Among the many things the territorial government and the Yukon Party can’t agree on is policing priorities.

On Wednesday, the official Opposition released its latest take on crime and punishment in Whitehorse, in the wake of a spree of commercial property crimes in July.

“Yukoners have seen a wave of property crime, theft, and vandalism that have hit private residences, and many small businesses,” the party said in a statement.

“Recognizing the impact of these concerning trends, the Yukon Party has been calling for the minister of Justice (Tracy-Anne McPhee) to consult with the business community about the annual policing priorities, which the minister has refused to do. Adding property crime and downtown safety to the list of policing priorities would  send a clear message that the Yukon government has heard the concerns of residents and businesses in the downtown area, as well as concerns raised by tourism businesses that rely on visitors to the Yukon having a positive experience downtown.”

Justice critic Brad Cathers added, “We are seeing the effects of a Liberal government that has not properly resourced the Yukon RCMP for many years.

“The government has finally started to provide more resources, but there is a long way to go to make up for the years of neglect by the Liberal government. Listing property crime as one of the Yukon’s policing priorities is another necessary step.

“Resources provided to the RCMP by the Liberals have not kept up with the Yukon’s population growth and organized crime, and Yukoners are paying the price,” Cathers said.

During the summer of 2022, the RCMP released a report concluding five organized crime rings operate in the territory, with most members rotating in and out of the territory.

Last month, The Yukon Star profiled a number of downtown businesses that had had their premises damaged and robbed by intruders.

“We have heard from visitors to the Yukon, as well as businesses that rely on visitors, that tourists often feel unsafe in the downtown core of Whitehorse,” said Geraldine Van Bibber, the Yukon Party’s economic  development and tourism critic.

“These reports, combined with the raft of business break-ins and vandalism that many downtown businesses have experienced, all point to a problem that the Liberal government needs to take seriously,” Van Bibber said. 

“Finding a solution starts with admitting that there is a problem, and the annual policing priorities would be a helpful step in doing that.” 

The RCMP advised the Star this morning that no arrests have been made in connection with July’s spate of business break-ins.

Jordan Owens, who directs the cabinet communications team, told the Star “the Yukon Party’s recommendation that policing priorities be focused solely on the needs of one neighbourhood in the city of Whitehorse ignores the voices of most Yukoners.

“The Yukon Liberal caucus does not believe that the needs of Yukoners living in rural and remote communities should be ignored.”

The government has implemented the Downtown Whitehorse Safety Response Action Plan, Owens noted. 

Through the plan, it recruited private security services to support local businesses downtown and is exploring options to manage safety concerns at the Whitehorse Emergency Centre, she added.

It has also provided funding to the CYFN-led Moccasin Mobile Outreach Initiative, is partnering with Yukon organizations to decentralize services in the downtown core to discourage congregation.

“We saw the Yukon Party vote against spending over $41 million to the RCMP – a $4.8-million increase that supports core policing costs and critical operations needs,” Owens said, referring to the spring vote in the legislature on the 2024-25 fiscal year budget.

“They also voted against spending over $1.7 million for community safety officer programs, and $10,000 to the Crime Stoppers Yukon Community Association.”

 “If the Yukon Party truly believed that more needs to be done to address property crime in downtown Whitehorse, they would have voted to support the front-line police officers who do the work of responding to these crimes,” Owens said. The government and official Opposition disagree on how to manage the problem.