Nearly half of employed Yukoners work in the public sector

Good morning, Yukon.

This week, we’re putting numbers behind a familiar Yukon conversation: how many of us work in the public sector?

We also follow the story of 19 elk from 75 years ago, whose arrival helped establish the herds we know today. Closer to home, Whitehorse families can now track their school bus, and Yukon has received a strong credit rating from Moody’s.

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Put the coffee on. Let’s dive in.

Ask around a Yukon dinner table, and government will probably come up as someone’s employer. The numbers explain why.

In August 2026, approximately 13,300 people worked in the public sector, representing 47.7% of employed Yukoners. Ten years earlier, the figure was 8,900 people, or 40.3%.

These figures count employed Yukoners aged 15 and older, not the territory’s total population. Our earlier population article counted all residents, including children, retirees and others who are not working. Here, the 47.7% public-sector share means 13,300 of an estimated 27,900 employed people.

That is a shift from roughly four in ten workers to almost one in two.

Private businesses added employees over the decade, but public-sector employment grew more than twice as quickly. Meanwhile, the estimated number of people working for themselves fell.

The definition reaches well beyond government offices. It includes federal, territorial, municipal and First Nations governments, along with government agencies, Crown corporations and public institutions such as schools, hospitals and libraries.

Teachers, hospital staff and Crown corporation employees therefore count alongside government administrators. The figure measures the public sector as a whole, not just the Yukon government.

Even with that broad definition, slightly more than half of employed Yukoners still work for private employers or themselves.

Private contractors, consultants and suppliers earn revenue from public contracts, while shops and restaurants serve customers whose paycheques come from the public sector. That spending supports businesses throughout the territory. But these figures cannot tell us how many businesses depend on Government spending to survive. That would require knowing where their revenue comes from, what their costs are and whether they could find other customers. Truth be told, the number of employed individuals that rely on government is very high.

A builder working on a public school, for example, remains a private-sector employee if a construction company employs them. Their work can depend on government spending without appearing in the public-sector count.

Over the past decade, Yukon added workers on both sides of that divide. But public-sector employment grew faster, making its paycheques an increasingly prominent part of the territory’s working life.

About the figures: These are Yukon-wide Labour Force Survey estimates for people aged 15 and older, not Whitehorse-only figures. The August figures are three-month moving averages and are not seasonally adjusted. Counts are rounded, and calculated percentages and changes are approximate. The comparison describes changes in employment, not workers moving between categories.

Sources: Yukon Bureau of Statistics, Yukon Employment, August 2026 and Yukon Employment Historical Data, 2015–2024. Calculations by Almanac of the Yukon.

If you hear an elk bugling near Whitehorse this September, you’re hearing the result of a plan that began 75 years ago.

In 1951, 19 elk from Alberta’s Elk Island National Park were released near Braeburn Lake. Another 30 followed in 1954. The Yukon Fish and Game Association had championed the idea: give hunters another species to pursue and ease pressure on other big game.

The elk survived, but their numbers barely grew. Decades after those first releases, the population remained below 100.

So, between 1989 and 1994, another 119 elk were released around Braeburn, Hutshi Lakes and the Takhini Valley. This time, numbers began to build, particularly in the Takhini herd.

How many live here now? Yukon’s wildlife guide lists approximately 300 elk territory-wide, although it does not date that estimate. A more recent survey, conducted in late 2024 and published in 2026, estimated 270 to 300 in the Takhini herd alone. That excludes Braeburn and naturally occurring elk in southeastern Yukon, so the territory-wide figure needs updating.

Researchers used drones equipped with infrared and colour cameras to count the Takhini animals. The herds that people once struggled to establish are now being surveyed from the sky.

And there is a deeper twist: elk lived in Yukon long before those Alberta arrivals. Fossils place them here about 1,500 years ago. The introductions brought elk back to part of a landscape their species had known before.

September brings their story within earshot. Bulls bugle during the mating season, and females answer with squeaks and whistles. Around Stoney Creek or Fox Lake, that call from the trees carries a little Yukon history with it.

Sources: Government of Yukon, Elk species guide, Management Plan for Elk in Yukon and Takhini elk herd survey, early winter 2024.

Whitehorse families can now check where the school bus is before heading out the door.

MyBusStop is available on all 42 Whitehorse school-bus routes, providing real-time locations and expected arrival times. Families with registered bus riders receive their access codes by email and can use the service through an app or website.

The September 14 announcement follows a June pilot. Expansion to rural routes is planned.

A little less uncertainty, and hopefully a little less waiting in the cold.

Source: Government of Yukon, school-bus tracking announcement.

Yukon received an Aa1 credit rating with a stable outlook from Moody’s on September 17. The Yukon Development Corporation received the same rating.

In plain language, that signals high confidence in the territory’s ability to repay its debts.

