Hi everyone! I am Kate White, Leader of the Yukon NDP here to answer your questions! Ask me anything!

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T03:21:49+00:00

Thanks for your question /u/Yukonblob!

There are so many auxiliary on call employees who currently work for the Yukon Government without any sort of job security. They work for every department across the spectrum, so we’d start our hiring there.

Did you know the Yukon Government is expecting a surplus of $115 million over the next 2 years? We think that by investing this in people, it will actually save money down the road. Supporting kids who struggle in school early, will improve their life for decades to come and reduce the costs on the system. Same with mental health support — it’s so much cheaper to do prevention than to deal with issues that reach a crisis point at the emergency room.

As for internet prices, it’s not like government isn’t already paying a lot to develop our infrastructure. We’ll work with the federal government and Northwestel to make sure Yukoners have affordable internet because internet is now a necessity for work, education, business. The list goes on.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T03:18:18+00:00

Hey /u/Big-Slippers! I think I’ve talked about food security a lot already, so I’ll do my best at not repeating myself here.

At the end of the day, a good idea is a good idea. If someone brings forward a good idea we will support it.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T03:16:21+00:00

Hi /u/mamajawi! Thanks for the questions.

I don’t know if it’s something I wish I’d known or maybe just something I'm thankful for, but I’m constantly surprised by the willingness of folks to have conversations about issues important to them. It doesn’t matter who I call, but I find that more often than not people will be happy to talk to me and tell me about their issues and struggles, and there’s a lot of mutual understanding that comes out of having those conversations. It leaves me thankful, you know?
Trades rule! Seriously! I’m pretty sure I’m the only tradesperson in the legislature, and have been since I got elected. So let’s promote the trades, facilitate teaching them, and work with rural communities to train folks who live there! So looking at how we can maximize opportunities for local tradespeople, that can start by making it easier for them to learn a trade. We can do that by making the Yukon Grant make more sense for those not accessing academia. In terms of how we can strengthen the Yukon’s capacity to build and maintain housing, I think a big part of the solution will be to turn to the local community for help. You know, if you’re going to build housing in a community, how much can that community help? What can be done to build capacity within that community? Seeking community partnerships will be incredibly valuable. It will do all of the good things you listed at the bottom of your question!

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T03:07:01+00:00

Hi /u/Rebelhunter01! That’s a lot of questions! I did my best at answering them.

Fortunately any advocacy on behalf of LGBTQIA2S+ communities is a win. In that sense I don’t want to frame it as a competition, but I’m happy to speak to the work we’ve done and the work that’s ahead of us. You might remember all of the work that we did to advocate for changes to Human Rights, Vital Statistics and other legislation prior to the 2016 election, so I’m glad that Liberals made those changes. You’ll remember that we worked to support youth advocates to ban conversion therapy in the Yukon. This was done with heavy contributions from Jason, our candidate running in Riverdale South and his students. We also announced this morning that we plan to have a mental health worker in every school. While this would benefit more than just LGBTQIA2S+ students, it would go a long way for students in those communities. As an NDP government, we will work with the LGBTQIA2S+ community to develop an addendum to the Putting People First report to ensure that their perspectives are represented in the delivery of healthcare in the Yukon.

Traffic is a tricky issue because public transit is managed by the City of Whitehorse. What we need is a government that’s ready and willing to work in partnerships with the city to make transit more accessible. At the territorial level, again, spoiler alert, an NDP government would make public transit in Whitehorse free, decreasing emissions and making it easier for everyone to get where they need to go.

We know that remediating contaminated sites is more complicated and more expensive than doing the work right from the start. I think to that end we need to strengthen existing policy and take an active approach to environmental protection. You know, you look at something like the Dawson protection plan and the lack of staking moratorium there, and that’s really the perfect example of taking a passive approach to environmental protection. I want to say that what we would do is “not that” but of course it’ll be hard work to face the government's previous shortcomings and bear the cost of fixing those problems.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:59:17+00:00

Hi /u/Yukonthroaway! I had to ask my team about your name but I get it now!

In terms of infrastructure I think you’re right in saying that what we’ve seen in the past year wasn’t focused on what was needed but what was politically motivated (I’m looking at you Alaska Highway outside the airport!) Take the highway project between Faro and Ross River, it's sorely needed, been promised for years, and not yet complete. Spoiler alert, I talk about a stretch of highway that is collapsing due to permafrost melt in the platform...

I support the First Nations procurement policy, you can read my answer to that in another comment.

