In light of further skepticism in regards to the planned continuing care facility to be built in Whistle Bend, the Yukon NDP has taken matters into its own hands and planned what the public has been waiting for – a public town hall meeting.

As well, the party has started to circulate a petition demanding the government reconsider building the facility in Whistle Bend.

A criticism of the facility heard time and time again – in the legislative assembly and on the streets – is that the construction of a 150-bed complex was planned and decided on without the input of Yukoners.

“Consultation is the cornerstone of our democracy, but the Yukon Party seems to be afraid of what they might hear,” NDP Leader Liz Hanson said in a statement about the pending public meeting.

But Premier Darrell Pasloski sees the issue a bit differently.

“The determination to build the facility was based on a needs-assessment,” he said in an interview today. He was speaking from St. John’s, where he’s taking part in the annual premiers’ meeting (see story, p. 5).

“Public consultation doesn’t determine whether we need (a facility),” he told the Star.

Pasloski said that going forward, public consultation will come into play in shaping the design of what the two-storey building will look like.

“A Yukon NDP government would listen to Yukoners before – not after – the planning process wraps up,” Hanson said.

“This town hall meeting is an example of how we would do things differently,” added Hanson.

“I look forward to a robust and frank discussion about what we can – and should – do to ensure that our seniors and elders can choose the best possible care for their circumstances, be it home care or continuing care, as they age.”

This meeting, however, will not be held until Sept. 16 – which might be too late if people wish to have aspects of the facility altered.

The last public hearing in regards to the Whistle Bend facility was held on March 9, when city council was debating an essential zoning change for a piece of land near Keno Way that would enable the project to move forward.

Just five residents appeared at the public meeting – a seemingly low turnout.

Of the residents who spoke, several concerns were raised regarding the facility, including its size being too big, potential traffic problems and the facility not fitting into the “original vision” for Whistle Bend.

Days later, a Yukon Party press release quashed the former concern by stating, “By choosing Whistle Bend, the facility will be integrated into a growing subdivision and will complement the overall plan for the area.”

The rezoning was approved during the March 23 city council meeting, passing with a vote of 5-1.

Coun. Betty Irwin was the only one to vote against the motion.

Irwin said at the time it felt as though the government was pushing the city against the wall with the decision because of the urgency of finding much-needed beds for seniors on a growing waitlist for continuing care. She had asked for more details about the project, including a list of other locations that had been considered before Whistle Bend was selected.

“What we need to remember is that we heard these exact same issues and concerns (in regards to) Copper Ridge Place,” Pasloski added.

“And here we are, 15 years later, we have a centre that fits well into the community.”

The picking of Whistle Bend as the future home for the facility, Pasloski said, was due to its size and a pressing need to get the project moving.

“We needed to have a facility (on) a piece of land that we could expand.”

Asked why other parcels of land– such as the 56-hectare former tank farm site near Valleyview – were dismissed as possible locations despite their expandable size, Pasloski said it came down to a “pressing need” to get the facility plans moving.

If the government had waited to determine whether areas like the tank farm could have been deemed appropriate sites for the facility, he said, it would have added another year or two to the project.

On June 8, Health Minister Mike Nixon announced that three teams were shortlisted to proceed with creating proposals to design and build the facility.

Once proposals from all three businesses are received and evaluated, the government will select and award a design build contract.

Since 2003, the home care budget in the territory has risen about 350 per cent to $5.6 million along with the aging Yukon population– the fastest-growing age group in the territory.

In this year’s budget, $26 million was set aside to go toward the project.

It is the largest capital project the government has taken on since the construction of the Alaska Highway.

“Consultation is the cornerstone of our democracy, but the Yukon Party seems to be afraid of what they might hear,” said Hanson.

“Whether it’s the Peel watershed, fracking or continuing care, Darrell Pasloski and the Yukon Party government continue to tell Yukoners what they think is best – no matter what the public says.”

In pursuit of answers as to why other locations for the facility were dismissed, Whitehorse resident Tamara Goeppel used an access to information request to seize hordes of email exchanges and briefing notes between government officials and technical advisors that were sent throughout the location selection process for the facility.

In order of best location to worst, a report prepared by the property management division of the Department of Highways and Public Works put Porter Creek at the top, then Riverdale, followed by Copper Ridge and finally, Whistle Bend.

On April 9, senior management gave instructions to strike Porter Creek, Riverdale and Copper Ridge off of the possible locations list.

It is unclear from the report as to why those three locations were eliminated from the list.

The report provides a summary of data which showed that Whistle Bend had potential for higher costs for building due to its silty soil, water table and potential for frost heaving.