Whistle Bend needs a fire hall: councillor
City councillor Ted Laking told his colleagues at Monday’s meeting that it’s time to get on with building a fire hall in the blossoming Whistle Bend subdivision.
City councillor Ted Laking told his colleagues at Monday’s meeting that it’s time to get on with building a fire hall in the blossoming Whistle Bend subdivision.
“This is a project firefighters have been calling for, and it’s part of the Whistle Bend Plan,” said Laking.
He said he would be in favour of speeding up the project because it’s a high priority.
It’s important to ensure the optimum needs of first responders are met, he said.
Laking said the city could shop outside the territory for companies that have experience or specialize in the construction of fire halls to build the new facility.
In an interview today, Laking pointed out a new fire hall is in the city’s five-year budget forecast for the Whistle Bend or Porter Creek areas to service Whitehorse north.
There has been $500,000 identified in the budget, he pointed out.
A new fire hall to service the northern part of the city was “something I heard during the (2021) election, absolutely,” he said.
Laking said a fire hall is a primary and essential part of the city’s infrastructure.
Supporting first responders is key, he said, but a new fire hall would also reduce the risk of injury and the loss of property.
Laking said as the city moves forward, he has asked his fellow councillors to look for any opportunities to fast-track the new fire hall.
Comments (24)
Up 1 Down 0
Anie on Jan 21, 2022 at 3:08 pm
Whistlebend, the map contains sufficient detail to be able to see that the firehall location is not going directly behind or even close to any residential lots. But if that isn't apparent, it should be a pretty simple step to call the a city and ask precisely what the distance is between your house and the firehall location.
Up 1 Down 1
Whistlebend resident on Jan 21, 2022 at 10:51 am
@Anie - Thank you for sharing. I did look at the link you provided but it does not include Olive May Way (which crosses Keno) or Sybil Circle, Goddard, Leota, etc. The image in the link is dated 09/02/12 so this may have been the initial plan but the layout and even street names between the Casca loop are different and Whistlebend place is missing.
Up 2 Down 0
Anie on Jan 20, 2022 at 3:00 pm
Whistlebend - instead of fretting unnecessarily, why don't you take a look at the map? The firehall isn't anywhere near any ones backyard. And it's been identified in that location for as long as I can remember (hint: copy and paste this link. Then look at the bottom left, in the area coloured green. Or just go to the city of Whitehorse page, search for whistle bend). https://www.whitehorse.ca/home/showpublisheddocument/1457/6357360906445
Up 8 Down 1
Whistlebend resident on Jan 20, 2022 at 9:01 am
@Lawl, When we bought, no one was able to confirm what was going in the lot behind our residence (we still don't have an answer to that and we took possession in 2019). They hadn't even broken ground on the unit yet when we purchased. We bought what we could afford as we were already starting to be priced out of the market back before the pandemic. So I'll share my lesson, in this crazy market buy what you can afford when you can and hope for the best! I don't want to be a NIMBY but this market has made most of us settle for what we can get our hands on so I'm hopeful if it does end up in my backyard I get some benefit, maybe lower fire insurance premiums or something. John already made a good point below that I'll be happy it's there if my house ever catches fire.
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How can you tell if reality is real? on Jan 19, 2022 at 10:16 pm
At bonanzajoe on Jan 18, 2022 at 4:13 pm:
I was driving around in my fairly new 4x4 truck on some of the back roads downtown to avoid all those speeders on Second avenue… Wow! Good thing the speed limit was lowered to 40 km/h. Now when I drive the speed limit all the other passing motorists blow the snow off my truck - Thanks fellow Whitehorsians for getting my back! I don’t often have the time in the morning to brush the snow off my vehicle.
Anyway, I came off Ogilvie to turn onto 4th avenue and I almost lost control through the intersection because of the sudden drop… Talk about dangerous! However, one good thing did happen, my ears popped with the altitude change - FFS!
What a city… Straining at the boundaries of normal reality… Searching to explore new contests of normal reality.
Your politicians are all wannabe theoretical mathematicians working on real time models of chaos theory,
Up 2 Down 4
bonanzajoe on Jan 19, 2022 at 8:24 pm
Lawl. I see you changed your moniker from Roy. Nice to hear from you again. Oh by the way, it's bonanzajoe. Can you say bonanzajoe?
Up 9 Down 1
Karl on Jan 19, 2022 at 7:08 pm
$500K wouldn't even cover the "at market value" cost of the lot needed to put this on.
