The contract to expand the Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport terminal has been awarded to the low bid of $10.9 million by Graham Construction and Engineering of Delta, B.C.

Bill Frost, the company's general manager, said today it's to everyone's benefit to maximize local employment opportunities, and that's the intent with this project.

The company is familiar with the lay of the land, as it built the local Real Canadian Superstore several years ago, he pointed out.

Frost said the company's bid was put together with a lengthy list of local subcontractors.

"We are starting to mobilize as we speak," he said. "And we are starting to order material.

"We expect to be able, in a couple of weeks, to get started. And as soon as we are able, we would like to move some snow around and get going on the foundations."

Frost said Graham Construction's Simon Darche will serve as the project superintendent, just as he did for construction of the Superstore.

Darche will be bringing along a couple of key foreman to do the concrete work, but aside from that, it's expected most of the employment, such as the carpenters, will be local to the extent possible, he said.

Graham Construction was awarded the contract last Wednesday.

The company was the lowest of five bidders, and was $1.3 million below the next-lowest bid of $12.2 million submitted by Dominion Construction of Vancouver.

Dowland Contracting of Whitehorse bid $12.6 million.

Maloney Contractors Ltd. of Kelowna, B.C. bid $12.7 million, and TSL Contractors Ltd. of Whitehorse submitted the highest price, with a bid of $13.1 million.

A portion of the three storey terminal expansion is to provide for a secure area to meet new international customs requirements implemented by the U.S. government after 9-11.

The expansion project was delayed after the Kwanlin Dun First Nation won a court injunction to halt the tender process. It had claimed the Yukon government had breached its land claim obligation to provide Kwanlin Dun with economic opportunities on major projects within the first nation's traditional territory.

The parties reached an out-of-court settlement late last year. It was re-tendered earlier this year, with provisions to provide economic development opportunities to the first nation attached to the tender package.

Both the Kwanlin Dun and Yukon governments have declined to disclose the contents of their agreement.

Frost said the goal is to have the building up and closed to weather by the end of September, so that interior finishing work can continue through the winter months.

Contract completion is scheduled for late 2010, but Graham's general manager said his company hopes to be substantially complete and ready to turn the building over to the Yukon government in February 2010.

He said they may to return in the spring for exterior siding work and the like, but the company wants to hand it over to allow the Department of Public Works staff to get in there as soon as possible to begin doing what they need to do, such as installing furnishings and security system.