Whitehorse Daily Star

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Yukon population tops 42,000

The territory’s population was 42,052 as of July 1, compared to the revised figure of 41,477 as of July 1, 2019.

By Whitehorse Star on October 9, 2020

The territory’s population was 42,052 as of July 1, compared to the revised figure of 41,477 as of July 1, 2019.

This represents an annual population increase of 575, or 1.4 per cent, the Yukon Bureau of Statistics reported late last month.

The population increase of 575 consisted of: 233 in natural increase (483 births and 250 deaths); 219 in net interprovincial migration (1,498 in-migrants and 1,279 out-migrants); and 123 in net international migration (336 immigrants, 18 emigrants, 0 returning emigrants, 20 net temporary emigrants and -175 net non-permanent residents).

The Yukon’s population growth rate of 1.4 per cent in 2020 was 0.3 percentage points higher than the national average (1.1 per cent).

The territory’s growth rate ranked the third-highest among other jurisdictions following Nunavut (1.9 per cent) and Prince Edward Island (1.5 per cent).

Comments (31)

Up 1 Down 0

Harun Bapari on Jul 23, 2021 at 2:21 am

I love Yukon a little more. I have high hopes in my mind I would go there. If i could get a visa I would go for my work.

Up 8 Down 8

Woodcutter on Oct 16, 2020 at 12:57 pm

@ Nathan - how about you leave law enforcement to the professionals and you stay home and mind your own business? Thinking more doesn't seem to work well for you.

Up 3 Down 10

Nathan Living on Oct 15, 2020 at 5:49 pm

Maybe we can get a militia started here to walk our streets and clean things up a little.
No one seems to care and we need a well intended effort dealing with minor crimes that the police cannot seem to bother with.
We could deputize these people so they can detain people. And I am not just talking about alcohol and drug offenses, these fine militia people could also enforce driving offenses.

The more I think about this the more plausible it seems.

Up 23 Down 9

Woodcutter on Oct 15, 2020 at 8:48 am

All these "problems" have been here for as long as I remember, and that goes back to 86. This is nothing new. If you don't like it here in the sh*t hole, move away and find a happy place for yourself. Don't stay and feed poison into the world and yourself and especially your community. No one is forcing you to stay here, this is Canada.
Thank you all you new arrivals, your addition to the cultural fabric is pleasant and much needed in this little back water town.

Where I grew up as a kid, there was an annual multi cultural festival that lasted for a week. I think we should have this here one day, esp for the food.

Up 9 Down 7

Woodcutter on Oct 15, 2020 at 8:33 am

@wilf did you tell the premier how stupid he is ? hat Yukon transfers money to B.C. for the fees that Yukon residents incur? Did you tell him when British Columbia resident utilizes Yukon hospital, the fee is transferred the other way ? Did you know that B.C. liberals are actually conservatives that fled the party in the days of Van Der Zam?

Up 22 Down 2

Jake The Bosun on Oct 15, 2020 at 7:00 am

I seem to recall that almost 15 years ago in an article Jim Robb wrote he said;
"The Yukon has become a Government-run, gentrified, play-ground for yuppies." He has been witness to changes here since the 50's and is a pretty smart fellow.
I have only been here since the 70's and know it was a better place in past, but times change and populations grow. What is not good is our growing tendency to attack every unpopular decision Government makes. There is another side to this though, more than one of every two jobs here are in Yukon are Government jobs. With so much per-capita Government involvement in our lives any inefficiency or short-sighted foolishness is apparent. When stresses come it's human nature to object.

Up 23 Down 8

Chuck Farley on Oct 14, 2020 at 5:57 pm

Charles Bronson; put the koolaid down; look around you - the immigration is a result of demand to work in the domestic/ box store/ restaurants/timmies, staples, janitorial. The bad asses you speak of have been here for years, nice try.

Up 30 Down 3

My Opinion on Oct 14, 2020 at 5:47 pm

Yukon Honda ROBBED 4 times in 2 weeks. Nice place EH? Drug problems out of hand. Revolving door is spinning like a top.

Up 34 Down 8

Crunch on Oct 14, 2020 at 5:11 pm

I don't think we've seen anything yet. Whitehorse will become a cesspool of destitute people. When the clamps come on in the south the lure of our easy money and the "anything goes" liberal attitude will be packing them in. Too bad really, Whitehorse used to be a town that had something going for it.

Up 16 Down 12

Anue on Oct 14, 2020 at 4:25 pm

Charles Bronson, you seriously believe that everything wrong with the Yukon is due to the federal immigration policy. There's just no room for discussion with assumptions like that. I really do hope your life improves.

Up 31 Down 25

Charles Bronson on Oct 14, 2020 at 11:37 am

Hey Anie, What is so sad? It wasn't me who gave Whitehorse the title of "sh*thole of the north' it was the result of politicians (that I didn't vote in) and their f*cked up immigration laws. Don't be sad for me...be sad for the future of this sh!thole. As for constructive criticism, government needs to just stop with these immigration policies. We already have enough criminals here.

Up 37 Down 3

Gringo on Oct 13, 2020 at 8:52 pm

Forget this article....why is the “increase in our energy bills” going up again so some yuppie can live in Whistle Bend with electric green heat?

Up 43 Down 29

Anie on Oct 13, 2020 at 12:16 pm

I don't understand the people who live here and call it things like "sh*thole of the north" but don't seem to come up with constructive suggestions. The world is huge, lots of choices, so it shouldn't be that hard to find a place that suits you. Life is short, so why on earth spend it in a place you despise? That's just so sad.

Up 71 Down 7

justsayin' on Oct 13, 2020 at 11:15 am

How much of the population has been imported for government based work?

