A Whitehorse resident is publicizing internal documents that may raise eyebrows as to why the Whistle Bend subdivision was selected as a location for the government’s $269-million continuing care facility.

Tamara Goeppel, owner of Yukon Travel and CEO of Mainsteel Developments, has taken issue with the choice of location from the beginning.

Her 90-year-old mother lives in Thomson Centre and her father was a resident of Copper Ridge Place.

She said that personal experience has shown her that the majority of the population requiring continuing care is both vulnerable and scared to voice their opinions.

After engaging conversation with others opposed to the location through a couple of posts to Facebook and in letters to the local newspapers, Goeppel said it became evident there was a loud and clear message from people that they want the care facility to be located downtown.

“Had we not voiced that, we wouldn’t know that there was hesitation on the location,” she told the Star today.

She insists her short-lived political aspirations, having run for the federal MP nomination for the Yukon Liberal Party in late 2014, had no bearing on her decision to question authority.

Through an access to information request submitted at the end of April, Goeppel seized hordes of email exchanges and briefing notes between government officials and technical advisors that were sent throughout the selection process.

During the location scouting in early 2014, officials were examining potential sites in Porter Creek, Riverdale, Copper Ridge and Whistle Bend.

In order of best location to worst, a report prepared by the property management division of Highways and Public Works put Porter Creek at the top, then Riverdale, followed by Copper Ridge and finally, Whistle Bend.

But, in the report briefing, it states that on April 9, 2014, “Instructions were provided by the senior management that sites in Porter Creek, Riverdale and Copper Ridge should be taken off the table for any further work whereas, the site in Whistle Bend remains under the scope.”

It is unclear from the report as to why those three locations were eliminated from the list.

The report provides a summary of data which showed that Whistle Bend was the only location of the four that would require rezoning– which was eventually approved by city council in March of this year.

Whistle Bend also had the highest geotechnical concerns which would escalate the cost of the project.

The report cited soil with a high amount of silt and water table which would require frost heaving (replacement of soil) as two factors that would “consume significant project budget into expensive foundation design.”

The data summary also notes that the neighbourhood has a slow growth rate, which makes it a less favourable location to build the facility.

Months later, in June, there was still hesitation towards choosing Whistle Bend for the facility.

Cathy Morton-Bielz, assistant deputy minister for Health and Social Services, wrote in an email on June 6, “The optics of placing a care facility in an empty field with no community is really a nightmare that will haunt the government far longer than a bit of community opposition.”

Despite much back and forth between officials, any warnings or questions raised about the property did not make waves.

On Nov. 21, Pat Molloy, the director of land development, wrote to Steven Bartsch of Associated Engineering indicating that “the future Continuing Care facility will most likely now be built in Whistle Bend.”

Molloy goes on to say that during a meeting with Health and Social Services, PMD, and city representatives, it was chosen as the “consensus preferred location.”

Then, on Dec. 18, which Goeppel notes is smack-dab in the middle of holiday season when people are usually away, the official press release was published: the continuing care facility was to be built in Whistle Bend, with construction set to start in early 2016 with a completion target of mid-2018.

NDP Health critic Jan Stick feels the decision was made behind closed doors.

“The most distressing thing from day one is the lack of consultation with Yukoners,” she told the Star Tuesday.

Goeppel agrees, noting that the choice on April 9 for senior management to strike three locations from the list of choices told her that there are some “heavy- handed political players at play.”

“They’re big, and they’re powerful.”

The Star was told Health and Social Services Minister Mike Nixon was not available for an interview.

After the CBC published Goeppel’s findings from the documents Tuesday, Premier Darrell Pasloski released a response.

“The location and need (for a 150-bed continuing care facility in Whistle Bend) have been determined after an extensive planning process between officials and government,” read Pasloski’s statement.

His release did not deal with any of the specifics from the internal documents.

Nor did it address the allegations that the government failed to provide sufficient consultation with Yukoners during the selection process.

When asked whether the Opposition will continue to approach the topic of the facility in the legislative assembly, Stick had no hesitation.

“Absolutely,” she said, “A lot of questions need to be answered.”

Goeppel is prepared to go to the mattresses to get the facility’s location changed – her feisty, “results-based” mother has instructed her to keep fighting.

“The foundations haven’t been poured yet,” she said.

On June 8, Nixon announced that three teams were shortlisted to proceed in a competitive selection process to design and build the facility.

Once proposals from all three businesses are received and evaluated, the government will select and award a design built contract.

Since 2003, the home care budget in the territory has risen about 350 per cent to $5.6 million along with the aging Yukon population – the fastest-growing age group in the territory.

In this year’s budget, $26 million was set aside toward building the facility.

It is the largest capital project the government has taken on since the construction of the Alaska Highway.