Feds help fund Indigenous biomass projects in Yukon

The Teslin Tlingit Council received $595,000 to purchase biomass wood chip boilers, as part of a larger project that aims to reduce reliance on non-renewable heating fuels and help create jobs by installing direct heating systems.

“The Teslin Tlingit Council and the community of Teslin Yukon are proud to have been sponsored by NRCan in our community’s clean energy biomass project. Teslin’s biomass project, which is field predominantly by the community’s waste wood, is providing local opportunities in the forestry sector and in the professional trades,” said Blair Travis Hogan, executive councillor, Teslin Tlingit Council in a statement. “The 13 large buildings connected to the biomass district heating network, including the Teslin School, will now be able to avoid burning heating fuel, which is estimated to be about 100,000 litres per year.”

The remaining $50,000 will help Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation (NNDDC) develop a solution for the lack of local seeds used to restore land impacted by nearby mining. This will help the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun (FNND) to conduct a feasibility study and create a business development plan for sourcing local seeds.

“Yukon mine site reclamation guidelines encourage the use of native seed mixes for site restoration,” said Greg Finnegan, Ph.D, CEO, NNDDC, in a statement. “The government of Canada IFI investment is a foundational step that will enable the Nacho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation to examine potential solutions for the lack of local seed sources used in restoring land impacted by mining and other activities within the First Nation of Nacho Nyäk Dun’s Traditional Territory.”

Both projects were co-funded by Natural Resources Canada’s Indigenous Forestry Initiative and Indigenous Services Strategic Partnerships Initiative.