Bids received for renovations to the Whitehorse Correctional Centre have come in more than double what the Yukon government has budgeted.

Justice Minister Marion Horne was attending a local conference this morning and was unavailable to discuss what, if anything, has been decided by her department since it received the bids two weeks ago.

The deputy minister and the communications staff with the department were also away this morning on courses, and similarly unavailable for comment.

Members of the two opposition parties suggest the bid result is yet another reflection of how Premier Dennis Fentie's government is out of touch with reality, and unable to manage finances.

Horne unveiled $437,000 last fall for renovations to the 41-year-old correctional centre, which she said were required to improve safety conditions while planning for a new facility was ongoing.

It's commonly accepted that the Range Road correctional centre is in desperate need of replacement.

In announcing the renovation money in last November's supplementary budget, Horne said: "The interim space plan will not increase capacity, as such, but it will improve safety conditions."

Ketza Construction Corp. of Whitehorse submitted the lowest of three bids by the Feb. 19 deadline, with a price of $1.23 million.

TSL Contractors of Ltd. of Whitehorse submitted a price of $1.34 million, while Quinan Construction of Orillia, Ont. submitted a bid of $1.6 million.

Liberal Justice critic Don Inverarity suggested this morning enough is enough.

The only thing the Yukon Party has done with respect to the pressing need for a new jail is cancel the project started by the Liberal government when the conservative regime came into office in 2002, he said.

Fentie's government, he said, has literally done nothing since.

"Are the inmates going to have to live in squalor for another year?"

Inverarity added it seems this government is always over-budget.

"And now we are looking at $700,000 that they are going to be over-budget," he said. "Clearly, Fentie's government doesn't know how to manage money."

Both Inverarity and NDP critic Steve Cardiff said in addition to the problems with being over-budget, the renovation tender should have been posted last fall, with the work completed over the winter.

Cardiff said Horne told him last fall while he was touring the correctional centre with her that renovations would be complete by the end of this month.

The renovations, said Cardiff, are necessary for the health and welfare of staff and inmates, as well as the general public who visit the facility.

Cardiff insisted the government is continuing to mismanage the entire situation surrounding the replacement of the correctional centre.

"They continue to drag their feet in getting this work done, just like they dragged their feet in replacing the whole facility," he said.

"I hope they do not use this as an excuse not to do what needs to be done immediately."

In addition to the need to replace the facility in general, specific questions were raised in the legislature last fall regarding what were described as deplorable conditions female inmates face with accommodations and available programming.

The government set aside $3.24 million in the main budget last spring to advance planning and design work for the new centre, on top of the $539,000 forecast for planning work in 2006-07.

The new jail will be built at the same site as the existing correctional centre, the government announced last year.