City councillors are trying to stave off another controversial topic, but it’s unclear how much success they are going to enjoy.

During Monday evening’s first committee meeting of the year, council members were confronted yet again with citizens opposed to Gladiator Metals Inc. exploring for copper deposits within city limits.

The city confirmed earlier Monday that it has granted the company permits to work within the Copper Belt region in the west end of town.

According to O’Shea Jephson, a spokesperson for the city, “Following a technical review of a development permit application from Gladiator Metals, the city has issued a temporary development permit to allow exploration in the city limits.”

The permit is valid until Nov. 13, 2024, Jephson said.

He explained the site is 29.8 hectares in size, and there will be 16 drill holes.

“The site is designated industrial in the Official Community Plan (OCP) and zoned a combination of Future Planning, Quarries and Heavy Industrial,” he stated in an email to the Star.

Jephson said the city had little choice about issuing the permit.

“Where an application meets the requirements of the Zoning Bylaw, the city must issue a development permit,” he explained.

Skeeter Wright appeared on behalf of the McLean Lake Residents Association with a brief presentation.

Affected residents are asking for amendments to the city’s official plans pertaining to the mining clauses.

He told the council the group is continuing its opposition.

Wright said there are questions of the “reasonableness of allowing mining within the city.”

Unlike the previous time the group made a delegation to the council, this time, councillors had questions.

“This is a very sensitive issue,” said Coun. Kirk Cameron.

“Mr. Wright, can you give us a sense of what would be the appropriate outcome for this moving forward?”

Wright said he’d like to see the city’s OCP exclude mining within the city limits.

“That’s the crux of our request,” he told Cameron, who continued to press the issue with him.

Cameron asked him why the city should now exclude mining, when it was still active in Whitehorse as recently as the 1970s.

Wright said “there has been a rather substantial expansion of residential neighbourhoods” since that time.

His neighbourhood was not recognized as an official neighborhood at the time, he continued, but is now.

As well, Mount Sima was also not as developed then as it is now, Wright added.

“It was just a hill over there. At the time it was no big thing. Many of us even worked there, but it was way over there, where the residential neighbourhoods were way over here.

“That’s no longer the case,” Wright added.

“There’s been massive changes in the residential areas.”

Mayor Laura Cabott asked Wright if he knew when the request for amendments was scheduled to appear.

Wright appeared to be puzzled by the question, saying it was up to the city to schedule when the request would appear.

It should be back before council on Jan. 22, according to city staff.

Later in the meeting, Cameron asked city staff to clarify what authority Whitehorse might have to deny such an application for mining exploration.

“I think we need some clarity how the city fits within the overall planning of mining with the city limits,” Cameron said. “Do we have any jurisdiction at all to say no to mining?”

He was told there basically is no power to do so if the application meets the conditions of the existing regulations established by both levels of government.

The city does have some power to regulate such requests, with tools provided within the Municipal Act.

The city can put some conditions and oversight on such applications, though.

The Yukon government will also be active on the site, Cameron was told.

Coun. Ted Laking also weighed in, citing a section of the development bylaws that doesn’t allow the city “much discretion” to refuse an application.