Whitehorse Daily Star

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Photo by Vince Fedoroff

MORE HOUSING COMING – Seen left to right at Tuesday afternoon’s ceremony at the Riverbend site are Joe Glynn, the owner and director of Evergreen Homes and Construction; Alicia Dubois, the vice-president, indigenous markets, CIBC; Ben Asquith, the CEO of the Da Daghay Development Corp.; Premier Darrell Pasloski; Ta’an Kwäch’än Council Chief Kristina Kane; Lance Jakubec of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp.; and Mayor Dan Curtis.

Dignitaries seize tools, fete housing project

Kristina Kane handles a hammer better than the owner of a construction company.

By Amy Kenny on October 5, 2016

Kristina Kane handles a hammer better than the owner of a construction company.

The Ta’an Kwäch’än Council chief was the first of seven partners to finish driving a nail into a section of framing on Tuesday afternoon in Whistle Bend.

Kane, along with Mayor Dan Curtis, Premier Darrell Pasloski and representatives from Evergreen Construction, the CIBC, Da Daghay, and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., donned orange safety vests, hard hats and hammers at an event celebrating the development of River Bend.

River Bend is the newest neighbourhood in the Whistle Bend subdivision.

When the development was initially announced last April, the cost figure given was $6.5 million to $7 million, not including the value of the land.

Located on roughly one hectare of land at 35 Tarahne Way, River Bend is the result of a partnership among TKC, Da Daghay Development Corp., the city and the Yukon and federal governments.

In July, city council approved a development incentive for the neighbourhood worth up to $500,000 over 10 years.

This incentive only applies to affordable housing units in the complex, which will comprise three two-storey buildings, each with 14 units.

Rent will be geared to income, with residents paying 25 per cent of their income for their apartment.

Twelve of the units will be dedicated to First Nation members. The other 30 units will be rented by the Yukon Housing Corp.

At Tuesday’s celebration, construction workers were visible in the already-laid foundations for the homes, expected to be completed by the fall of 2017.

Community members and attendees of the Cando Conference (which takes place at Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre this week) applauded as speeches were made.

Many of the addresses highlighted the importance of partnerships between various organizations and levels of government.

Kane called the day a proud moment for TK citizens. She said more affordable housing is needed throughout Whitehorse and its surrounding communities, and River Bend is an example of the possibilities that exist.

“This project is proof that even when keeping economic development at the forefront, community issues can be addressed, affecting long-term community wellness,” she said.

In addition to providing housing for TK families and others, she said, TK citizens currently fill 50 per cent of the jobs associated with the development.

Kane said she looks forward to even more jobs and mentorship opportunities (including for TK youth) arising from the River Bend development, as well as future initiatives.

Curtis pointed out that 99 per cent of the windows, doors and latches being used in River Bend are supplied by Northerm, a company that’s 100 per cent owned by eight of the First Nations.

Curtis acknowledged that Whistle Bend has taken years to develop.

However, he stressed the positives of the neighbourhood, which he said is growing at a rate that’s a testament to the desire of Yukoners to live in the area.

“We know that we’re going to have a long road in terms of filling this up, but it’s filling up faster than anybody anticipated or expected,” Curtis said.

Pasloski spoke to attendees of the Cando Conference earlier in the day. At the afternoon ceremony, he said River Bend is a great example of work being done to build entrepreneurship, economic development, co-operation and collaboration.

“I look forward to one day seeing people coming in and out of these homes behind us and seeing this beautiful Whistle Bend community continue to grow and to thrive,” he said.

“It’s a common thing to hear people talk about the challenges that communities face,” said Pasloski.

“To hear discussion about the issues and the barriers that we have to progress. These discussions are important, but it’s also important to talk about solutions that we can find together.”

That’s something that was touched on earlier in the afternoon, when TK elder Joe Jack blessed the partnership.

“It’s taken many partners and a lot of trust and co-operation and learning and understanding one another to be able to make this project a reality,” Jack said as he addressed the crowd.

“It’s a very big event.”

Comments (9)

Up 3 Down 0

cameron on Oct 10, 2016 at 5:06 pm

more needs to be done for the homeless
that huge building (that is being built) on 4th ave across from the Salvation Army must be big enough to house all our homeless people this town has or are they going to rent out to commercial prospects and make lots of money. (winter is here for these people) Who really cares about the people who really need help????????

Up 9 Down 1

drum on Oct 9, 2016 at 4:19 pm

Ensure there are proper checks and balances for all funding and spending.
A project like this it is amazing how money can disappear (taxpayers money).
Some of the group have not been completely honest in the past.

Up 6 Down 1

ProScience Greenie on Oct 7, 2016 at 11:07 pm

The Paz and Mayor Quimby seems to have the smallest hammers. Odd that. Also some pretty fancy steel toed footwear they have on their feet to go along with the safety vest and hard hats. They should have safety glasses on in case one of those Whistle Bend sandstorm blows up from the big dunes in the background. You can't put a price on safety, especially with our tax dollars.

Up 15 Down 10

And we're off. on Oct 6, 2016 at 2:17 pm

I hope the residents of whistle bend have a sort of block watch set up, along with keeping track of crime and incidents over the last 3 years.

It will be interesting to see what happens to property crime, noise complaints, traffic violations and vandalism once the tenants of this development start moving in.

Up 15 Down 8

As predicted on Oct 6, 2016 at 1:18 pm

... the only realistic justification for WB begins: social housing projects. People will be paid to live there, since nobody else will want to live in a social housing ghetto.

Up 23 Down 3

Bud McGee on Oct 6, 2016 at 8:56 am

This is funny because the only time these people have ever swung a hammer in their lives is at photo opps like this.

Up 15 Down 6

Josey Wales on Oct 6, 2016 at 6:13 am

River bend? Why not call it Panderland, as that is precisely what it is.
Socially engineered completely fabricated pandered communities, economy, revisionist history all play a R.O.L.E. In this fantasy.
Who engineered all this, socialists....we are as they say "over represented"
I may drive through there in a decade and see village life and the harmonious interactions between those who build their own destiny and those that clearly do not.

Up 18 Down 5

Josey Wales on Oct 5, 2016 at 10:55 pm

So...the absolutely predictable "engineering" of this hood is a fluff piece?
CoW taxpayers gave them half a million of your money....so far.
Striving for lunacy perhaps?
Goal met!

The PC Crusade will tap further into your pockets, political blowholes pandering...on your dime, as they do.

Up 18 Down 3

jc on Oct 5, 2016 at 5:01 pm

So, who is this "affordable housing" going to be for, the tax contributors or the non contributors? I think I already know, but if I say, the star wouldn't print my comment.

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