Canada's Yukon Territory government has received 25 expressions of interest to explore for oil and gas in the Eagle Plains and Peel Plateau regions of the territory under its new disposition process.

The request for posting closed Feb. 21, the government said in a news release issued Tuesday. Yukon First Nations and the public will get a chance to comment on the postings over the next 2months.


Vuntut Gwitchin Chief Joe Linklater says he will be keeping a close eye on the process, but noted the expressions of interest do not mean any oil and gas exploration will actually take place.


"There's a big difference between expressions of interest and actual work so we're not panicking at this point," he said.


The Vuntut Gwitchin plan to go directly to the oil and gas companies to get more information on their plans rather than waiting for the government to provide it, he said.


"We've learned from past experience not to sit back and wait for something to happen — we go out and try to find our own answers," he said.


The government plans to put the exploration rights up for competitive bid in May.


The Eagle Plains area is the wintering grounds of the declining Porcupine caribou herd, which the Gwitchin have relied on on for centuries.


Source: CBC News

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