Klondike MLA Peter Jenkins denies ever giving his fellow Yukon Party direction on dealing with Dawson City's council.

In yesterday's Star, former Dawson supervisor Ken Hodgins alleged Jenkins met with him a number of times before he, Hodgins, was replaced last October.

Hodgins said he met a number of times with Community Services Minister Glenn Hart about Dawson and either Jenkins was present or Hart ran back and forth between his office and Jenkins'.

These comments come after Jenkins repeatedly denied having any involvement in cabinet discussions on what to do about Dawson, which is more than $4 million in debt.

On April 13, Hart fired then-mayor Glen Everitt and council because of the financial situation and because the minister wanted to put in someone who would co-operate more with government than the elected officials.

After the firing, Jenkins said he stayed out of any cabinet discussions on the matter.

But that's not the story Hodgins is telling.

Jenkins was quick to dismiss Hodgins' statement.

'(That's) patently wrong: incorrect,' the minister said in an interview this morning.

He said he was never at a meeting with Hodgins.

'Mr. Hart is not going back and forth between his office and my office,' he added.

'Somebody is sitting up nights dreaming up this stuff.'

Jenkins said unequivocally he 'never' gave direction to Hodgins or Hart on how to deal with Dawson City's fiscal plight.

Hodgins was appointed supervisor by the former Liberal government in 2001. He worked with the town until Oct. 3, 2003, when he was replaced by Andre Carrel.

Hodgins was replaced a few days after he had been fired from his job with Community Services. Carrel never worked for the Yukon government.

The opposition, meanwhile, is not ready to dismiss Hodgins' statements.

'I don't see any reason for Mr. Hodgins to lie,' NDP critic Steve Cardiff said today.

'No one in either Dawson or who has watched the legislature ... would be the least bit surprised by that information,' Liberal Leader Pat Duncan said today.

She doesn't think it's a stretch to see Jenkins giving Hart direction on how to deal with Dawson City.

'He gives instructions all the time in question period, in the legislature,' Duncan said of Jenkins.

The minister has been known to get up and tell other ministers what to say during question period, including Hart.

Duncan said he also does it during debate later in the afternoon.

'There's no doubt in my mind that he's given direction.'

Cardiff noted Jenkins may have done that because of 'the obvious friction' between the minister and former mayor Everitt.

Cardiff said he didn't know if it was appropriate for Jenkins to give direction to Hart or Hodgins on what to do with Dawson City. He said it would depend on whether Jenkins was giving the instructions out of concern for his town or out of a personal vendetta against Everitt.

Both opposition members said one concern about Jenkins was his comments while in opposition himself during the Liberal government's reign.

Cardiff said Jenkins talked in opposition as if the Liberal government had taken full control of Dawson City's finances by appointing Hodgins, which was not true.

'There's (been) a funny smell to this for a long time,' said the New Democrat.

'I believe he gave direction and I think he signalled that direction quite clearly with his comments in the legislature (in opposition),' Duncan said.

She was asked why Hodgins should be believed over Jenkins.

'One has to (examine that) we have a professional public servant (Hodgins) and we have to examine the history of Mr. Jenkins and the court records of the Yukon,' to see who should be believed, she said.

Jenkins was once convicted of perjury.