The City of Whitehorse approved its capital spending plan for the next four years at city council’s Dec. 11 meeting.
Consultation earlier this month did not result in any major changes to the draft capital budget, and so the city is going forward with its plan to spend about $17 million next year and an additional $29.3 million subject to the approval of outside funding.
Projects include work on the Robert Service Way escarpment, Canada Games Centre upgrades, sidewalk repairs and investments in the city’s fire department.
Some projects that were on the books in past capital spending plans saw significant increases in costs due to market changes in the construction industry. An example of this is Takhini Arena upgrades, budgeted at $750,000 more in the 2024-2027 plan than they were in the 2023-2026 budget. A city representative chalked this up to price increases as a result of material and labour costs. The project is still subject to outside funding.
An example of a project that the city was able to secure outside funding for, and so avert spending from its reserves, is traffic calming on McIntyre Drive. The city had intended to fund the project from its own accounts this year but received notice earlier this year that it would be funded through a federal active transportation program. The city is still awaiting a signed transfer payment agreement from the feds but that work is set to proceed when it does.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com