On Wednesday July 2, Kwanlin Dün First Nation Chief Sean Smith made opening remarks to the Yukon Water Board’s Public Hearing on the Relicensing of the Whitehorse Dam.

This hearing marks the first time First Nations whose traditional territories surround the headwaters of the Yukon River have been asked about how the dam impacts them. The dam’s license was last renewed in the year 2000, and at that time, the renewal application consisted of a single form and the only submission – which totalled one paragraph in length – came from Carcross-Tagish First Nation.

Chief Smith told the Water Board that the status quo in terms of the dam’s operation is unacceptable.

“Last fall, routine maintenance operations conducted by Yukon Energy resulted in a dewatering event where several thousand fish were stranded and at least 750 were killed.  These events should be entirely preventable with appropriate and enforceable regulations.”

The Water Board hearing continued through the week of July 7.

On Wednesday July 9, the board heard from Marsh Lake residents who spoke about the 2021 floods, and told Yukon Energy that their approach to managing water levels needs to shift in order to meet the challenges of a changing climate. Kwanlin Dün First Nation followed up with a presentation that urged the Water Board to take a much longer view of things, and to consider the thousands of years of Indigenous stewardship of the land and water when making their decisions.

Kikchucks (Rae Mombourquette) spoke on behalf of the KDFN Community Advisory Committee on the dam. She said the Kwanlin Dün people remain connected to the river even though they have moved away – and they want to come back. She said this process offers an opportunity to reconnect what has been broken, and to bring the salmon back.

The KDFN team then showed a video compilation of interviews with KDFN Citizens and Elders, telling stories about the river and the dam and sharing their feelings on both. Heritage Manager Susan Heffner asked the interviewees what they would like the Water Board to know or consider before making a decision about the dam’s licence. Here are a few of their responses:

• Think about everything that’s connected to the water: the mountains, the ocean, fish, the trees, the bears and even the insects. If you destroy one, you destroy others as well.
• Integrate Indigenous knowledge and ways of knowing into the way the dam operates. We learned through thousands of generations what worked and what didn’t, make use of that learning.
• The river is unique and has its own personality. Consider what would need to change to treat it respectfully, as a living being.
• Know that the struggles in our communities are directly related to the breakdown of our education systems, our families, our culture. By flooding our fish camps and forcing us from our homes, the dam played a significant role in that breakdown. Consider these cumulative and lasting impacts on our families, because we still feel them today. Make space for change and reconciliation over time, so that policies can be put in place to help us re-invigorate our way of life.

Elder Pat Joe wrapped up the session for the day.

“I want you to hear us,” she said. “We’ve been talking to you for a long time, and the time for talking is over. I want to feed my grandchildren from the river. Listen to the fish, and let them come back. We are still here, and we are never going away.”

The Water Board is expected to make a decision on the water license application by the end of the month.

Published July, 2025.