ADVOCACY UPDATE TO MEMBERSHIP
November 25, 2025
The past several months have been highly productive for the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, with meaningful progress across municipal, territorial, and federal advocacy. This update highlights key developments aligned with the Chamber’s four priority areas: workforce development, reducing business costs and red tape, safety and community well-being, and fair procurement.
MUNICIPAL ADVOCACY
At the municipal level, the Chamber continues to advance member concerns related to permitting, parking, housing, building-code consistency, and downtown safety—areas essential to creating a predictable, business-friendly environment. The Chamber submitted formal feedback to the City of Whitehorse’s Economic Development Strategy and is coordinating a joint engagement session to gather additional perspectives from the business community.
Through participation in the Community Safety & Well-Being Advisory Committee, the Downtown Commons Needs Assessment, and the Wayfinding Working Group, the Chamber ensures that business perspectives inform decisions shaping downtown vibrancy, public safety, and placemaking. Regular meetings with the Mayor and Council remain important for advancing improvements to regulatory processes and service delivery.
TERRITORIAL ADVOCACY
Workforce development remains the most urgent challenge across Yukon. To support coordinated, long-term solutions, the Chamber has established a Workforce and Development Committee, which will bring together employers and training partners to identify short-, medium-, and long-term actions that strengthen both local and national talent pathways. This work will also examine opportunities to improve access to immigration and labour-mobility mechanisms that reflect northern labour market realities. These priorities continue to guide the Chamber’s engagement with the Government of Yukon following the 2025 territorial election.
Business costs and regulatory pressures also remain central concerns. The Chamber continues to advocate for practical, transparent implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), emphasizing the need for cost clarity, clear communication, and meaningful consultation. The Chamber also continues to encourage the development of a Red Tape Reduction Strategy to review existing regulations and ensure new frameworks do not create unintended administrative burdens.
A major advocacy win this year was the Government of Yukon’s decision to retain the $10-million Regional Economic Development Exemption, which had been under consideration for removal through internal trade alignment discussions. The Chamber underscored the importance of preserving this mechanism to ensure Yukon businesses can compete fairly for territorial contracts. Retaining the exemption helps maintain local competitiveness and strengthens Yukon’s economic base.
TERRITORIAL ELECTION ENGAGEMENT
During the 2025 Territorial Election, the Chamber co-hosted the Territorial Leaders Debate with the St. Elias Chamber of Commerce, Dawson City Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Industry Association of Yukon (TIA Yukon), and the Yukon Chamber of Mines. The debate provided a non-partisan platform for party leaders to address business priorities including workforce shortages, safety, regulatory efficiency, and rising costs. The Chamber also shared a non-partisan business priorities letter with all political parties, which now guides ongoing engagement with the new government.
COLLABORATION ACROSS YUKON
Collaboration remains vital to effective advocacy. The newly formalized Coalition of Yukon Chambers—uniting the Whitehorse Chamber, St. Elias Chamber, Dawson City Chamber, and the Yukon First Nations Chamber of Commerce—provides a unified platform to align territorial priorities, coordinate advocacy, and ensure consistent messaging across Yukon’s business community.
FEDERAL ENGAGEMENT
At the federal level, the Chamber continues to advance Yukon’s interests in discussions related to workforce development, labour mobility, trade resilience, and federal regulatory and tariff decisions. Engagement with federal officials has focused on supporting workforce pathways, helping businesses navigate shifting trade dynamics, and addressing cost pressures.
The Chamber also participated in the Canadian Chamber of Commerce AGM and Executive Council meetings, contributing to national policy dialogue and strengthening relationships with chambers across the country. These engagements provided a platform to highlight Arctic Summit 2026, hosted in partnership with the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce and the Canadian Institute of Arctic Security. The Summit will convene leaders from across Canada’s North, Alaska, and the circumpolar region to advance collaboration on sovereignty, infrastructure, critical minerals, security, and northern-led investment—positioning Yukon at the centre of national and international Arctic economic discussions.
The Chamber also raised early concerns about the recent U.S. de minimis exemption decision—which affects the duty-free threshold for goods entering the United States and has already begun impacting Yukon retailers through lost sales and supply-chain pressures. Engagement with federal partners and the Government of Yukon continues as mitigation strategies are explored.
ECOSYSTEM PARTNERSHIPS & BUSINESS INSIGHT
The Chamber maintains strong relationships with Yukonstruct, Yukon Venture Angels, Tech Yukon, Yukon University Innovation & Entrepreneurship & Association franco-yukonnaise (AFY) to ensure alignment across the entrepreneurial ecosystem and to better understand emerging business trends. These partnerships help the Chamber strengthen support for both new and established entrepreneurs and ensure that advocacy positions reflect the broader realities facing Yukon’s business community.
LOOKING AHEAD
Across all levels of government and collaboration, the Chamber remains focused on addressing workforce shortages, reducing costs and regulatory barriers, improving safety, and strengthening local competitiveness. The Chamber will continue to advance these priorities and ensure that the business community’s voice remains central in policy development and decision-making.
Thank you to all members who continue to share their insights and experiences. Your input strengthens our advocacy and supports a more resilient, competitive, and prosperous Yukon economy.