappointment.

The two being filled by CYFN were left open by the departure of Kormendy, who was not seeking reappointment and Frank Patterson, who left his term early.

The appointments by CYFN were unavailable this morning.

White said this morning he would not be critical of the minister's decision, but indeed had been looking forward to another five years on the board.

Participating on the board, he said, was an exceptional experience and very educational.

In its letter of recommendation to the minister, the board noted White had come on to fill a vacancy left by Mike Vance, who moved out of the Yukon and was only on the board for two years. It would be only fair, said the letter, to at least offer White a shot at a full term, just like all other appointees to the board.

In his response to Kenyon yesterday following the minister's notification that he had appointed Hrynuik and Ford, Kormendy wrote:

'In closing, I would like to clearly communicate my great disappointment in your choice to not reappoint Clayton to a full five-year term. I feel that the YFWMB as well as Yukon wildlife and wildlife users have lost a valuable voice by no longer having him at our table.'

Haney declined comment on the minister's rejection of its recommendation to reappoint White, as the membership was to meet tonight and the matter would likely be up for discussion.