FOR RELEASE
November 26, 1998

WHITEHORSE - Audrey McLaughlin, Yukon's Circumpolar Envoy, kicks off a new public speaking series next week with a public talk on "Vitality of the Circumpolar North".

McLaughlin will talk about what role the Yukon can play in the circumpolar north and how the circumpolar north can flourish in a globalized economy.

The public talk is the first in a series sponsored by the Yukon Council on the Economy and the Environment on "Globalization and its Impact on the Yukon".

"The impact of the recent economic problems in Asia and discovery of environmental pollutants in the Arctic show just how interdependent our economy and environment have become," said Jennifer Mauro, chair of the Yukon Council on the Economy and the Environment.

"At the same time, there are stronger pressures to devolve powers to the local level. Intergovernmental organizations such as the Arctic Council and the Northern Forum provide an opportunity for the Yukon to maintain power at a local level while also having influence on a broader world stage."

"I am happy that Ms McLaughlin, who represents the Yukon on these organizations, will initiate our speaker's series with a discussion of the opportunities and potential for the circumpolar north," said Mauro.

McLaughlin will speak on Thursday, December 3 at 7:00 p.m. at the Westmark, Village Square in Whitehorse. She will also speak in in Haines Junction on January 6, 1999. All are welcome.

Contacts:

Jennifer Mauro
Chair of the Yukon Council on the Economy and the Environment
(867) 633-2109