Planning will begin in the new fiscal year for the promised Mayo seniors' housing facility.

Scott Kent, the minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corp., made the announcement Tuesday, during a visit to the central Yukon village.

"In the fall of 2011, our government committed to building a new seniors' housing complex in Mayo, and I am pleased to announce that funding to move the project forward has been earmarked in the 2013/14 budget, which will be tabled next week in the legislature,” Kent said.

MLAs will reconvene March 21.

"Once legislative approval is in place, design and other work can begin to build a complex with six energy-efficient, accessible units to accommodate the needs of elderly tenants.”

This phase will include work by the newly-formed accessibility advisory committee, comprising housing, health, and disability management specialists.

Seniors are the fastest-growing demographic in Yukon. The number of seniors aged 65 and older is projected to make up 15 per cent of the total Yukon population by 2021.

The northern lifestyle and the range of government-provided services are seen as major reasons for the increase.

Over the past five years, the housing corporation has constructed new seniors' housing facilities in Watson Lake, Teslin, Faro, Haines Junction and Whitehorse.

In addition, the recently announced 34-unit seniors' housing complex in Whitehorse, which will replace the former Alexander Street residence in the capital, is scheduled for completion in 2015.

"Not all seniors wish to live in Whitehorse, but would rather remain in the communities, where they have raised their families and lived their lives,” said Claire Derome, the corporation's board chair.

"We are constructing seniors' housing so that Yukoners have the option of living in their home communities and remaining close to their family and friends.”

New seniors' facility also planned for Dawson City ....