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Takhini group engages on school move plans to fill Yukon government void

Takhini Neighbourhood Association director requests government engage public on moving École Whitehorse Elementary School to Takhini
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The Yukon government's plan is to relocate École Whitehorse Elementary School to where two ball diamonds exist on the same lot as Takhini Elementary School. The lot is seen on Oct. 5, 2024.

A lot of Takhini folks have very strong opinions that haven’t been heard about relocating a downtown school to their neighbourhood because, as Takhini resident Andrew Robulack argued, the Yukon government made no effort to reach out to the neighbourhood or engage residents in the planning.  

Robulack, the director of the relatively newly formed Takhini Neighbourhood Association, and his group recently took on their own mini-engagement process that has culminated in a survey report that they presented to cabinet ministers, including Education Minister Jeanie McLean. Earlier in 2024, the association submitted another engagement report to government. 

“We wanted the public and the government to see Takhini citizens speaking in their own words,” Robulack said about the latest report. 

“We still think that there is time for the government to hear what Takhini residents think, and to perhaps do a better job of adapting the school to our neighbourhood to stay, if they just maintain the course that they're on.” 

As reported by the News, the government accidentally released its plan online in a report made public ahead of the formal announcement to relocate École Whitehorse Elementary School (EWES) from downtown to up the hill to the school lot in Takhini, displacing two existing softball fields and sitting nearby Takhini Elementary School. 

The survey was conducted over a short period from Oct. 13 to Oct. 17 and received 144 responses — an average of more than one response an hour, according to the survey report. 

The survey results suggest that 60 per cent of respondents are against relocating the school to Takhini, just over one-fifth (21 per cent) said maybe and just under one-fifth (19 per cent) said yes. 

Kate White, Takhini’s Yukon NDP MLA, noted the short turnaround time for survey responses.  

She said the sheer number of responses is a testament to neighbourhood involvement. 

White indicated the Takhini group has done more work engaging the public than the Yukon government has, noting the process has “never” been public. 

Robulack said one of the group's main asks is for the government to provide its rationale behind its decision for the move. He said the ministers didn’t give any firm reasoning in their recent meeting.  

One action that did come out of their meeting is that the minister committed to — and followed through on — correcting the government report that incorrectly stated the Takhini Neighbourhood Association “preferred” the site. 

Robulack said residents feel like the government has been dismissive of their concerns around traffic.  

“There's not a single person in Takhini that believes you can put a school in our neighbourhood and not blow up the traffic situation,” he said. 

Loss of greenspace that’s highly valued is also concerning, per Robulack.  

Robulack hopes the government will commit to a full-fledged public engagement before the project goes ahead. 

“We really think it's very important for the government to conduct full and comprehensive official public engagement on the relocation,” he said.  

Although the group is on the project advisory committee, Robulack said they are having trouble getting items on the agenda, so they will keep pushing for that. 

Education critic Scott Kent of the Yukon Party asked the Education minister in the legislative assembly why the government intends on having a public process for the future of a school downtown but not for the relocation of EWES to Takhini. 

Instead of answering the question about double standards, McLean gave some reasons why the site was chosen in Takhini. She said that it scored the highest on a consultant’s report, had low impact on the existing Takhini school, protects existing programming and provides a new sports field. 

McLean noted the next phase will involve traffic analysis and environmental assessments before moving into conceptual design. She didn’t say when the project will be tendered for construction. 

The site still needs city approval at three key steps, including rezoning, before it can proceed. 

Laura Seeley in Yukon government cabinet communications said by email that the government had a “constructive” meeting which helped it better understand the neighbourhood association’s concerns. 

The government has taken note of their interest in a traffic study and the need for “ongoing” engagement. 

“We will provide further updates on the potential public engagement soon,” Seeley said. 

Contact Dana Hatherly at dana.hatherly@yukon-news.com 

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Dana Hatherly

About the Author: Dana Hatherly

I’m the legislative reporter for the Yukon News.
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