The move of residents into Whistle Bend Place will resume next week, says the director of communications for the Department of Health and Social Services.

Pat Living said this morning 46 residents have already moved into the new 150-bed extended care facility.

There was a break over the holiday season.

When staff resume moving in clients next week, it’s expected there’ll be two to four new residents per day, four days a week, she said.

Living said department staff expect they’ll have somewhere between 95 and 110 residents when the intake is complete. That should eliminate the wait list, she added.

Those clients who were being accommodated with beds at Whitehorse General Hospital were among the first to be moved.

Of the 150 beds at the new facility, 120 are for extended care clients.

Eighteen are hospice beds, and 12 beds will be used to accommodate clients with complex care needs, such as those with dementia.

Living said the 18 hospice beds are expected to be available by the end of this year, and the 12 complex care beds are expected to be available sometime next year.

Currently, there are 150 people employed at the facility, though it’s estimated there will be 250 when it’s fully staffed.

The centre cost an estimated $146.6 million to build. Its operating costs are expected to total up to $24 million annually.