Up 20 Down 2
Jake on Jan 19, 2022 at 3:33 pm
Keno has some used equipment for sale.
Up 9 Down 8
Nathan Living on Jan 19, 2022 at 3:06 pm
No word on Ted's motion to reexamine the budget for the City Hall upgrade. I guess it was not supported.
Comments on the approved budget from the mayor and a councillor or two upset my stomach. I honestly think this city is on a rapid downward spiral.
The budget is capitalizing on free territorial and federal funding but it's not free by any responsible taxpayer spending definition.
Whistle Bend should have a firehall ASAP.
Thanks Ted.
Up 26 Down 2
notenough$ on Jan 19, 2022 at 1:46 pm
The budget allocated for this building, at $500k, wouldn't be even enough to install the underground services and develop the base and other infrastructure for the building. It's a far cry from a realistic budget.
Up 13 Down 6
Lawl on Jan 19, 2022 at 12:30 pm
@bozojoe
I regret to inform you that you are wrong a gain. WB will be the largest neighbourhood by far in Whitehorse.
WB residents are and will be paying the highest percapita taxes, so yes, they will be funding you.
@WB Resident
You mean you built/bought a property without looking at a civic zoning map? I guess you learned something in all of this.
Up 34 Down 1
Austin on Jan 19, 2022 at 6:37 am
Doesn't matter where they put it some entitled resident will b__ch and complain about it and complain when it takes to long to respond. LOl
Up 15 Down 17
Brent on Jan 19, 2022 at 3:44 am
Ted can any of the nine buildings that were to come free when the 'Spa' on the top of the hill was over budget be repurposed and moved to Whisltlebend? Once there they could start up a responsible volunteer fire department to everyone's satisfaction.
I hope those nine buildings are still available and haven't melded into existing department empire expanding where more assets can sit. It seems a mystery wrapped up in an enigma as to what happened to these nine buildings that were braggadocious exhalted at the time of planning to build the new 'Spa'.
Up 36 Down 5
Pierre on Jan 18, 2022 at 9:03 pm
They should also allocate land for several diesel gen sets and have their own little sub station for the amount of green energy they are consuming.
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Thomas Brewer on Jan 18, 2022 at 4:48 pm
Great - millions for the construction of the facility, probably another million and a half for equipment, then a million a year for salaries/benefits. from a city that's already spending far too much ($142m capital expenditure plan) - this is why your property taxes are increasing. Time for restraint and austerity. Maybe stick to the 1% Sandy and Kate think is reasonable.
Up 16 Down 21
Lawl on Jan 18, 2022 at 4:42 pm
I guess Teddys YP friends are mad about him trying to sink all that work on the new city hall. He has to dream up a way to get them some work.
Up 23 Down 9
bonanzajoe on Jan 18, 2022 at 4:13 pm
And by the way, speaking of snow removal, when is our City going to do some snow removal in the downtown area? Have they scheduled it for sometime in June? We the citizens would like to know. The City must be taking a big loss on parking tickets since most people with small cars can't park at a parking meter without getting stuck.
Up 24 Down 14
bonanzajoe on Jan 18, 2022 at 4:09 pm
Why don't we just call it the City of Whistle Bend. Let it elect its own Mayor and Council and raise its own taxes. That seems to be where all the taxes and action is going anyway. Not to mention most of the snow removal equipment.
Up 15 Down 9
BnR on Jan 18, 2022 at 4:00 pm
The “less government waste” candidate would like a moment of your time.
Certainly didn’t take old teddy boy long to get into the groove.
Up 11 Down 0
Whistlebend resident on Jan 18, 2022 at 3:42 pm
@John,
Touche my friend.
Up 9 Down 1
Anie on Jan 18, 2022 at 3:27 pm
Follow up - yes, the land has been identified, you can see it on this development plan. https://www.whitehorse.ca/home/showpublisheddocument/1457/635736090644570000
Up 44 Down 2
john on Jan 18, 2022 at 3:24 pm
@whistlebend... ya you don't want a fire station near your house until your house is on fire. lol
Up 28 Down 0
Anie on Jan 18, 2022 at 3:23 pm
I think that land has already been identified.
Up 36 Down 25
Whistlebend resident on Jan 18, 2022 at 12:57 pm
Dear god please don’t put it behind my residence. If the city puts a firehall near residential property are they going to give us a discount on our exorbitant property taxes? Highly unlikely. I know it’s needed but please don’t put it right beside people’s homes. Build a designated space for it and actually plan it, this half baked let’s pop this here because we need it BS is what I expect though.