The opposition parties are unhappy that, once again, the Yukon government is unveiling its budget outside of the legislature.

On Wednesday afternoon, Highways and Public Services Minister Glenn Hart revealed his entire 2005-06 capital budget for new projects, totalling $69 million.

Releases issued by the government detailed where that money is going to be spent on over the fiscal year, which will begin Apr. 1.

NDP Leader Todd Hardy is upset that the government is revealing what's in the budget instead of releasing it in the legislature, as has been the tradition prior to this Yukon Party government.

'Once again, it's bits and pieces being filtered out to the media,' Hardy said today.

The government shouldn't be avoiding the legislature, he added a sentiment echoed by the Liberal boss.

'Once again, there's no respect for the legislature and, by extension, the Yukon people,'Grit Leader Pat Duncan said today.

'Introduce this in the legislature. That is the respectful way to do things.'

Hardy and Duncan raised the same problems this time last year when the government started releasing information about what was in the budget prior to going back to the legislature.

Duncan said Yukoners told the government last year not to do it this way, and that has been ignored.

'They're just going to do it the way they want to do it,' she said.

Hardy said he heard Hart made the early announcement to give the contracting community notice on what would be coming up for work this year.

Neither leader felt that argument is valid.

Hardy pointed out that traditionally, prior to the Yukon Party, governments introduced the budget in February.

He said if the government had chosen to do this normally this year, then the information would already be out, making Hart's explanation moot.

Duncan said the capital budget should be introduced in the fall because that is what the contracting community wants.

While Finance minister from 2000 to 2002, Duncan introduced the capital budget in the fall. Premier Dennis Fentie went back to bringing both the capital and operation and maintenance budget at the same time, which is how it was done prior to Duncan's tenture.

This is the second straight year that Fentie has held off going back to the legislature later than normal.

Since two weeks' notice are required, and the government prefers to start a sitting on a Thursday, the earliest day for a return is Mar. 17.

Both parties think the government should give more notice on the start of the sitting.

NDP house leader Gary McRobb said he recently asked Yukon Party house leader Peter Jenkins when the house will reconvene.

'He would only say in March,' said McRobb. 'Why is it only the government side that gets to know these dates?' he asked.

McRobb thinks there should be set sitting dates which would give MLAs and bureaucrats the time to prepare for a session, instead of scrambling with two weeks to go.

While in power, Duncan's Liberal government tended to give six months' or more notice on when a session begins.

Hardy pointed out that making a budget announcement especially doesn't make sense with the session date still up in the air.

'Hart making this announcement when no one knows when we're going into the legislature doesn't make sense,' Hardy said.

Hart's announcement indicates the Highways and Public Works capital budget will be $2 million less than the spending for new projects the department had in last year's budget.

The government is planning to spend $47 million on roads and bridges.

Of that total, $24 million is coming from the U.S. government for the Shakwak project.

The Shakwak is the re-construction of parts of the Alaska Highway, the road built by the U.S. military during the Second World War to keep an eye on the state, which did have a small portion captured by Japan.

The government will also spend $10 million of its own cash on upgrading the Alaska Highway between Whitehorse and Haines Junction and working on bridges south of Whitehorse.

The plan is to do re-construction on the road, fix up roads and do some paving.

The government will also spend another $2 million to resurface and fortify sections of the Dempster, Campbell and Top of the World Highways.

Another $10 million will be handed out to replace part of the Lewes River Bridge between Carcross and Whitehorse; completely replace the Donjek River Bridge; and to fix up the Takhini River Bridge north of Whitehorse.

The government is also still working on building a bridge across the Yukon River in Dawson City.

Also on the agenda is $5 million to build the new air terminal in Old Crow, repair the runway at that airport and to do upgrades at the Whitehorse International Airport terminal.

The government wants to spend $8 million on information technology, including $5 million this year for mobile communications and $2.7 million to improve the government's computer systems.

The government is also pledging $4 million for property improvements, including extending the trolley track in Whitehorse to the Chilkoot Centre; indoor air quality, security and fire alarm improvements in government buildings; and to assess the drinking water in government buildings across the Yukon.