WHITEHORSE – Liberal Leader Sandy Silver has called on the Yukon Party government to reveal the cost of its 300 bed senior’s facility.

“A business case analysis done by a private contractor on the Government of Yukon’s new 300 bed continuing care facility lists the price of it at $330 million,” said Silver. “Last fall the government did its own analysis of the potential cost of the new facility, which said the cost would be $268 million for a 300 bed facility, a full $60 million less than the independent consultant. I called on the minister to clarify for the record what the cost will be, and he refused to answer the question.”

In this year’s budget there is $26 million set to be spent on the senior’s facility, yet no final cost has been decided upon.

“Yukoners are understandably nervous when they see this government barge into a major construction project without a plan,” Silver continued. “This government has been repeatedly criticized by the Auditor General of Canada for its shortcomings in this regard.  Recently the new LNG facility was announced as being 18% over-budget.”

“It is clear the timeline for this project is being driven by the timing of the next election,” said Silver. “The government wants people working on this project as we head to the polls in the fall of 2016.  It is this type of incompetent management that results in wasteful over-budget projects.”

For several months the government referred to this as 300 bed facility. This spring the government has begun referring to it as a 150 bed facility.  Silver voted against a government motion that was debated Wednesday supporting the construction of the facility, given that neither the cost nor the scope of the project is clear.

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For more information call:
Brad Weston, 393-6430