Whitehorse Daily Star

Incentive plan would apply to new city building

Contractors employing Yukoners on the city’s operations building

By Stephanie Waddell on June 12, 2017

Contractors employing Yukoners on the city’s operations building could be eligible for rebates under the territory’s business incentive program.

Economic Development Minister Ranj Pillai and Mayor Dan Curtis announced Friday the program would apply to the city’s proposed operations building to be built off Range Road towards Two Mile Hill, estimated to cost $54.9 million.

The program provides rebates to general and subcontractors who hire a minimum of 80 per cent Yukon labour on eligible Yukon government construction contracts. The rebates are only eligible on contracts worth $100,000 or more.

In this case, the city and territory worked together to have the program apply to a city project.

Rebates are also available for hiring registered Yukon apprentices and youth on eligible construction contracts.

Curtis praised Pillai during an interview this morning.

He highlighted the significant effort to have the incentive apply to the city project after the Yukon Contractors Association highlighted its desire to have the project made eligible.

“We’ve been working on this for several months,” Curtis said.

He added he was pleased to have the announcement made prior to the request for proposals (RFP) going out on the building.

That RFP was released this morning on the city’s website at http://www.whitehorse.ca/Home/Components/RFP/RFP/2634/1952 A deadline for proposals has been set for July 6 at 3 p.m.

As stated on the city website: “The new operations building will serve as the new home for several city departments.

“It will replace old, energy-inefficient, poorly located buildings and will meet the growing community needs for efficient and improved municipal services.

“The building project consists of the following approximate quantities:

• Site development: grading; gravel and paved parking lots; and paved access road.

• Energized parking spaces.

• New building area of 10,900 sq. m. including:

• Admin area of 1,600 sq. metres

• Operations main floor area of 8,120 sq. metres

Operations upper floor area of 1,180 sq. metres

• Separate wash bay of 575 sq. metres

• Energy efficiency equipment including 300 kw photo-voltaics.”

Curtis said he’s not expecting the program eligibility will mean more proposals coming in for the work.

However, he said it could mean more Yukon tradespeople and apprentices working on the building.

“It’s a real incentive (to hire local),” he said, once again pointing out he’s pleased that the work has been done to offer the rebate program.

It’s wonderful to have partnerships with all levels of government, Curtis said.

The territory is planning to budget about $1.2 million over two years for the rebates that contractors would apply for after the building is complete in 2019.

Comments (10)

Up 5 Down 2

Josey Wales on Jun 14, 2017 at 11:01 pm

One point...we can barely find a place to park in town without the sima fundraisers getting a lock on ya.
What do the important folks get when parking? Their own energized plug, own spot and we pay for this entitlement.
Going to sell city parking tags to the staff...or just expect us to give it to them?
Man are we ever over represented with arrogance and entitlement outta King Dan's castle. Why do we as citizens tolerate the sodomy?
King dan and his nobles need be purged from our hall, they are entitled, arrogant and extremely polarizing...done enough to our community.
Never mind the debts their crusades of incompetence that have and will further saddle us in debt now and far into the future.

Remember folks, bad ideas are not haircuts...they do not just grow out.

Up 4 Down 2

Josey Wales on Jun 14, 2017 at 4:32 pm

Hey joe...heard you shot our civic team down...
Sorry could not resist that fantastic Hendrix correlation.
They chose that path/project as they are tone deaf, arrogant entitled fools.
We on one road to nowhere with ideology as they cherish, they and their kind must be tossed out on those same arrogant and tone deaf asses they warm our chairs with.

....yes I am re energized and have narrowed my focus.
The dragons are in our hall sitting on our gold.
I seek the dragons gone, not slain as in the fable...just plain f**king gone.

Up 2 Down 6

Anie on Jun 14, 2017 at 7:56 am

Joe do you have any facts to support that? More than 28,000 people live in Whitehorse. Let's say about 9000 are adults. So do you know that 4,000 are opposed?"? I did read the complete study that recommended this building. But I have not seen the survey where 4500 opposed.

Up 10 Down 0

north_of_60 on Jun 13, 2017 at 6:00 pm

@Joe is correct.
Lipstick on a pig does not change the fact that it's still a pig.

Up 13 Down 0

wundering on Jun 13, 2017 at 1:11 pm

Build a building in the Yukon, paid for by Yukoners, to serve Yukoners, but Yukoners have to bribe companies to get jobs to build it.
Aren't all these so called "free trade" agreements great.

Up 7 Down 1

steve on Jun 13, 2017 at 12:55 pm

You don't need to provide incentives. What you can do in evaluations is score Bidders who have hired or will hire Yukoners with higher scores. Better still in the contract indicate what percent of the workforce must be Yukoners. Time to start thinking out of the box here people.

Up 5 Down 6

BnR on Jun 13, 2017 at 6:39 am

Nothing new
Yeah, and it worked really well under your beloved CONservatives eh?
PCL, Pitt Meadows, Equity, Stuart Olsen etc all thank you for your Yukon Party support.

Up 14 Down 2

Joe on Jun 12, 2017 at 7:42 pm

Total waste of taxpayer dollars. Funny no one on council listened to the majority of taxpayers who clearly said they didn't support this project.

Up 7 Down 9

Politico on Jun 12, 2017 at 5:01 pm

Sounds like a disgruntled YP member. Unfortunately the YP was less than good on keeping jobs in the Yukon. Maybe the Liberals can do a better job.

Up 19 Down 2

Nothing here that new on Jun 12, 2017 at 3:38 pm

This has been around for years. The liberals have no new plan to make sure more Yukoners get the jobs. This was one of their top points in the election like the school in Riverdale. What a disappointment to the workers of the Yukon. Fake promotions again. Taking away funding for children in school, EA, etc. What mess!

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