Photo: CKRW file.
WHITEHORSE, YT – Since March of 2023, the Yukon Government has been soliciting opinions and comments from Dawson and West Dawson residents in a bid to better understand the effectiveness of the George Black Ferry and the seasonal ice bridge across the Yukon River.
The results of the public engagement sessions indicate that many residents of Dawson City and West Dawson have a strong interest in the construction of a bridge or a fixed link that can replace the aging ferry service and the increasingly unreliable ice bridge. However, there are concerns about the environmental impact of a new solution, as well as concerns about the effect the increase of traffic could have on the micro-culture of West Dawson and to culturally sensitive areas important to the Trʼondëk Hwëchʼin First Nation.
Most of the respondents to the engagement sessions indicated that year round access to a river crossing is important to them, and many West Dawson residents voiced their concerns about retaining priority access to the crossing if a new solution is implemented. There is also support within the community for maintaining and improving the current solution, with long wait times in the ferry line up identified as something that needs addressing if the ferry service will continue. The possibility of West Dawson residents taking on the responsibility of ice bridge construction was also suggested by some respondents as a way to save on construction costs.
The Yukon Government says it will continue to engage with residents and stakeholders of the river crossing as it works to determine the best path forward, and the feedback it’s received so far will help guide future engagement and project specific discussions.
