The new emergency department at Whitehorse General Hospital will open to patients Jan. 9.

But the ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday amid bubbling enthusiasm for an emergency care centre that was described as second to none.

“It’s a wonderful day, it’s a marvelous day,” said Brian Gillen, chair of the Yukon Hospital Corp.

He was addressing the gathering of doctors and nurses, members of the public, civil servants, representatives of the business community and elected members of the Yukon government.

“The emergency department we are about to open today is a remarkable facility by any standards.”

Gillen humourously referred to it as something you would see on the popular TV show Chicago Med, but cleaner.

Health and Social Services Minister Pauline Frost described it as beautiful, as people would see during their tour following the ribbon-cutting.

There are conversations to come about what will be done with the old space, and what will be done with the vacant second storey above the emergency department, she said.

The minister said everybody is aware of the bed shortage Whitehorse General is facing.

Wednesday, said Frost, was a day to celebrate the first major addition since the new hospital was built 20 years ago.

It was a day to celebrate a state-of-the-art facility and those who made it happen on time and on schedule, said the minister.

The 40,000-square-foot expansion of the hospital accounted for the major portion of the overall $72-million budget approved by the Yukon government in 2014 to make improvements. It included the $7 million allotted for the MRI unit that opened in January 2015.

The construction cost for the new wing was $55 million, with another $4.5 million for equipment, and $4.2 million for design and planning.

There is still $2 million to renovate the spaces that will be vacated after the emergency department and the intensive care unit move into the new wing.

Gillen said the new emergency department brings forward the best in technology and design.

“There are improved sightlines between health care providers and patients, enhanced privacy for patients, and we are better able to prevent and control infection,” Gillen told the gathering.

Every year, he said, there are about 34,000 visits to the emergency department.

He said the new wing has 17 equipped treatment areas compared to 10 currently.

Those coming through the door requiring emergency assistance will now be met by medical personnel who will assess their condition and determine their priority, Gillen explained.

He pointed out that under the direction of the general contractor, PCL Construction, 100 Yukon businesses participated in the project, from specialized trades to providing signage and accommodations.

There were 170 truckloads of concrete poured into the project and 790 tons of structural steel.

Altogether, 150,000 hours of work were required to complete the expansion.

Gillen said the number of lost-time accidents due to injury was zero.

“Zero. This is phenomenal in my mind, phenomenal.”

One hundred kilometres of data cable run through the new facility, he said.

Heat from computers in the data centre will be recovered and used to help keep the wing warm.

Gillen noted while the new emergency department will open Jan. 9, the new intensive care unit and its four beds – an increase of two – won’t open until February.

Everyone who worked on the project, who contributed to the expansion, needs to be recognized for keeping the project on budget and on schedule, he said.

Gillen said the corporation’s director of projects, Karen Girling, and its executive director of quality and strategy, Warren Holland, have devoted the last two years of their lives to the construction and commissioning of the new wing on behalf of Yukoners.

“Yukoners never want to come to hospital – in fact, no one does – but when you do have to come here, you’ll know that we have this new facility, team, technologies and equipment to provide the best care possible.”

Kwanlin Dün elder Ann Smith said the opening prayer Wednesday.

The new emergency department will be open to the public for tours from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.