Up 56 Down 38

Charles Bronson on Oct 13, 2020 at 11:02 am

It's great that our population is increasing...with drug dealers, rapists, thieves. Unfortunately we have opened our doors to everyone and are now feeling the negative affects of our pathetic immigration policies. Oh, and by the way Groucho, there are plenty of Yukoners leaving for the same reasons. Whitehorse is better known as the 'Shithole of the North".

Up 24 Down 18

Mick on Oct 13, 2020 at 10:12 am

@ Harcharan Singh Bassan
Lots of work in the trades here. Start with the larger outfits. Arcrite, Dynamic Systems. Housing is expensive though. Working in the mines may be an option too.

Up 48 Down 21

Nathan Living on Oct 12, 2020 at 4:03 pm

Are Dawson and the Junction still nice places to live?
If someone asked me about Whitehorse I would say it's changed and is a terrible place to live now and heading downwards pretty fast.
It's kinda like a mixture of Vancouvers downtown Eastside and Toronto. A great place maybe if you want a free meal and to be undisturbed as you openly drink and do drugs and loiter and watch the world go by.

As long as you keep walking fast and ignore what's going on you can get by though. But try not to cross some city streets because our drivers are shall we say, a little too aggressive. And stay off the trails if you enjoy a quiet walk.
Do not read the papers and how our court system practices a catch and release program with violent people treated like they are innocent victims for it may upset you.
We do not pay much in city taxes and our city parks are great if you watch out for the odd needle.

Have to go now and participate in another city of Whitehorse survey.

Up 40 Down 9

Groucho d'North on Oct 12, 2020 at 8:09 am

Crime and growth in deadly gang violence are two of the primary motivations for people in the lower mainland to seek new homes elsewhere.

Up 20 Down 23

Harcharan Singh Bassan on Oct 11, 2020 at 2:28 pm

How easily can an electrician get hired in Yukon?

Up 23 Down 28

Nathan Living on Oct 11, 2020 at 12:05 am

An increased tax base, petty soon we will not need those transfer payments.

Up 37 Down 55

Yukoner42 on Oct 10, 2020 at 9:54 pm

@Warren
It's an inconvenient fact for a lot of people, but building up Whitehorse is better for the environment then building up communities outside. For instance, think of all the extra fossil fuels burned to get supplies to Dawson, Mayo, Old Crow especially being a fly in place. Plus it means humans building out into more remote areas instead of concentrating them in Whitehorse.

On the same note, it makes more sense to build Whitehorse 'up' more than 'out'. You need a bunch of expanded infrastructure to keep building outwards and much less to build upwards (condos, offices etc). Too bad there are so many people who support these dumb limits on height within the city for aesthetic reasons and to keep to some historical feel I guess. We end up paying more as tax payers because of this. We need a City Council who will get rid of these outdated bylaws.

I expect that my comments will have angered a lot of people, so let the hate rain down upon me now. haha

Up 45 Down 14

Keith Frank on Oct 10, 2020 at 6:41 pm

I worked in the Yukon out of Dawson city on a gold mine on the Matson Creek. I like the Yukon it’s a great place to be.

Up 39 Down 51

Wilf Carter on Oct 10, 2020 at 3:51 pm

Yukoners I sat with the Premier of BC on a plane going to Vancouver from Whitehorse. The person next to me and I asked what do you think about Yukoners going to BC for health care and he stated we don't want people from Yukon using BC health care. When I went to BC I was supposed walk two blocks for an X ray but I could not walk with a broken hip. Yukoners let's face it, liberals and NDP don't give a ShT about us.

Up 33 Down 11

Tom Curry on Oct 10, 2020 at 3:00 pm

Wanted to stay there a month to visit and check it out there. However the virus policy stopped that. May not even bother now!

Up 35 Down 8

Oya on Oct 10, 2020 at 2:55 pm

@ Wilf - Did you do a study to know why all these people are moving here? Pure rhetoric, if not.

Up 26 Down 42

Simon on Oct 10, 2020 at 2:47 pm

Hemal, check on yuwin for a job and talk with the people hiring to invite you. According to the dislike on your message, it confirms my thought. Yukoners call themselves friendly, but in reality, most are hypocrites. Good luck.

Up 19 Down 73

Hemal Baraiya on Oct 10, 2020 at 8:59 am

How to get job invitation from Yukon to get migrated their and become PR holder?

Up 55 Down 35

Warren kells on Oct 10, 2020 at 8:51 am

It is sad that most of population lives in Whitehorse, I was in the Yukon in the 60 and 70s. Mines and small communities were booming. These fly in operations are not healthy or build community. The Yukon is the most beautiful place in Canada. Time to build community's all through the Yukon and make opportunity for all.

Up 41 Down 9

Jake The Bosun on Oct 10, 2020 at 8:19 am

This is good news! Or is it?
YTG just decided to do away with conventional doctors offices. I have been on hold for treatment of a heart condition because of a backlog due to COVID. More important, a family member has dropped from top of the list, to "between 20 and 30 th place for very serious surgery at BC Childrens and I see the BC Premier may have stated he doesn't want Yukon residents going to BC for medical treatment anymore? If there is any good news it was that they finally pay more than $75 /day to live in Vancouver while we wait.

Up 40 Down 16

Jack on Oct 10, 2020 at 1:16 am

Not long before more people than NWT!!

Up 40 Down 39

Wilf Carter on Oct 9, 2020 at 4:57 pm

These are very interesting numbers.
Yukoners moving back because of CV19
Yukoners getting laid off in Alberta because of the resource economy been killed.
People from BC buying homes here so if CV19 gets worse they have a place to go.
More seniors choosing to stay in Yukon.
Yukon is just a great place to live with great people.

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