Placer mining bolstering Dawson City economy this year

COVID-19 has decimated or at least slowed economies across the country. Dawson City, Yukon is no different. 

Normally at this time of year, Dawson City's tourism industry is booming. Because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, the summer tourism outlook is bleak.

One bright spot though, are the Klondike placer miners. Placer mining and tourism are the town's two biggest private sector industries. Employees in the sector are still around to spend money, buy groceries and rent hotel rooms. 

"Mining's huge. This year, with the price of gold being so high ... there's definitely a lot of activity in Dawson as a result," said Paul Robitaille, marketing and events manager with the Klondike Visitor's Association.

"This is a year when I think a lot of people in town are thankful ... that there is a placer mining industry because it does help salvage some [semblance] of a season."

Robitaille said a couple of restaurant owners have taken jobs as cooks in camps. He also said they're seeing a small transition of service industry folks finding work at camps. 

Brooke Rudolph, executive director of the Klondike Placer Miners' Association, said the industry is loyal when it comes to spending money.

"Almost 90 per cent of the operating expenses that they have are spent in the Yukon so a lot of the money that the miners are using goes back into the Yukon economy," Rudolph said. 

Robitaille said the overall outlook for this year could still be positive. 

"There's still about 12 restaurants open, about eight hotels are operating, we're starting to see some events come back," he said. 

"There's still a whole whack of things for visitors to do. If people think that Dawson's a sleepy, dead town right now, it's definitely quieter than other years there's no question, but anybody that's in the Yukon right now, we welcome them to come here. People are still actively running their businesses."

Robitaille said it's important for Yukoners to support the tourism industry now, so that there's an industry to come back to next year.