The Yukon's opposition parties have taken opposing stances on the latest announcement in the F.H. Collins Secondary School reconstruction saga.

Jim Tredger, the NDP's Education critic, told the Star Monday that he was "shocked” by the government's decision to scrap the school design.

"It's appalling,” he said, calling it a reactionary decision that "raises more questions than answers.”

However, Sandy Silver, the interim leader of the Liberal party, said his first reaction to the news was "this is good.”

That sentiment was shared by Sandra Henderson, the co-chair of the F.H. Collins School Council.

Education Minister Scott Kent met with Henderson Monday to share the news with her – news she was only too happy to hear.

"I disagreed with the concept from the very beginning,” she told the Star today. That's something she made clear to the Department of Education at the time.

Henderson, along with a few other members of the council, sat on the now-defunct building advisory committee, but left after it became clear their cautions regarding the design would not be heeded.

"The concept was not suitable for our Yukon students. The concept was also too far-fetched,” she said, noting the council advised them it would be too expensive.

Henderson preferred not to comment extensively on the new design concept, as the specifics of the design and program implementation have not been determined.

Silver said he had also heard there were significant problems with the now-scrapped design from various people involved in trades.

"So as far as the actual design of the building and location, we're glad that the minister has decided to stop,” he said.

"However, we do have some new concerns now. Five and a half million dollars has already been spent on a project that's cancelled,” he noted.

That's a key concern for the NDP as well.

"That's more than half the cost differential between what they estimated and what the contractors put in. So they've already lost half of it by tossing out the design,” Tredger said.

"It's very concerning given the recent auditor general's reports on building of various buildings like the Whitehorse Correctional Centre or the hospitals (in Dawson City and Watson Lake).”

The Mayo-Tatchun MLA guaranteed he'd broach the subject during the spring sitting of the legislature, which will start March 21.

Tredger added that he's not even sure he's unhappy with the latest decision to move forward with a pre-designed campus-style school.

"I'm just unhappy with the way they went about it.

"This is another example where the community should be involved in the process. They had a committee, they've got parents, they've got staff, all of these people should be involved in the process,” he said.

Silver, too, has questions about the new design option – specifically how it happened to be "already waiting in the wings to be implemented ASAP.”

He's also heard rumours that even with the new campus-style design, the government may not invest in a new technology and trades wing, arguing that there should be at least one Whitehorse high school with a focus on the discipline.

But overall, Silver's take on the announcement was that "it could be a good news story.

"It could be a really good news story for minister Kent, and I hope it is.

"It's just a matter of ‘let's make sure we don't make the same mistakes that made us have to cancel this particular project.'”