An advocacy group is raising concerns about the new chair of the Yukon Water Board, questioning whether her past work in the mining industry will affect her impartiality as chair of the regulator.

Yukoners Concerned, an environmental advocacy group, wants the territorial government to withdraw its January appointment of Brooke Rudolph as chair of the regulator.

The water board is an independent administrative tribunal that regulates water usage and waste disposal. Companies engaged in quartz or placer mining must apply for a water licence from the board. 

Donald Roberts, chair of Yukoners Concerned, points to Rudolph’s previous work in the mining industry and questions whether that may affect her role with the board. Rudolph previously served as the executive director of the Klondike Placer Miners’ Association and as president of the mining consulting firm, MBS Yukon.

“She may be very knowledgeable and have a lot of ideas, but the very fact that she’s worked for the mining operation … that to me is already a conflict,” Roberts said.

Rudolph resigned from the placer miners’ association in spring 2025. A statement from the association at the time said her resignation was a result of “the territorial government’s long-standing unwillingness to address bureaucratic delays in the issuance of placer mining licences.”

A news release from the association at the time quoted Rudolph as saying the placer mining industry was challenged by “permitting, environmental assessment and water licensing delays.”

Roberts argues that appointing Rudolph as chair goes against the Water Board’s rules as laid out in its operations and administration manual. It states that no member of the board should participate in a proceeding if “they have a personal interest which is, or could reasonably be perceived to be, incompatible with an unbiased exercise of their judgement.”

Rudolph declined an interview with CBC News. In a written statement, she said that she hopes her background will bring a “helpful perspective to the board’s decisions.”

She added that the board’s decisions will remain fair, transparent and independent during her term as chair. 

“I take this role, as with all positions I have filled in the past, very seriously,” she said. “I am approaching the work in front of me with the care and attention it deserves.”

Along with Rudolph, there are currently six members of the board, three of them appointed by the Council of Yukon First Nations, two by the federal government, and one by the Yukon government. There are two vacant positions on the board.

‘A nuanced understanding of the regulatory landscape,’ premier says

Roberts has sent two letters to Premier Currie Dixon asking that the government withdraw Rudolph’s appointment.

Dixon provided a written response, which Roberts shared with CBC News.

In his response, Dixon said Rudolph will serve the water board well and her previous work with the placer miners’ association “gives her a nuanced understanding of the regulatory landscape, including challenges experienced by all parties.”

He added that Rudolph and the board are committed to protecting the territory’s water “while also ensuring progress on the regulatory backlog that is challenging economic development across the territory.”

Dixon declined an interview with CBC News. In a statement, government spokepserson Tim Kucharak echoed Dixon’s letter to Roberts, saying that Rudolph’s background will support the board’s work.