This is Yukon’s first rating from Moody’s, adding a second assessment alongside S&P’s. According to the territorial government, some large institutional investors require two ratings before buying government bonds. Having both could open the door to more lenders and more competitive borrowing terms.

It does not erase the territory’s financial challenges, but it is a favourable assessment as Yukon prepares to finance health and energy infrastructure.

Source: Government of Yukon, Moody’s credit-rating announcement.

Haines Junction’s Mountain Ridge subdivision has 43 lots available through a land lottery, comprising 37 single-family and six duplex lots.

Listed prices range from approximately $45,000 to $87,500. Applications close October 2 at 4:30 p.m., with the draw scheduled for October 7.

The release creates opportunities for additional housing in the community. The houses themselves still need to be built, but prospective builders now have somewhere to start.

Lot details and application requirements

If you are not quite ready to pack away the camping gear, consider Kusawa Lake. The campground has 53 sites, access to the beach, and a listed service season running through October 1.

It is a place for a lakeside afternoon or an overnight escape, with boating, fishing and mountain hiking in the surrounding park. Bring binoculars: Dall’s sheep can sometimes be spotted on the mountains.

Getting there means driving 23 kilometres along the unpaved Kusawa Road after leaving the Alaska Highway. Allow time for rough sections, especially after rain. The lake can also develop strong winds and waves, so a peaceful view from shore does not always mean gentle conditions on the water.

Some campsites can be reserved in advance.

Campground details and reservations

September 20–27

Sunday, September 20 | 6–8 p.m.
Gold Pan Saloon, 411 Main Street, Whitehorse | No cover

Jacob Chapman provides the soundtrack to Sunday evening at the Gold Pan, with local music, pub food and children welcome. An easy excuse to leave the cooking to someone else.

Live music at the Gold Pan

Friday, September 25 | Listed start: 6:30 p.m.
Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre, Whitehorse

A string quartet brings Adele’s songs to a candlelit setting, with a programme including Someone Like You, Skyfall and Rolling in the Deep. If you have been meaning to organise a date night, this could be your reminder. This is a tribute concert performed by a quartet.

Concert details and tickets

Friday, September 25 | 7 p.m.
Sternwheeler Hotel, 201 Wood Street, Whitehorse

An evening celebrating African cultures through live performances, DJ music, dance demonstrations, art and a fashion show. Organised by TELIYA International Society, the celebration brings several kinds of entertainment together under one roof.

A Night of Africa details

Friday, September 25 at 8 p.m., or Sunday, September 27 at 7 p.m.
Yukon Theatre, Whitehorse

Motorcycle gangs, psychic powers and a city on the brink. The influential 1988 Japanese animated film returns in a 4K remaster, offering a chance to experience its sprawling vision of Neo-Tokyo on the big screen. Shown in Japanese with English subtitles; recommended for ages 16 and older.

Screening details and tickets

Gold, silver and copper gained over the week, while the Canadian dollar weakened. Among the Yukon-linked companies we track, Banyan recorded the strongest weekly gain at 7.6%.

Share prices are Canadian dollars except Hecla.

Week compares September 11 with September 18; month uses the 30-day period from August 19 to September 18; YTD compares with December 31, 2025. These are price changes, excluding dividends, distributions, fees and currency conversion. Historical share prices reflect stock splits where applicable.

*WTI spot data was available only through September 15. Its weekly and monthly comparisons use September 8 and August 14 respectively, the available observations a week and approximately a month earlier. It is a dated cash-market observation, not a Friday futures price.

**The Canadian-dollar row uses the inverse of the Bank of Canada’s daily USD/CAD reference rate, rather than a market-closing quote. A negative number means the Canadian dollar weakened. Sources are linked in the tables; copper’s year-end baseline is in Westmetall’s 2025 cash-price history. Calculations by Almanac of the Yukon.

Banyan Gold is joining the MVIS Global Junior Gold Miners Index, the index tracked by VanEck’s GDXJ exchange-traded fund.

Announced on September 14, the change becomes effective before markets open on Monday, September 21. The rebalance uses September 18 closing prices.

For readers who do not follow index funds, the significance is straightforward. Investors buying a fund that tracks this basket gain exposure to its constituent companies, giving Banyan another route into investment portfolios beyond people choosing its shares individually.

The company’s main project is AurMac, near Mayo. Inclusion broadens its market exposure, but says nothing certain about future share prices or whether a mine will ultimately be built.

Source: Banyan Gold’s index-inclusion announcement.

Thanks for spending part of your Sunday with the Almanac.

There is plenty to investigate this week, whether it is an unfamiliar name on the map, something pulled from an ice patch, or the source of that strange call in the woods. If you find something worth sharing, hit reply. A good local tip might become next week’s Yukon Find.

P.S. All subscribers are entered in our weekly $100 local gift card giveaway, continuing through the end of September.

See you next Sunday,

Michael