City council is considering whether to initiate a rewrite for the city’s lease, encroachment and land use policy The City of Whitehorse is considering changing its policy on leases, encroachment and property use. The current policy addresses all three issues: land leased out by the city to various tenants, encroachment and permitted property use. However, city staff said they are considering an approach that would see a separate policy for leases, and then another policy for property use and encroachment. The issue was presented alongside a lease renewal for the Whitehorse Rifle and Pistol Club. The staff recommendation — a recommendation which accompanies every city staff report — is for council to allow city staff to investigate potential changes to the policy, in regards to lease rates for non-profit societies. City director Lindsay Schneider told councillors “the whole philosophy behind the lease section also needs to be evaluated.” “We would just be looking at the lease section and creating its own policy with community engagement, etc.,” said Schneider. The re-evaluation of the city’s approach to leases from NGOs was triggered by debate when two leases, for the Whitehorse Rifle and Pistol Club, and the Mae Bachur Animal Shelter, were presented for renewal in early February. Both leases allowed each organization to pay an annual rent of $10 for the duration of the lease: 10 years for the Rifle and Pistol Club, and 5 years for the animal shelter. When the leases were first presented on February 3, the $10 annual fee prompted questions from council. The Whitehorse Rifle and Pistol Club also were able to recuperate all property taxes they paid in 2024 — just north of $6,000 for 212 hectares — through the city grants. “I don’t think a $10 a year lease can be described other than nominal. So I’m curious to know how it is that they are getting a lease for $10 a year,” said Coun. Lenore Morris during the Feb. 3 meeting where the lease was initially presented. At that point councillors heard staff calculates lease fees through the lease, encroachment and property use policy. Section 1.2.3. of the policy allows for nominal and reduced fees for non-profit societies offering community services for public benefit that council determines to be in the public interest. “Over 200 hectares is an enormous property, and that they’re getting it for $10 a year and then getting their property taxes back,” said Morris. “I find that really concerning, honestly, when we are raising fees for so many different groups in the city.” Coun. Dan Boyd said the administrative costs on the file were likely well over $10. “I certainly would not want to be seen to be charging a huge sum. But it seems to me that, you know, covering, trying to cover our basic administrative cost would be more than fair,” he said at the Feb. 3 meeting. Mayor Kirk Cameron did identify himself as an active member of the club during that meeting. at a later Feb. 10 council meeting, Cameron said he did not believe himself to be in a conflict of interest on the matter. At the Feb. 10 council meeting, councillors unanimously voted to defer the matter, meaning that the item would return to council in around two months, after councillors and staff had been able to analyze how the policy is being applied and whether rents charged are consistent with the policy. When the item returned to city council on April 7, staff said they found that the lease rate calculation was consistent with the policy — but that parts of the policy regarding lease rate are open to multiple interpretations with conflicting results. “In particular, considerations around how to determine the community value of an organization’s activities can be somewhat subjective,” said Jacob Newkirk, the city staffer with lands and building services who was giving the presentation. Newkirk said the comprehensive rewrite of the lease section of the policy would involve looking at what other municipalities across the country are doing, and, of course, engaging with the community at large. Updating the policy would bring about more clarity and certainty for both city council, administration and user groups entering into lease agreements with the city, said Newkirk. The review could start this fall, said Newkirk, and then take up to a year to complete. Newkirk said the review could be fairly extensive and go well beyond reduced and nominal fees for non-profit organizations. Leases that come up for review, as well as those already expired, would be put into overholding until the review is complete and a new policy is adopted. Newkirk estimated at least two leases will come up for renewal this summer, and between four and eight leases will come up for renewal over the next two years. City council will have the opportunity to trigger the review at April 14’s city council meeting. Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
Whitehorse animal shelter and gun club leases considered amid policy review
