The leader of the official Opposition is once again calling on the Yukon government to redirect its attention to economic diversification.

With the release of the Yukon Economic Outlook this week, NDP Leader Liz Hanson says there's a strange dichotomy evident.

On the one hand, the economists seem to urge caution, underlining the vulnerability of a resource-dependent economy to fluctuating mineral prices.

But on the other, the government seems resistant to diversification, she said.

The outlook assumes that Alexco Resources will reopen its Bellekeno operation in the spring and that the Wolverine Mine will re-hire workers it has laid off, Hanson said.

"They keep talking about the three operating mines seeing an increase in production value next year, but there's no guarantee of that. The only one that is continuing to operate is Minto right now.”

There's also no guarantee that the Eagle Gold mine project will start construction in the new year, Hanson said.

"It's really important that the conversation gets going about making the economy more resilient and able to resist the boom-and-bust nature of the emphasis on the resources extraction industry,” she said.

Hanson also questions the emphasis on mine expenditures and mine production, noting there's little information about the direct benefit to Yukon in terms of resource royalties.

She went on to take issue with the emphasis on the oil and gas industry.

"Kotaneelee has been declining for years, and it's like there's a subtle message there that the Kotaneelee field in southeast Yukon has been sold to EFL (Overseas Inc.) and that's all subject to being opened up to fracking,” she said.

But, as she noted, there should be no guarantee that the results of the select committee on hydraulic fracturing's study will support the development of the practice in the territory.

Moving away from the resource industry, Hanson raised concerns regarding the outlook's limited focus on tourism.

"Basically, it's acknowledging that the government has not invested in developing a true understanding of the economic impact of the existing tourism sector, nor of the potential for it.”

The only metric the government makes use of is border crossings, she noted.

"I would think that's an area that this is falling short on.”

She also queried the emphasis on the increase in Gross Domestic Product, which she said is really a measure of how much we're spending.

What's missing is a parallel examination of personal debt loads, she argued.

What the report does do is open up a lot of interesting areas for discussion.

According to the outlook, preliminary estimates indicate the Yukon's real GDP grew by 3.4 per cent in 2012 to $2.5 billion.

Mineral exploration expenditures in 2012 are estimated at $150 million, less than half of what they were in 2011.

Mineral production is estimated at $510 million, up from $367 million in 2011.

In tourism, there were 321,240 visitors who crossed the border into the territory.

Building permits also fell in 2012 to $100.4 million from $176.8 million in 2011.

The forecast for 2013 expects GDP growth to be modest at 0.9 per cent given the slow down in the mining sector. The report notes this would be the 10th consecutive year of growth.

However, Sandy Silver, the interim leader of the Liberal party, noted in a statement that an expected growth rate of 0.9 per cent puts the Yukon 10th out of 11 Canadian jurisdictions for economic growth.

Silver was not available for an interview this morning.

The 2013 forecast expects a slowdown in exploration spending to about $60 million due to weak mineral prices. But mineral production is expected to remain in the $450-million to $500-million range.

Development expenditures for the year are expected to be low, around $80 million due to Eagle Gold's financing troubles.

For tourism, the number of border crossings is expected to rise to 328,000.

Meanwhile, the value of building permits is expected to decline to about $80 million.

The forecast for 2014 is cheerier, with GDP growth expected to reach 8.8 per cent.

Exploration spending is forecast to increase marginally to $75 million.

And production is expected to be upwards of $550 million due to the expectation of higher production from the territory's three mines and the anticipation of higher mineral prices.

Mine development expenditures are forecast to reach $100 million.

In tourism, border crossings are expected to reach 333,000. And the value of building permits is expected to grow to $125 million in 2014 with the anticipation of permitting for the new F.H. Collins Secondary School and residential building in the Whistle Bend subdivision.

"I believe the 2014 forecast is optimistic,” Silver said in his statement.

But he reiterated Hanson's concern that "a lot of the projected growth depends on two mines opening (tailings reprocessing and Eagle Gold) and both of those face significant hurdles.”

Economic Development Minister Currie Dixon could not be reached for comment on the outlook before deadline this afternoon.