The Hearth project has grown into an expensive, long-delayed “boondoggle for Yukon taxpayers,” says the Yukon Party.

The official Opposition also accuses Premier Ranj Pillai of going back on his word.

“At the Yukon Chamber of Commerce budget lunch in the spring of 2023, the premier responded to a question on the issue, and made it very clear that the Yukon Government was not going to invest any further money into the project,” the Yukon Party said last Thursday.

“The Liberals’ model for developing this housing project now means Yukon taxpayers will get far less housing than they should for the money invested.

“Tens of millions of dollars are now committed to finishing this project, and Thursday’s announcement by the Liberals appears to be putting good money after bad.”

The original January 2022 announcement of the project had renovations of the High Country completed by that fall, the Yukon Party pointed out.

The project received $15 million from the federal government, which included $10 million to purchase the building.

“The renovation plan fell apart after costs soared to over $30 million, far beyond the original estimates,” the Yukon Party said.

The Safe at Home Society says unanticipated problems were found when initial renovations began.

“While the Yukon Party agrees we need more housing, the territory remains in a Liberal-made housing crisis,” said housing critic Yvonne Clarke.

“But we need to ensure taxpayers get the proper bang for their buck, and this announcement by the premier raises several questions.

“Who will be making up the significant funding gap for construction and where is the additional $5 million being directed?

“Who will be responsible for any cost overruns? Are other levels of government, federal and municipal, going to be contributing, and, if so, how much?” Clarke asked.

In contrast to the $42-million price tag for the High Country Inn renovation, the Yukon Party pointed out, the Cornerstone Community building on Main Street near the escarpment has provided 45 rental units at a project cost of $22.7 million.

“Meanwhile, many housing initiatives Ranj Pillai and the Liberal government have touted since the premier took office in January 2023 have stalled, including Macaulay Lodge, Fifth and Rogers, new phases in Whistle Bend, and the Whitehorse Grader Station development,” the party added.

Whitehorse Centre MLA Lane Tredger, the NDP’s critic for housing, said last Thursday, “Congratulations to Safe At Home on their years of work to make this much-needed project a reality.

“I’m glad to see the Yukon government has finally come through on this project. One question I have is how the 28 residents currently living there will be supported to find housing while the renovations are happening,” Tredger said.