First Nation considers shared responsibility with municipality

Former Champagne and Aisihihik chief Paul Birckel remembers a time when cooperation between the First Nation and the Village of Haines Junction was complicated. 

Birckel said back in the 1980s, graders from the Village of Haines Junction would plow the town's roads, but when they reached First Nation's land they would lift the blades. Once they were back on the town's roads, the blades would come down and plowing would continue.

Now both the village and the First Nation want to look at possible changes to the municipal boundaries to make cooperation between the governments easier. The new boundaries would include the First Nations settlement land near the village.

Steve Smith, the chief of the Champagne and Aisihihik First Nations, said one of its mandates is good governance and bringing people together.

"In regards to any future planning and as well as municipal services, we currently have almost two complete infrastructures or equipment that does basically the same job as the municipality," Smith said. "And it is just about maybe hoping to streamline some of those services in the future."

First Nation would get vote

Smith said Champagne and Aisihihik citizens live outside the Haines Junction municipal boundaries on settlement land. That means they can't vote in a municipal election. They also can't run for the village council. Extending the boundaries would change that as well.

He said the First Nations want to get more involved, allowing people to have a say in the direction of the community in which they live.

"Champagne and Aisihihik citizens pay portions to the municipal grants we also pay property taxes, not directly to the municipality, but certainly to the government in regard to all the development we have from all the residences," Smith said.

Cathy Clarke, the chief administrative officer of the Village of Haines Junction, agreed that there is a duplication of services.

She said it would make logical sense to work together.

"So whether it is snow-plowing whether it is dog catching. I mean there could be a number of different things," said Clarke

"You will find in certain circumstances, I am using the blade more as a metaphor in that you will see somebody lift the blade because that's not their property," Clarke said.

 "We do certain roads and they do certain roads. So if you have someone out on one of the roads and one of our roads are right next to it, then we would just kind of continue as opposed to stopping," Clarke said.

'It's the start of something new'

Susan Smith is the village's deputy mayor.

"We would like to see more partnerships between Champagne Aisihihik First Nations and the Village of Haines Junction and to be able to do that through the community would completely benefit the community as a whole," Smith said. "Champagne Aisihihik and the village currently share water and sewer infrastructure"

Susan Smith said the two governments have a good working relationship and this is an opportunity to build on that.

"It's the start of something new," she said. 

Chief Steve Smith hopes the First Nations, the municipality and the Yukon government can have a solid plan for the change in place by the summer. 

"We are going to form a small working group, work through each of the areas and make sure we are not leaving any stone unturned, and hopefully, we should have something sort of mapped out by early to mid-summer. However, you know the Prime Minister thought we would take six weeks to do the Yukon land Claim. Not to say its that bad but you never know what will happen," he said.

Municipal elections are slated for October of this year. Chief Smith said First Nation members voting would be a key step in moving the new relationship forward.