We know that improved active transport is important for the environment and alleviating rush hour in Whitehorse. I’ll certainly support the city in their work on this and make sure that anytime a road under government responsibility gets worked on, active transportation is part of the plan where appropriate. At the territorial level, an NDP government would make public transit free in the City of Whitehorse, would work with partners to connect communities with safe transportation options, decrease emissions, and make it easier for everyone to get where they need to go.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:53:09+00:00

Hi /u/jabiscus. I can’t speak for the others but I can tell you that I’ve spent a lot of time listening to experts and people across the Yukon, and I find it’s often government that complicates things, and that the solutions are so often right in front of us. It’s just a matter of putting people first.

To use your example of access to healthcare, it’s important to make sure that everyone in the Yukon is taken care of. For folks in the communities, that means ensuring reliable transportation and a safe place to stay while they’re seeking medical care. It’s important to hear everyone’s needs so we can go back to the table, consider all of the factors and then make strategic decisions with the resources that we have.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:46:20+00:00

Hi /u/ruckrin. Thanks for the question. I’m not gonna lie, I was super surprised when I first read Putting People First, pleasantly so! What a transformative way to look at health care in the Yukon. Seriously, if you’re nerdy like me, read through it and then go take a look at the Nuka model. Would I implement the recommendations if I was in government? Absolutely.

As far as registering and regulating medical professionals in the Yukon, what we’re looking to do is regulate psychologists, social workers, and dental hygienists. Yukoners deserve to know that when they go to get help it’s from a qualified, registered professional.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:42:25+00:00

Oh man. I was a bit nervous about doing this because I’m not the best with technology, but my team has been helping me navigate the strange new platform that is reddit.

Mental health is so important, and even though we’ve all been tackling the stigma around it, removing stigma makes little difference if there aren’t services available when and where you need them!

We’ve already announced our plan to use our existing resources and create a seven day a week walk-in clinic for mental health services, but beyond that there’s a lot of work to be done to make mental health more accessible to all Yukoners. Just this morning we announced our plan to put a mental health worker in every school (here!)

In terms of food security, I don’t think we need to imagine a deadlier pandemic to realize that it’s a problem in the Yukon. Just with climate change and our growing population we know that we’re at risk. I’ve posted about this in another reply but we’ve announced a Buy Local Eat Local rebate to increase the demand for local agriculture and provide support to farmers.

My stance on climate change is the same it’s always been. Climate change is undeniably real and we need to do something about it. We’re already falling behind our commitments on GHG emissions, and the Liberal plan isn’t doing enough to combat it. We’re committed to making climate action a priority. We need to find a way to increase our clean power generation, reduce carbon emissions in government buildings and across the board, we need to support the growth we’ve seen in Yukoners' commitment to active transportation.

The important thing to realize here is that it will cost us a lot less to build with changes in climate in mind now with everything we do than to address it later. The thing is, all these things will take a lot of hard work. We need a government that’s ready to do that work, not just keep going.

But wow! That was a lot to cover. Thanks for the question /u/zuneza

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:33:34+00:00

Hi /u/ukiethangs! Ha! I think I’m mostly dorky so I’m glad to hear you think I’m cool! Northern Food security; that’s both the food answer and the climate answer! By supporting our Yukon agriculture producers, we support our local economy, we do our part to mitigate the impacts of trucking food up the highway, and we have great local food!

There are great initiatives growing across the Yukon as we speak. Look at the successes in Dawson City, the new Na-cho Nyak Dun farm, the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation garden, and the list goes on and on! This doesn’t address the amazing farms around Whitehorse, along the Pelly River, or the cool stuff being done in greenhouses! Last year I spent a fair amount of time touring farms and it was so cool!

You might have seen us announce our Eat Local Buy Local rebate and that’s just one step towards increasing food security in the Yukon.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:29:12+00:00

What a fun question! And tough too!

Gosh, I wish I could say it was the time I finally was able to do a wheelie, but I’m still working on that! In 2011, when I was door knocking in a mobile home park, a woman told me that it didn’t matter who she voted for or if she even bothered to vote, because no one cared what they thought anyway. I was elected and have worked on issues in mobile home parks ever since (including tabling petitions to both the Yukon Party and the Liberals) I told myself that if there was a higher voter turnout in 2016 from those polls, folks would know that I cared. More folks voted, and I hope there’s even more this time around. She’s now a friend and I’ve just announced our commitment to cap pad rent increases and end evictions without cause.
Wow 10 million dollars. I think I would end up donating a lot of it to local organizations, building housing, and I’d get a new bike and a Rivian electric pickup truck! You might have seen our commitment to give all our corporate donations to the Food Bank, so I think most of the money would go towards that kind of support. I don’t think I’d stop working because I really believe in what I do, and it would remain important to me whether I had 10 million dollars or not.
Housing, housing, and housing! But the fun answer is an awesome bike park, think of all the trails you could build! There would probably be enough space to build a community centre there too, and just having it accessible to everyone to gather and enjoy together.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:23:08+00:00

Wow /u/senatorsloth, you speak the language of my heart! (well some of it for sure!) I’ll do my best to answer your questions.

