• Anxiety grows as Yukon Health Minister moves to crack down on tents outside shelter

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-29 17:02:35.0
  Tags: [National, Housing, Social Services, Public Safety]

  Yukon Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers has announced steps to crack down on tents set up outside the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter, citing concerns over illicit drug dealing. The territory is coordinating actions with shelter management, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Fire Marshal’s Office, and bylaw services. The crackdown unfolds amid soaring living costs in Whitehorse, where the latest inflation rate stands at 6.1 per cent and the living wage has risen to $32.43 per hour for a single-person household, while the shelter operates at 64 per cent capacity.

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• Yukon minister directing ‘crackdown’ of tents outside Whitehorse shelter, but won’t say how

  Source: Territories - Northern Affairs (Yukon, NWT, Nunavut)
  Date: 2026-10-27 15:44:59.0
  Tags: [National, Housing, Social Services, Public Safety, Governance]

  Yukon Health and Social Services Minister Brad Cathers stated in the Yukon Legislative Assembly that he has directed his department to crack down on tents outside the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter at 405 Alexander St. The minister stated he instructed his department to collaborate with the Department of Justice, the Department of Highways and Public Works, the RCMP, and the City of Whitehorse bylaw services to remove the encampments. Liberal Party Leader and Vuntut Gwitchin MLA Debra-Leigh Reti criticized the lack of operational clarity regarding the plan and called for a dedicated task force to assess the needs of individuals outside the shelter. The announcement coincides with ongoing legislative debate surrounding proposed amendments to the Residential Tenancies Act and the elimination of rent control in the Yukon.

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