Oil and Gas

A sustainable oil and gas industry is grounded in responsible stewardship of the land and water. It should ensure that development leaves a minimal footprint while contributing significantly to the Region’s economic prosperity. The oil and gas industry includes both the exploration and extraction of oil and gas. Under the Oil and Gas Act (RSY 2002, c.162), oil refers to crude oil and other similar substances that can be recovered from surface or subsurface deposits such as oil sand and bitumen. Gas refers to natural gas and any other substances that may be produced alongside natural gas, except oil.

The Region overlaps with the Kandik and Eagle Plains basins. Geological studies suggest that these basins both contain some of the largest untouched oil and gas reserves in the Yukon, though they are small compared to Alaskan deposits. As of 2025, there are no active exploration or extraction activities in the Region. Extracting oil and gas within the Region is difficult due to several factors, including the remoteness of the reserves and the lack of an existing pipeline. Directions for all values and economic activities should be read alongside the Stewardship Directions for Oil and Gas, because of the interconnections between values and activities.

Key Planning Issues
  • Areas with oil and gas potential often overlap with sensitive ecosystems and areas of high environmental and cultural value.
  • Oil and gas activities could increase the strain on existing infrastructure.
  • Exploration determines the feasibility of extracting oil and gas reserves and can leave a large footprint, even if development does not occur.
  • Oil and gas development is incompatible with the realities of climate change, especially when the oil and gas produced are unlikely to be used locally.
Stewardship Directions
  1. Conduct oil and gas exploration and development activities in a manner consistent with the precautionary principle and sustainable development.
Governance Recommendations
  • Projections indicate further oil and gas development would significantly increase the size of the Eagle Plains community, straining resources in Dawson City. When considering any proposal for oil and gas exploration or development, require infrastructure, community, and safety planning, and require local employment.
  • If oil and gas deposits in the Region are proven viable, additional pipelines would be required (likely the completion of the Alaska Highway or Mackenzie Valley pipeline). Before considering or approving oil and gas development, carry out research and analysis to gain a thorough understanding of how these pipelines would be created and managed, and how the ecological, cultural, and societal impacts would be managed.
Knowledge Gaps

  • The feasibility of transporting oil and gas from these remote reserves using new or existing pipelines is unknown. Before proposing projects, explore this feasibility and its potential impacts.

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Dawson Regional Planning Commission

Whitehorse Office                                                          

302-309 Strickland Street
Whitehorse, Yukon, Y1A 2J9 

Phone: 867-667-7397 ext. 4