The capital budget for the upcoming fiscal year has been set at $237.7 million, representing a $28 million or 10.5 per cent decrease from the current capital budget forecast to the end of March 2011.

Premier and Finance Minister Dennis Fentie tabled the 2011-12 fiscal year spending plans this afternoon in the legislature.

Of the 17 individual department budgets, three are going up, 10 are going down and four are remaining the same, the budget shows.

The budget for the Department of Community Services is jumping by a whopping 86 per cent to $119.4 million, accounting for half of the entire capital spending scheduled between this April 1 and March 31, 2012.

A huge chunk of the boost is credited to land development and other improvements to municipal infrastructure, such as the $21 million for Dawson City's new sewage treatment plant and district heating system.

In his budget speech, Fentie noted the importance of more residential land development, given the territory's growing economy and population.

"Our government invested $15.1 million territorial-wide in residential, commercial and industrial land development in our 2010-2011 budget and in 2011-2012, we are almost tripling that amount to $41.9 million,” Fentie told the house.

The capital budget, for instance, identifies $31 million for phase one of the new Whistle Bend urban development on the Porter Creek lower bench and $5.2 million for the rural Grizzly Valley development across from Deep Creek on the North Klondike Highway.

Noticeably absent from the capital budget summary is the $70 million being borrowed and spent by the Yukon Hospital Corp. on behalf of the Yukon government: $50 million is identified for continuing work on the new hospitals in Dawson City and Watson Lake.

A further $17 million has been identified by the hospital corpation for completion of the new residence for medical staff and office complex at #1 Hospital Rd.

It's also earmarked a further $3.2 million to open up 19 new beds in the renovated Thomson Centre.

Of the $237.7 million budgeted for 2011-12, $143 million is coming mostly from the federal government for jointly-funded projects

Of the $67 million identified for covering improvement to municipal infrastructre, Ottawa is kicking in 75 per cent, or $56 million.

The U.S. government is also making its annual contribution for work on the Shakwak project, with this year's commitment amounting to $17 million.

On the other hand, the loss of federal money for projects identified for the current fiscal budget ending next month has seen some department budgets dip.

The fiscal budget for the Department of Highways and Public Works is tumbling by $18.6 million to $64.6 million, representing a 22 per cent decrease from the $83.2 million forecast to the end of next month.

There was, for instance, some $8 million in this fiscal budget for improvement projects to rural roads, like the Annie Lake and Fish Lake roads.

The fiscal budget for the Yukon Housing Corp. is falling by 57 per cent to $21.4 million from $49.6 million budegeted for this fiscal year, with the completion of the federally funded single parents' residence on Nisutlin Drive and the new seniors' complex behind Boston Pizza.

Yukon Housing, however, is still benefiting from an infusion of federal cash for a number of projects which is keeping its annual budget higher than it normally would be.

There is $8 million from Ottawa identified under its affordable housing stimulus initiative, such as $2.2 million for replacing mobile home units used for social housing in rural communities and $2.6 million for the proposed Abbeyfield housing project for seniors in Whitehorse.

Other capital budgets for the various department are:

• With construction of the new correctional centre approaching completion, capital funding for the Department of Justice is going down by $20 million, from $32.3million to $12.1 million;

• The year's fiscal budget for the Department of Education is falling to $9.4 million from $11.7million, representing a 20 per cent decrease;

• Capital funding for Health and Social Services is dropping from $7.5 million to $4.8 million, representing a decrease of 35 per cent;

• The capital budget for Tourism and Culture is sinking by 53 per cent, from $3.9 million to $1.8 million;

• The Department of Economic Development is having its capital budget cut in half this year to $1.5 million;

• With the $3.7 million in federal funding drying up for a mineral core library and $1 million for the forestry research infrastructure, the capital budget for Energy, Mines and Resources has tumbled by 83 per cent, from $6.6 million to $1.1 million.

• Capital funding for Environment Yukon is going down from $2.7 million to $1 million, with the completion of the $1-million animal research facility and a new barn for the Yukon Wildlife Preserve north of Whitehorse.