People who live and work in downtown Whitehorse will have an opportunity to discuss priorities for keeping their community safe and vibrant at a public forum Wednesday evening.

The forum, titled The Heart of the City, is being sponsored by Whitehorse Centre MLA Todd Hardy, the leader of the Yukon New Democrats.

'This is a great place to live and a great place to do business,' Hardy said in a statement Monay.

'It also faces the same challenges as the core areas of most Canadian cities, from access and transportation issues for seniors and people with disabilities, to public safety, recreational facilities for youth, and how to keep the downtown alive after business hours.'

The non-partisan forum will include representatives from a variety of volunteer agencies and groups. They will include city councillor Bev Buckway, Cpl. Grant MacDonald (Crime Prevention Yukon), Bobbi Morgan (Yukon Council on Aging), David Prodan (Bringing Youth Towards Equality), Vicki Durrant (Youth of Today Society), Jon Breen (Yukon Council on Disability), Capt. Robert Sessford (Salvation Army), Chris Sorg (Main Street Yukon) and a representative of the Transit Improvement Committee.

The forum will start at 7 p.m. at the Whitehorse Pubic Library.

'Anyone can attend, but I'm especially looking forward to hearing from people who live between the clay cliffs and the river, which I call the heart of the city',' Hardy said.

'That's the area I represent in the legislature, and it's also where I've lived and raised my family for a number of years.'

The event will be an exchange of ideas, not a planning session, and not a criticism of Whitehorse municipal officials, he added.

'This is about community people talking to each other and working together to make positive changes in their own backyard. If it leads to other initiatives and follow-up activities, that's great, but it will be up to the people to decide that.'