The saga of the Chilkoot Trail Inn provoked some very different responses from the territory’s three political parties on Tuesday.

The Fourth Avenue inn has been under renovation since February.

A representative of its owners have sent a letter to the Yukon government asking for help with the work and in setting up a management structure to accommodate the large number of its social assistance clients it has provided housing for.

Yvonne Clarke of the Yukon Party raised the matter during question period, referencing the letter the government received a month ago.

“Following damage caused by a fire, the Whitehorse Fire Department issued a notice to vacate the Chilkoot Trail Inn due to numerous building code issues,” she said.

“The residents of the Chilkoot Trail Inn are almost all social assistance clients and have few, if any, other options for housing.”

At the time, Clarke recalled, the Department of Health and Social Services announced it would work with NGOs, such as the Safe at Home Society, to find temporary housing solutions for the residents.

“The owners of the Chilkoot Trail Inn have written to the government to ask for support to make the Chilkoot Trail Inn a safer place to live over the long term,” Clarke said.

“How has the government responded to this request? The letter from the owners of the Chilkoot Trail Inn makes a fairly clear appeal to the government. To quote from the letter: ‘we are specifically requesting funding to assist with the above-noted repairs with the understanding that the repaired CTI can once again be used as affordable housing for clients who otherwise are difficult to house.’”

The owners have also said they have been told they’re ineligible for Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) or Yukon Housing Corp. funding, Clarke said.

“So, is the government considering providing funding to allow this building to continue to operate the 39 units of affordable housing?”

As well, the letter suggests a partnership with an NGO to provide management services, creating the most efficient way to manage the inn.

It isn’t clear if any of those organizations, such as the Safe at Home Society, has been contacted by the owners or if there is any interest on their part.

Health and Social Services Minister Tracy-Anne McPhee tackled Clarke’s question.

“When the Department of Health and Social Services became aware of the closure of that building, staff immediately began to explore options to help tenants with community partners, including the Yukon Housing Corporation, the Safe at Home Society, Crown and Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada, the Kwanlin Dün First Nation, and other community service partners,” she said.

“Health and Social Services provided communication for individuals who were impacted by the closure and notified them of available supports and the services that they could avail themselves of,” McPhee added.

“This was distributed in mid-January with the alignment of the eviction notices, and individuals who sought support for relocation were moved to other accommodations.”

She said her department officials are “closely monitoring the impacts of the move of individuals from that particular location and supporting the clients who are clients of Social Services to continue to be available, and throughout that process, we can indicate that the Chilkoot Trail Inn had rental agreements with 30 individuals, as far as we are aware, 18 of whom were supported by the social supports branch at Health and Social Services at the time of the eviction.”

While the department may have paid the rents of social assistance clients living at the inn, the minister added, it did not have a funding arrangement with the inn nor any role in its operation.

Clarke noted the owners’ letter asked the government to facilitate a partnership with a local NGO, like Safe at Home, to manage the building on their behalf.

“The owners acknowledge in the letter that this would result in a more effective, safer controlled environment for the tenants and help ensure that inevitable property damage is minimized,” Clarke said. “Is the government considering supporting this request?”

Ranj Pillai, the minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corp., stepped up to answer the question.

“We are being very respectful of all levels of government, including the City of Whitehorse and local First Nations,” he said.

“There is a long history around this particular property. There has been lots of concern around this property.

“Moving forward, we will do the appropriate due diligence that we need to do. I don’t think that anybody within the City of Whitehorse or our community wants to see some of the challenges that have happened in the past happen again.

“We will make appropriate decisions and bring them back to the house when the time is appropriate,” Pillai concluded.

After question period, Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon compared the situation to the deal struck last year to transfer the ownership of the Coast High Country Inn to the Safe at Home Society to be used for supportive housing.

Dixon said the letter from the Chilkoot Inn is similar in nature to that project, and suggested the Yukon government should look at it in the same way.

The NDP, however, rejects the idea the government should play any role in a private business like the Chilkoot.

Leader Kate White said the Chilkoot Inn has been problematic and sub-standard for years, adding that residents on social assistance deserve better.

Pillai also spoke to reporters, reiterating his comments from the legislature.

He said the government won’t be prepared to formally consider the concept without a “solid business plan” that met the requirements of the CMHC or a similar institution.

That suggests the government is not prepared to make any exemptions or accommodations to the Chilkoot owners.

Under the existing system, hotels are not eligible for assistance without meeting those requirements, or partnering with non-government organizations such as the Safe at Home Society.