Yukon Government sign outside the Jim Smith Building in downtown Whitehorse. CKRW File Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke.
Whitehorse, YT – The entire board overseeing Yukon’s planned health authority has resigned, saying it can no longer do its job after the territorial government halted its work.
In a statement, the Shäw Kwä’ą board says it stepped down Monday after Health Minister Brad Cathers ordered a pause on all activities tied to setting up the new health authority and confirmed that administrative support would end this month.
The board says it had already been told its proposed $1.5 million budget for 2026-27 would not be approved, leaving no clear path forward.
Former chair Stephen Mills says the group had been focused on early planning work but the minister’s directive effectively stopped that process.
Shäw Kwä’ą was created through legislation in 2024 as part of broader health system reforms, developed jointly by the Yukon government and First Nations.
