The Department of Education had not even begun to consider building a new school in the Copper Ridge area until the Yukon Party's byelection candidate made promises during her campaign, says Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell.

'They were allowing the candidate to make an announcement, but there was no plan going on,' Mitchell told reporters this week.

'A $9-million-plus capital project is decided on the fly in the hopes of making a difference in the outcome of an election. That's shameful.'

According to documents Mitchell received through the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, discussion in the department on the new school did not even begin until Nov. 3, after three days of questioning from Liberal MLA Pat Duncan.

Duncan highlighted the growing population in the Copper Ridge area and the need for a new school as Elijah Smith Elementary School neared capacity.

Its current enrolment is 304 students, despite Department of Education projections that it would have an enrolment of 287 for September 2005.

The Yukon Party's Nov. 21 byelection candidate, Cynthia Kearns, had been handing out flyers in the Copperbelt riding promising to build a new school.

It wasn't until her campaign flyer was tabled in the legislative assembly that the Yukon Party cabinet switched from saying there would be a new school where there was a 'demonstrated need' to saying the party was 'committed to building a new school.'

One document received by Mitchell asks, 'Is this a new project, not previously listed in the capital plan?'

By Nov. 8, the department was sending out a 'detail sheet' for 'the new Copper Ridge Elementary School'.

It included reference to looking into costs of fuel, electrical, sewer and water, garbage pickup, telephone, custodial, operation and maintenance, and field and grounds maintenance.

'The whole thing is ludicrous in the way it came about, and I think it's shameful,' Mitchell said, despite his party's push in the legislature to get the Yukon Party to commit to looking into building a school.

'The minister has watched this part of the city grow and the demands increase,' Duncan said.

'What is the minister going to do about it? What does the minister intend to do about the shortage of school space in this part of the city? Busing children all over Whitehorse is not an acceptable answer. What does the minister intend to do about it?'

She later asked, 'Does the Yukon Party support building a new school in this area of the city, or are they opposed to it?'

'We support building a new school,' Mitchell said. 'We want the government to move ahead better late than never.'

But he now wants to know when consultations with first nations, school councils, community organizations and teachers are going to occur.

The documents received by Mitchell state the government will begin the process of designing the new school in 2006.

There has been $700,000 set aside for the planning and design of the school for the 2006/2007 budget cycle.

'There was no previous plans to build the schools whatsoever,' said Mitchell.

Education Minister John Edzerza, however, said there was 'some talk around it' prior to the issue being brought forward on the legislature floor.

'I mentioned it a long time before. I mentioned it at an AGM (annual general meeting) for school councils,' said Edzerza.

'There was no absolute, concrete, fixed date on what the ground would start breaking and this school would be built,' he added.

However, he said he can 'guarantee' the school will not be built prior to the end of the Yukon Party's current mandate.

Premier Dennis Fentie must call a general election by November 2006.