The proprietors of a family-run gravel business in Whitehorse have been sentenced to five days in jail and instructed to vacate a location near Ear Lake for defying a court order. Chief Justice Suzanne Duncan of the Yukon Supreme Court stated in a recent ruling that the owners of Annie Lake Trucking displayed persistent contempt by remaining on the city-owned property after their lease had expired in 2022. Richard Hunziker and Trevor Hunziker, the owners, have repeatedly disregarded court directives and demonstrated a belief that they had the right to continue their gravel excavation operations on the premises.
An agreement was reached in 2022 for the company to leave the land by the end of June that year. However, the company was found in contempt later that year for failing to comply, resulting in a $2,500 fine for each partner. Subsequently, in early 2025, the court once again held the company in contempt for disregarding the previous order and set a new deadline of June 2025 for them to vacate the property or face fines of $7,500 per partner. The partners failed to meet this deadline, and they have not paid any fines.
According to Duncan, inspections conducted between May 2025 and July 2026 revealed ongoing quarry activities on the property, including the storage of equipment, vehicles, waste, and living quarters. Despite clear directives outlined in the 2022 consent order, Annie Lake Trucking intentionally chose to ignore them. The city had been lenient in granting the company time to comply, but the Hunzikers persisted in their non-compliance.
The court sentenced the Hunzikers to five days in jail as a reminder that court orders must be adhered to. They have until December 31 to vacate the Ear Lake site and are still liable for previous fines. Trevor Hunziker, speaking in early 2025, accused the city of mistreating their long-standing family business but expressed determination not to yield to what he perceived as intimidation tactics.