Eight months after saying the Thomson Centre would reopen in six months, Health Minister Brad Cathers says Yukoners will have to keep waiting.

'That was based on assuming that everything would go well,' Cathers said Monday.

'It has not gone well. We have determined that there are more problems, more deficiencies within the Thomson Centre, including more mould that has been discovered.'

The upgrades to the Thomson Centre were initially announced on Aug. 24, 2006, just weeks before Premier Dennis Fentie dropped the writ for last October's general election.

The six months were simply meant as an estimate on when the facility would be reopening its doors, said Cathers.

'It was the best information we had. It was the date we believed we'd be able to open it. It was the target date,' he told reporters.

When the announcement was made, it had been thought the structural problems of the crumbling centre, located next to the Whitehorse General Hospital, had been resolved and it was just a matter of doing some upgrades, said Cathers.

But when a final confirmation check was conducted over the winter, it was determined there was a significant, and unacceptable, amount of mould in the building, he said.

The Department of Health and Social Services was not able to confirm exactly when or where the mould was found by the time the Star went to press this afternoon.

It was, however, spotted by the property management agency, said Pat Living, the department's media spokesperson.

The inspection occurred following the territorial election. An occupational health and safety officer has also inspected the area effected by it, said Living.

The mould is related to structural deficiencies and upgrades done on the roof, said Cathers.

The Thomson Centre first opened in 1992 as a palliative care centre.

Barely a decade later, it was discovered there were serious and costly problems with the roof construction and related moulding from moisture.

No one has lived in the nursing home since the summer of 2002, when its current residents were moved up to the new Copper Ridge Place.

Last August, Cathers announced approximately $2 million would be spent on readying the building to again serve as a 44-bed residential care facility that would also provide palliative care.

The bulk of the money was meant to go toward upgrading the nurse call system and purchasing new beds and equipment.

Neither Cathers nor the department were able to provide an estimate on the cost of correcting the latest problem.

An invitational tender is out nationally looking for mould experts, said Living. 'It's to see how to get rid of this once and for all,' she said.

The department does not yet know if it is simply surface mould or if it is in the walls, she said, adding testing is needed.

'It's a good example of why it's important to do these things right the first time,' Cathers said of the building constructed during the mandate of the former NDP government. 'Thomson Centre has been a big challenge.'

The government is moving as expeditiously as possible on the project, he said.

There are currently options before cabinet on how to deal with the centre and the palliative care beds, Cathers added. An announcement should be made within a month.

'It shouldn't come as a surprise that this project has dragged on for so long without any conclusion,' said NDP Health critic John Edzerza. 'In fact, I can't think of one single construction project this government has completed on time.'

Edzerza said he is further concerned the government is finding it won't be able to fill reach the level of staffing needed to run the centre.

There will be 55 positions available at the Thomson Centre when it opens. Five of them will be directed at auxiliary coverage paid at full-time equivalent rates.

Some staff has already been hired for the centre, said Cathers, adding the government is hopeful it will be able to meet its goals in attracting the needed professionals.

Until the centre does open, the employees will be assisting in opening up the remaining 12 beds at Copper Ridge Place, he said.