The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) officially opened its Whitehorse office on Monday, a move that resurrected a site that had been closed for more than six years.

The city joined the capitals of the two other territories in yesterday’s opening, complementing the Service Canada locations which are also stationed in the cities. (Whitehorse’s Service Canada office already operates out of the Elijah Smith Building.)

The local CRA office will operate from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. It can be accessed through Service Canada, which is on the ground floor of the building.

The CRA site will come equipped with three full-time staff, with a renewed focus on offering more help to communities – as there will be two outreach workers and one liaison officer helping with on-site business visits and seminars.

Yukon MP Larry Bagnell said it was a much-needed and long-anticipated move for northerners. Among them are those who are operating small businesses and have questions about deductions or their filing obligations.

“One of the benefits of having this liaison model in the northern service centres is for CRA to get to know people and businesses in the community,” Bagnell said.

“By having the staff live here, they’re really knowing the challenges that we all face and the unique situations that we have in the North.”

A dedicated phone service is also set up to field questions from those looking for help: one line will be for businesses, and the other for individuals.

Smiling, the MP noted things like the northern allowance were among those topics “intensely confusing and complicated” to navigate.

“They’ll know all that,” Bagnell said of those on the other end of the call. “So you can phone directly, when you pick up the line you’ll phone right to them – that’ll solve a lot of problems.”

The lines will only be open to those from within the territories.

“You’ll have to be phoning from an 867 area code before you get access to that line, so you’ll actually get someone that knows about the North,” Bagnell added.

When the-then Conservative government closed the office in the fall of 2012, members of the business community and public were vocal about the services being lost.

The federal Liberals committed to bringing back the office, with Bagnell running in part on a 2015 election platform to resurrect the site.

Dubbed the northern service centres, the offices are to provide a year-round, in-person presence of the agency in the territories’ capital cities.

The liaison officer will help with business visits and seminars on-site, while the two outreach officers will assist in particular with the Community Volunteer Income Tax Program (CVITP).

Those clinics see volunteers helping file income tax returns free of charge for those with a modest income and simple tax situations.

During the fall of 2018, the agency consulted with businesses and accountants in cities across Canada, including Iqaluit, Yellowknife and Whitehorse. Bagnell called that a much-needed move.

It was a sentiment echoed by Paolo Gallina, the Liberal MLA for Porter Creek Centre. He joined Grand Chief Peter Johnston of the Council of Yukon First Nations; Jessie Dawson, a Kwanlin Dün First Nation councillor; Mayor Dan Curtis and numerous CRA officials at Monday’s ribbon-cutting.

“Yukoners have been anxiously awaiting a more direct access to individuals to help them with their many tax needs,” Gallina said.

“We could all use some help with our taxes,” the MLA added, noting he’s heard how significant the service is to Yukoners.

The opening comes after the feds announced last August that re-establishing the centres would cost $6 million per year.

On Monday, a CRA official was asked about the possibility of closing up shop again, with another federal election slated for October.

The official said that didn’t look like an option at this stage. “As far as I know, we are here now, and we intend to be here until any further direction is provided.”

Another CRA spokesperson, Nico Siemens, explained some of the tasks for the roles in more detail.

“Outreach officers will be supporting those organizations that are hosting the CVITP clinics,” he said.

Bagnell recalled that in the past, there have been volunteers who hosted them in areas like community centres.

Providing information about the tools offered by the agency and the importance of filing regularly for eligibility requirements is also a key responsibility of the role, Siemens added.

It’s different from what was offered before the office disappeared in 2012, he said. “The service model we’re embracing is to really be in the communities.

“We will be in the offices as well, but given that a large part of our work will be outside of the office, Service Canada will still be the first point of contact, and they’ll provide access to CRA services.”

Those approaching Service Canada in person will be provided with things like income tax forms, “fairly straight-forward services.

“For immediate services, the best option is to call the northern dedicated line,” Siemens said, noting they will be “quite responsive” in offering a wider range of services.

“The call centre agents are trained in northern tax issues ... and received cultural sensitivity training as well.”

Should more help be needed, Service Canada can then contact an officer with the agency, which is housed on the second floor of the building.

Meanwhile, the city joined Iqaluit and Yellowknife in welcoming the new sites, which saw federal officials congregate to mark the ribbon-cutting.

As part of those fall 2018 consultations, a federal release noted, Ottawa “has improved the information it provides on the northern residents (tax) deductions and how to claim them.”

A detailed paper describing the potential regulatory changes that aim to lower the administration burden linked to the lowest return airfare part of the deductions is expected for the coming year.

Those in the territories with questions about individual benefits and taxes can call 1-866-426-1527, while business-related questions are to be directed to 1-866-841-1876.