Mr. Brad Cathers

Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources

Government House Leader

Dear Mr. Cathers,

I am writing to accept your invitation to participate in the Select Committee Regarding the Risks and Benefits of Hydraulic Fracturing.

The decision by the Government of Yukon to create this committee places a de facto moratorium on the practice of fracking in the Yukon.  It would be inexcusable for your government to permit the activity until the committee has completed its work and its recommendations have been implemented.  Your government should make that commitment publicly or the work of the committee will be pointless.

The decision to create the committee is an admission by the Government of Yukon that current regulatory mechanisms are not sufficient to address the issue of fracking.  This contradicts the long held view of the Yukon Party government that no public discussions or regulatory changes were needed.  A properly planned oil and gas industry would have seen this discussion take place several years ago. Your government’s intention, however, to finally do the right thing and engage the public in this debate is encouraging.

Finally, in order to demonstrate that it has a free hand, the terms of reference for the committee must be set by the members of the committee itself and not the government.

Thank you for the invitation to participate as a member of this select committee.

Sincerely,

Sandy Silver

MLA, Klondike