The Yukon government plans to upgrade the Pelly Crossing runway so medevacs can land in the community all year round by 2018.

Doris Wurfbaum, a spokesperson for the Department of Highways and Public Works, said last Thursday that $250,000 is budgeted for the reconstruction during the 2015/2016 fiscal year.

Another $300,000 is set aside in 2016/2017, and potentially a further $150,000 in 2017/2018.

The official Opposition raised the issue last Tuesday during question period.

Jim Tredger, the NDP's critic for rural issues and the communities, questioned whether this year's budget included funds to upgrade the community's runway infrastructure.

Highways and Public Works Minister Wade Istchenko wouldn't give him a straight answer.

"A patient who needs serious medical attention is taken by the Pelly ambulance to Stewart Crossing, where they are transferred to the Mayo ambulance, which then takes them to the Mayo hospital, where they are then medevaced to Whitehorse,” Tredger noted.

"Aside from serious time delays, this takes two ambulances out of service in their communities. After many years of such utter nonsense, that this still continues is shocking. It is unacceptable. The residents of Pelly Crossing and area have waited long enough,” he said.

Chief Kevin McGinty of the Selkirk First Nation said Thursday the First Nation raised the issue of the Pelly airport with the government when it was first elected in 2011.

"It was a priority for our community to have our airport accessible for medevacs,” he said, noting the runway is in a poor state and medevacs haven't been able to land for about the past four years.

With patients having to be taken by ambulance to Mayo to be medevaced out, McGinty said there have been situations where family members have made it to Whitehorse before the medevac.

McGinty said the poor condition of the airport preventing medevacs from landing is a lack of service that could jeopardize the health of his community.

"We've been trying our best,” he said, noting they have an active ambulance service.

The recently re-elected chief was pleased to hear the government does plan to upgrade the airport.

"That'd be great if that does happen; our people's been walking on pins and needles here, so hopefully nothing bad happens,” he said.

Back in Tuesday's question period, Istchenko noted that public works staff work hard to meet the high safety standards implemented by Transport Canada "and this government invests to improve airport facilities for everyone.

"You just need to look at our budget this year. We take pride in providing a safe environment for aircraft, pilots and passengers alike.

"We always work in partnership with local, national and international airlines — always with Nav Canada — and every other pilot who uses our facilities on a day-to-day basis. That keeps us with an excellent safety record, and we're proud of that.”

The minister did not confirm whether the Pelly Crossing airfield would benefit from any of the $7.6 million in funding set aside in the 2014-2015 budget for "other airports projects,” but it doesn't appear that it will.

Wurfbaum explained that the reconstruction, planned to begin in either 2015 or 2016, will allow medevacs to land year-round.

Currently, the runway, which is 990 metres (3,300 feet) long, is primarily used by small, private and charter airplanes, and only occasionally used by the RCMP and medevacs.

Wurfbaum said the existing gravel runway was never designed to be used by high-performance aircraft like the Beechcraft King Air 300 that's used for medevac flights.

While the planes can land in Pelly Crossing under the right conditions, the ground is too soft at this time of year to accommodate them, she said.

Pat Living, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Social Services, which holds the contract for the medevac planes, said the department hasn't pushed for upgrades to the community runway because the system of transporting patients to Mayo works for it.