The novel Corona virus, COVID-19, poses a serious public health risk and has been declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. YESAB’s first priority is to protect the health and safety of its employees, Board members and those with whom we engage in the assessment process.

YESAB is closely monitoring and following the directions of public health officials both in Yukon and nationally. YESAB is also taking measures to ensure that operations can continue during this pandemic. YESAB has asked that employees who are able to work from home do so. Public engagements and business meetings will be either postponed or conducted by teleconference or videoconference. YESAB is well-equipped and serviced to support teleworking and remote meetings.

In these circumstances, while we will make every effort to ensure business continuity, some delays will be inevitable. Rules for the conduct of assessment include timelines for each step in the assessment process. The Rules include provisions to extend timelines for specified periods of time. YESAB may need to extend timelines accordingly and we ask for the patience and cooperation of all participants in the assessment process. YESAB relies on contractors and partners in the Government of Yukon to support its business operations. YESAB will be communicating regularly with these partners to ensure a collaborative approach to maintaining business continuity. 

In compliance with the recommendation of the Yukon Chief Medical Officer of Health, YESAB employees will be working from home to the extent that they are able. Consequently, YESAB will not be able to provide assurances that its offices will remain open to the public during the pandemic. Unless absolutely necessary, participants in the assessment process and the general public are discouraged from visiting YESAB offices at this time.

Please call ahead before visiting our offices, follow the Contact link provided below for office information. We will provide updates as the COVID-19 situation continues to unfold and as information becomes available. Participants in the assessment process will be notified via the YESAB Online Registry of extensions to project assessment timelines.   Contact

Tim Smith

Executive Director

Yukon Environmental and Socio-economic Assessment Board