The City of Whitehorse has voted to approve the capital expenditures budget for 2025 to 2028.
The spending plan was introduced on Dec. 9, 2024. The total approved expenditures tally up to $54,300,368, with an additional $262,728,803 in expenditures which are approved pending the confirmation of external funding.
The budget’s appendix A — meaning those expenditures which are approved — include $4 million for water improvements in Crestview, $7.1 million for upgrades to the Mount McIntyre Rec Centre, $9.45 million for Whitehorse operations building expansion plus an additional $1.385 million for the parking lot, and just under $2 million for cyber security systems.
The budget’s appendix B — meaning expenditures which require external funding — includes budget items like repairs to the Robert Service Way escarpment (roughly $57.5 million) the upgrades to the city’s water treatment plant ($55 million), replacement transit busses ($7.25 million) and upgrades to the roof of the Canada Games Centre ($6.425 million).
The city received feedback from residents on the budget at a Jan. 13 public input session. Delegates had a wide variety of comments, including asking about wildfire risk considerations on certain budget items, indoor pickleball facilities, new trail signs, and a footbridge over the Yukon River between downtown and the hospital.
City administration provided a response to these questions in a public input report presented Jan. 20.
The city responses said they prioritize fire safety and fire-resistance materials in their projects. They also said the Transportation Master Plan does plan for there to be a pedestrian bridge across the river at some point in time — but due to limited resources, it is classified as a long-term initiative.
At the Jan. 27 council meeting, Coun. Dan Boyd introduced an amendment to strike one budget item: the Robert Service campground parking lot, in appendix B.
“The parking lot will serve really well the way it is, and road access the way it is, and that that kind of money would be better invested in other essential capital programming that we have in front of us,” said Boyd. The line item would have cost $665,000.
The paving is required per the Zoning Bylaw, but as Boyd pointed out, the Zoning Bylaw is currently under review.
“I believe we can examine that conflict and try to resolve that conflict so that it's not sort of pushing us in the direction of having to make this kind of capital investment in a seasonal campground,” he said.
Boyd’s amendment received unanimous support from council members, and the budget item was removed from the 2025-2028 capital expenditures.
Coun. Anne Middler stated that she was providing her support for the capital expenditures — albeit lukewarm.
“We've got 17 million to pave the roads, 200,000 to pave the Active Transportation pathways. That's that's 1 per cent for cyclists and and walkers,” said Middler.
Middler expressed the hope that future budgets will make investments in active transportation.
“Sometimes it feels it's easier and feels necessary to choose to take a vehicle because of the fact that some people don't feel safe to make a different choice,” said Middler.
Coun. Lenore Morris agreed with Middler’s concerns. While making clear she supported the budget, Morris did also say she hoped subsequent years provide more for those interested in active transportation.
“We've had some terrible accidents in the last 12 months here in Yukon, one fatal and everybody who's a regular cyclist has had tons of close calls, and it's scary,” said Morris.
Contact Talar Stockton at talar.stockton@yukon-news.com
