New territorial park unveiled within City of Whitehorse

Chasàn Chùa is the most recent part of land to be designated a territorial park in the Yukon.

The park — also known as McIntyre Creek — was announced at a press conference on the afternoon of June 19. It covers around 35 hectares through the heart of the City of Whitehorse, and spans from Mount McIntyre to the Whistle Bend Bluffs.

The designation comes after a decade and a half of work, said Premier Ranj Pillai.

Pillai said the protection the park now has could potentially attract more people to the community, especially in high-demand positions like healthcare workers or teachers. He also said it could be a draw to students considering attending Yukon University.

Access to the area will not change, said environment minister Nils Clarke, nor will any existing municipal bylaws or zoning in the area.

Natalie Leclerc, supervisor of lands and resources for Ta’an Kwäch’än, spoke on behalf of Chief Ruth Massie.

“The Ta’an are connected through our families, through our language and our shared Southern Tutchone, Tagish Kwan, and Tłingit culture and heritage,” said Leclerc. “One of the most significant places they share is Chasàn Chùa, also known as McIntyre Creek.”

The area has historically been a vital travel route, abundant with salmon and copper, she said.

“To this day, Yukon First Nations people continue to use this land for the traditional harvesting of medicines and berries,” she said.

Chief Sean Uyenets’echᶖa Smith of Kwanlin Dün First Nation recalled how walking the trails in the park helps him connect to the land.

“This is a special place that we want to continue to honour and ensure is there for future generations,” said Smith.

Chasàn Chùa means “copper creek” in Southern Tutchone. For Smith, that speaks to the history of First Nations on this land.

“Copper became very valuable material for us to learn how to use, how to work it, how to fire it, how to make it malleable and turning into tools that we needed to survive and thrive on the land,” he said.

Whitehorse Mayor Kirk Cameron said the city is now bookended by Chasàn Chùa and Chadburn Lake.

“We can now feel that that conversation about development isn’t now threatening something that’s incredibly important to ourselves and our future,” Cameron said.

“It takes away some of that feeling of vulnerability that I think has been around for decades now about what’s going to happen with our park here.”

The establishment of the new territorial park comes with a prohibition on any future mineral staking within the park’s boundaries — and all claims within the park held by Gladiator Metals and H. Coyne and Sons Ltd. are in the process of being relinquished, per Nils Clarke, the territorial environment minister. New quartz mineral claims have not been permitted in the park since 2023, after changes were made to the Quartz Mining Act.

Next steps for Chasàn Chùa include developing a long-term management plan, said Clarke. While there may be development within the park — Clarke gave examples such as a trail network, or signage — a park committee will be struck soon to determine appropriate land use within the park.

Gladiator Metals has proposed an exploration project within Whitehorse, citing a potential multi-billion dollar source of copper embedded beneath the city. A comparison of the maps presented to the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board (YESAB) by Gladiator and of the park show that Gladiator’s proposed exploration sites mostly, if not completely, fall outside the boundaries of the park.

Regardless of whether those exploration projects turn into mines, Smith said development needs to be done in a way that ensures First Nations interests are protected.

“Those are important things for us as Kwanlin Dün First Nation and our council that we want to see within this process and how we develop the Yukon,” he said.

Smith also noted that Kwanlin Dün and Ta’an Kwäch’än are some of the largest landowners in Whitehorse.

“I think we’re actively doing work in terms of building that out and creating opportunities for long term leasing, and those kind of opportunities for homes to go up and Whitehorse to grow in a way that reflects us too,” he said.

The park was offered tobacco by officials as part of a ceremony led by Smith.

“We’re doing this with with all good intentions of what we want to see, what we want our children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren to see within this special place that we call home,” he said.