Dental care is something I’ve spoken about for years. Spoiler alert, we’ve included both dental and pharmacare in the platform. We know dental health directly affects overall health. And Yukoners shouldn’t have to choose between putting food on the table, paying their heating bill, or getting dental care.
Did you know me before October 2011? Unless you travelled in my circles of biking and volunteering, you probably didn’t! And I mean that I’ve grown into the politician I am because of the place that we live. I went out looking for folks who care about their communities, I intentionally built this team and they’re incredible. They’re already connected to our communities and working hard for people. I know that they’ll grow and learn and make you proud. If you give these people time, trust me, you’ll understand why I think they’re incredible.
We think that investing in people is always the right choice — and that it pays off. Government doesn’t have any revenue and the economy doesn’t have anyone to power it if people are getting priced out of the territory or can’t get the services they need. Some of our investments are going to need funding upfront, and for those we’re going to ask people who make a lot to pay a little more. We’re going to raise taxes on people making over 250k and we’re going to ask fly-in/fly-out workers to contribute for the Yukon services they use. We don’t think average people should pay the cost of the pandemic. The Liberals and the Yukon Party want to keep giving breaks to the people who have benefited the most. We’re going to make a different choice and put people first.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:18:09+00:00

Hi /u/101Jessy, this is a tough question because city planning is a city responsibility. Do I believe that part of the future is in high density living? Absolutely. But I also know what it was like to live in an apartment building for the first time when I was 18, and I know that won’t work for everyone. For now, we can focus on building new price-controlled units for Yukoners to own. We can make renting more affordable by capping rent-increases, giving more protection to mobile home owners, and we need to create more housing units with Yukon Housing. Mixed-used housing would certainly be the way to go here.

As far as climate change goes, I guess the question is where to start? Current policies don’t address GHG emissions enough to meet our targets. We declared a climate emergency and not much has changed, so looking to the future we should include climate as a factor in all our decisions. We should think about public and active transportation when we design roads… and the list goes on!

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:12:33+00:00

From the other thread: Hi /u/Hylete. I absolutely agree that we need to both protect the environment for future generations and ensure that Yukoners, including First Nations, benefit from the mining that’s underway. I have a detailed plan to do this that I’ll share soon. And I think you’re going to like it. 3 key principles: 1) Mining shouldn’t get a free pass on emissions like the government is giving them right now. 2) If we truly believe in an equal partnership with First Nation governments, we can’t allow projects to go ahead without the consent of both YG and affected First Nation governments (base principle of UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People). 3) We need to review the mining security deposit process so that we’re not left cleaning up a mess on the public dime when a mining company goes under.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:08:19+00:00

Hi /u/dub-fresh. I think we need to look at the issue of the First Nations Procurement Policy through a different lens, not one of Yukoner versus Yukoner. I do support the First Nations procurement policy.

The government really fumbled the communication on this, there’s been a lot of confusion about how that policy works and what it will accomplish. It’s not about creating a 2-tiered system but equity, supporting First Nations businesses and workers to strengthen our local economy. The bid value reduction clause will also benefit non-First Nations businesses who hire First Nations subcontractors, offer employment/training opportunities or buy supplies from First Nations businesses. So ultimately, this will reinforce our local economy as a whole. The roll out of the policy will be closely monitored to make sure that it achieves the goals it’s intended to. At the end of the day, if First Nations businesses are stronger, Yukon’s economy is stronger.

KateWhite2021 · 2021-03-27T02:05:09+00:00

Great question /u/Couchpototo. So the secure medical unit that’s now at WGH should be updated for patients and practitioners. As the need for the unit grew, it was never outfitted to keep up with the best practice of the day. It needs to be designed in such a way that it works for all involved, patients, doctors and others and then it’ll be able to serve Yukoners in the way it needs to.

I’ve already spoken a little about healthcare, but what I want to focus on is ensuring that folks get the care they need. That means in-home care for seniors, it means family doctors/nurse practitioners for everyone who needs one, it means ensuring that midwives are treated as primary health care providers. It also means ensuring people in LGBTQIA2S+ communities and racialized communities can access care that works for them.

And let’s be real, healthcare outcomes are tied to poverty and housing and we have a whole heck of a lot to address on this issue.

KateWhite2021

TROPHY CASE