WHITEHORSE –Liberal leader Sandy Silver says his party would take a different approach to energy planning and would start by setting policy direction to prioritize renewable energy sources and technology.

“This is a position I’ve been presenting in the legislature for the last number of years,” Silver said. “A Liberal government would promote energy policies for electricity, heat and transportation that primarily source future needs from conservation, efficiency and renewable technologies, such as small-hydro, wind, solar, and geothermal sources, positioning the territory as a renewable energy leader in Canada.”

Silver said a lack of planning has left Yukon no closer to a sustainable energy future.

“In recent years, as the Yukon continued to grow, the current government was faced with a decision to make on how to increase Yukon’s energy supply.  There were plenty of options, or there would have been, if the government had done any planning,” he said.  “Instead, they just did the same thing they did with our economy as a whole, they didn’t plan. As a result we are still no closer to a sustainable energy future.”

A second major policy directive or decision is to partner with Yukon First Nations on energy projects.

“If there is a hydro project to be built it will be done in partnership with the local first nation.  This respects our treaty obligations and also makes good business sense. It is the exact opposite approach of the current government, which has made decisions first and consulted first nations later. We all know where that brought us.”

John Streicker, Liberal candidate for Mt Lorne-Southern Lakes, said Yukon Liberals will work to find seasonal energy storage, again in partnership with First Nations.

“As an independent grid, what we really need to do is store the energy from the summer to use it in the winter when we really need it,” he said.  “This will make all future renewables more economically viable so we don’t turn back to fossil fuels.”

Streicker also announced a Yukon Liberal government will adjust the current Independent Power Production Policy to remove projects that use LNG from qualifying under the program.

“The decision to include LNG was a step in the wrong direction,” he said. 

Finally a Yukon Liberal government would also work with communities and utility companies to convert all street lighting to LED. 

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For more information please contact: 

Yukon Liberals HQ

668-4748