Things are already becoming complicated for homeowners preparing for the spring and summer flooding seasons.

The Yukon Party suggested Wednesday that bureaucracy is getting in the way for people wanting to shore up their properties in advance of any flooding.

Brad Cathers, the Yukon Party MLA for Lake Laberge, pressed the government on what homeowners are supposed to do.

“With the high snow levels, many Yukoners who own property affected by flooding last year are thinking about what needs to be done this year,” he noted.

“Many want to get to work on their properties to prepare for the possibility of another flood this summer.

“For some, that means reconstructing slopes with stone or rip-rap, building up breakwaters, or constructing concrete or rock walls. But what many are being told is that they need to get permits from government before doing any of this work.”

In many cases, he pointed out, “this means they need to go through YESAB (Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board), which some have been told could take months.

“What is the government doing to ensure bureaucratic red tape is not getting in the way of Yukoners trying to protect their property from the potential of flood damage this summer?”

Energy, Mines and Resources Minister John Streicker fielded that question rather than Richard Mostyn, the minister of Community Services, who is in charge of flooding preparation.

The lead agency on the flood response is the Emergency Measures Organization, which is part of Community Services, he said.

It’s also working closely with the water resources branch from the Department of Environment, and the lands branch under EMR.

“So, there are a few ways in which we’re working to try to expedite permitting,” Streicker said.

The first one is that we put a call out to contractors to get them pre-approved, and there was a YESAB application that we were able to use from — I believe it was — 2016, which had already done the environmental assessment along many of the waterfronts.”

Officials have, he added, “talked at a couple of community flood meetings to discuss with residents what they could do with the department — with the lands branch.

“We got a licence of occupation, which is normally required — we got that waived — the branch did. I thank them for that work, and they did that in consultation with First Nations. They’re working with all other applicants.”

Streicker continued with a long and somewhat confusing answer to Cathers.

“If they can work off of their property, they’re able to do the work, but if they have to work, there are several ways in which the branch is working to try to facilitate and support residents.”

Cathers was far from satisfied.

“Yukoners who have been reaching out to government about this have been told that the government identified two specific contractors who are able to do this kind of work and do not need to go through YESAB — but that is only in certain areas, not everywhere,” he said.

“This also means property owners who have the ability to do the work themselves are not allowed to and instead will face a several month wait time to go through assessment and permitting” Cathers added.

“This doesn’t make sense to Yukoners who are looking to take action to protect their property at their own cost and through their own initiative.

“Will the government consider undertaking a blanket YESAB assessment to allow Yukon property owners to undertake reasonable flood mitigation measures on and around their properties this summer?”

Streicker reiterated his previous answer.

“The work that is being done was to try to facilitate for residents to be able to do the work as quickly as possible, while also being environmentally responsible.”

Longer-term work is proceeding, he added.

“I know Yukon Housing Corporation is doing work around repairs to homes. I know that the Emergency Measures Office is doing work to look at various flood mitigation options through engineering plans that have been underway over the fall and up to now.

“That work — once there has been conversation with communities about which options they prefer, we will then go back and look to see how we can help facilitate the YESAB work.”

There are still requirements to be fulfilled, Streicker pointed out.

“I just encourage everybody, if they have not been at those several flood meetings that have happened, to reach out to the lands branch.

“We have folks there who are navigating residents through that process to advise them of the best approach right now.”

Afterward, Streicker told reporters that in some cases, the application process could take months, perhaps as long as into August.

He said the Yukon government doesn’t have the freedom to “take shortcuts” on legislation that it did in 2021 after a state of emergency was declared due to the flooding.

The government “has to follow the law and the process,” he told reporters, adding he doesn’t see a convenient way around it.

Cathers also spoke to reporters – and blamed the government for not communicating officially with affected residents.

He clung to that position, even when he was asked by a reporter why homeowners couldn’t have started the process months ago, when it was obvious the past winter’s abundant snowfall would likely cause problems again.

While he agreed the applications could have started then, Cathers said he believed most Yukoners are relying on the government to help them handle the situation – and that didn’t happen in a timely fashion.