WHITEHORSE, YUKON--(Marketwire - Sept. 20, 2012) - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, Minister of the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor), and Minister for the Arctic Council announced today an investment that will support sustainable economic development in south central Yukon.

"An updated forest inventory in Yukon will provide valuable information for government, industry and First Nations to make decisions on investments, management options, and a variety of land use decisions," said Minister Aglukkaq. "This investment will support growth in the forestry sector and will help create local business and job opportunities for Northerners."

"The Yukon's forest industry has tremendous potential for sustainable economic development," said Yukon Member of Parliament Ryan Leef. "This investment will help create sustainable local economies that will benefit current and future generations of Yukoners."

"The Government of Yukon welcomes the funding for this important project as an up-to-date inventory is the foundation for building an industry based on sustainable forest management," Government of Yukon Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources Brad Cathers said. "A comprehensive forest inventory provides information for making forest management and harvest level decisions, thus ensuring the long-term health and sustainability of Yukon's forests."

CanNor's investment of $400,000 will support the development of a new inventory of forest information that will capture the various land use interests in the area including forestry, mining, tourism, agriculture and residential development. A new inventory will provide Geographic Information System (GIS) data for making economic development decisions in these sectors.

Investment in this project is made possible through CanNor's Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development (SINED) program, which focuses on long-term economic growth, economic diversification and capacity-building across the North.

SINED is one of several economic development programs within CanNor. CanNor is responsible for coordinating and delivering Canada's economic development initiatives across the North and for policy, research and advocacy.

For copies of CanNor news releases, visit: http://www.cannor.gc.ca.

For more information on Canada's Northern Strategy, visit: www.strategiepourlenord.gc.ca/index-eng.asp.