Accountability Report
-Updated January, 2026-
Guiding Principles
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Article 26
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to the lands, territories and resources which they have traditionally owned, occupied or otherwise used or acquired.
2. Indigenous peoples have the right to own, use, develop and control the lands, territories and resources that they possess by reason of traditional ownership or other traditional occupation or use, as well as those which they have otherwise acquired.
3. States shall give legal recognition and protection to these lands, territories and resources. Such recognition shall be conducted with due respect to the customs, traditions and land tenure systems of the indigenous peoples concerned.
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92. We call upon the corporate sector in Canada to adopt the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework and to apply its principles, norms, and standards to corporate policy and core operational activities involving Indigenous peoples and their lands and resources. This would include, but not be limited to, the following:
i. Commit to meaningful consultation, building respectful relationships, and obtaining the free, prior, and informed consent of Indigenous peoples before proceeding with economic development projects.
ii. Ensure that Aboriginal peoples have equitable access to jobs, training, and education opportunities in the corporate sector, and that Aboriginal communities gain long-term sustainable benefits from economic development projects.
iii. Provide education for management and staff on the history of Aboriginal peoples, including the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous law, and Aboriginal–Crown relations. This will require skills based training in intercultural competency, conflict resolution, human rights, and anti-racism.
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Canada was founded on Indigenous Land theft, and the industries that grew this country were based largely on immense profits extracted from these stolen Land. This wealth rarely benefited the First Nations, Métis and Inuit who lived and continue to live here, and unfortunately, a few hundred years later, we’re awkwardly talking about making things right while seldom taking the important steps towards true reconciliation.
As an outdoor-based company that brings people out on the Land, we are interacting with a landscape that defines the culture, identity and life of people who have been stewarding this territory since time immemorial. It is of vital importance that everything we do here at Yukon Alpine Adventures is done with utmost care to include First Peoples in our planning, engagement and adventure offerings. We want to raise the bar of ethical guiding and inspire the outdoor industry to do better.
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While our guiding principles are constantly evolving, many of the ideas we support were inspired by papers from the Yellowhead Institute.
We encourage everyone to explore two of the Institute’s seminal papers.
Profit Sharing
2025 was the first year we were able to share our profits with each First Nation whose Traditional Territories we accessed. We have committed to donating 5% of our gross revenue, but to celebrate our first fully operational year, we increased this amount to 10%.
This translated to $1,500 set aside for three different First Nations ($500 per Nation) to go toward a project, program, or organization of each Nation’s choosing. To date, we’ve donated the following:
Kwalin Dün First Nation: We donated $500 directly to the Nation.
Champagne & Aishihik First Nations: We donated $500 directly to the Nation, which will be put towards their Youth Centre.
What we’re working on
Land Access Consent / Nation Engagement
Land access consent continues to be a priority for YAA. We want to ensure that each Nation is kept up to date with our current and planned operations, and that clear mechanisms exist for Nations to contact us in the event of any objections or concerns.
Over the course of the year, YAA provided each Nation with a letter of intent in the spring outlining our planned summer expeditions, as well as an end-of-season operations report detailing all of our activities on their Traditional Territories.
YAA is currently continuing outreach to each Nation’s Lands Department to discuss plans for 2026.
Our engagement with First Nations regarding land access and consent has not always been as successful as we would have liked. While some Nations have provided us with clear support or permission for our operations, we have struggled to receive similar clarity from others. To be clear, we have not received any pushback or objections to our operations. Rather, in some cases we have received responses that neither explicitly support nor object to our trips on Traditional Territory.
While we are still operating in a consent grey zone with some First Nations, we have made a concerted effort to provide each Nation with detailed plans for all of our trips, along with clear mechanisms for raising objections or concerns.
First Nation History & Cultural Programming
We are continuing to develop and implement First Nation history and cultural programming into our expeditions. In 2025, we partnered with Amber Burrard-Althouse to deliver a two-hour presentation on the history of Yukon First Nations to our guests.
It’s important to note that we do not want non–First Nation guides delivering significant cultural knowledge to our guests. We believe this information should come directly from First Nation citizens.