Premier Currie Dixon has made senior leadership appointments for the Yukon Development Corporation.
Effective immediately, Jeff O’Farrell’s appointment as Deputy Minister of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources is expanded to include the position of President of the Yukon Development Corporation, for a term ending January 5, 2031. He will continue to oversee the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources.
On the same date, Shane Andre will assume a temporary assignment as Acting President of the Yukon Development Corporation until March 31, 2027. During this period, Andre will continue in his role as assistant deputy minister at the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources.
Gary Gazankas has concluded his tenure with the Yukon government.
This leadership transition marks the beginning of a broader evolution for the Yukon Development Corporation, focused on strengthening its impact and ensuring it fully delivers on its development mandate.
I want to thank Shane Andre for assuming the responsibility on an acting basis until March 31, 2027, helping to ensure stability during the transition. I also extend my sincere thanks to Gary Gazankas for his service to Yukoners and wish him all the best in his next chapter.
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Deputy Ministers, including presidents of government corporations, are the most senior public servants in the Government of Yukon. They are responsible for departmental budgets, day-to-day operations and program development.
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Deputy Ministers serve at the pleasure of the Premier.
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Section 12 of the Yukon Development Corporation Act provides that the deputy head of the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources shall be ex officio the president of the Yukon Development Corporation.
Jeff O’Farrell
Jeff O’Farrell has many years of public service with the Government of Yukon and City of Whitehorse. He began his career with the Government of Yukon in 1999, holding several senior positions in multiple departments including the Executive Council Office, the Public Service Commission, Community Services and Energy Mines and Resources where he held an assistant deputy minister position. O’Farrell also served as Deputy Minister of Community Services from 2009 to 2012 and Deputy Minister of Tourism and Culture from 2012 to 2015. After which he moved to municipal government with the City of Whitehorse, where he held several senior positions, including City Manager. O’Farrell has a master’s degree in public administration. He and his wife have lived in the Yukon for 30 years and have two children in their late teens.
Shane Andre
Shane Andre is a lifelong Yukoner with over 20 years of service with the Yukon government. He has held key roles in the Executive Council Office and the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources, beginning his career supporting the original implementation of the Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Act (YESAA). Andre subsequently became Director of the Energy Branch, where, for the past fifteen years, he has led the government's development and delivery of energy policies, programs and legislation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the University of Victoria and a Master of Science in Renewable Energy Systems Technology from Loughborough University in the UK. Outside of work, Andre enjoys spending time with his family and raising his two daughters.
Tim Kucharuk
Press secretary, Cabinet Communications
867-335-2419
[email protected]
Sonya Parsons
Communications, Public Service Commission
867-333-9638
[email protected]