Yukon government pressed for details on land expropriation for highway upgrades

The Yukon Party is pressing the government for details on any planned expropriation of property to make way for Alaska Highway upgrades.

Whitehorse residents saw this week the nearly finished design of upgrades to a section of the highway near the airport and the Hillcrest neighbourhood.

On Wednesday, Highways Minister Richard Mostyn confirmed that the government was negotiating with some property owners in the area.

"There's been a lot of encroachment into the right-of-way. So we have to take care of that," Mostyn said.

"We are talking to business owners, and we will reach an accommodation at some point and it will cost something."

Opposition Leader Stacey Hassard said the minister was too vague.

"When the government's expropriating lands with taxpayers dollars, taxpayers deserve to know how much money is being spent. And I think that the minister was very dismissive, and I think that's really unfortunate," Hassard said.

The $12 million upgrade project has been in the works for several years. In 2015, the owner of the roadside Airport Chalet complained that he'd have to "knock down the building" to make way for the wider highway.

'It's not safe now'

NDP MLA Liz Hanson also took aim at the highway upgrades on Wednesday. She questioned why the design didn't better address the concerns of cyclists and pedestrians from Hillcrest, who want a safe crossing of the busy highway.

"The minister just said it's not safe now, and it's going to be two years before it may be partially safe," she said in the legislature.

 "The premier has said that the Yukon government is applying a climate lens to all of its projects. This government has also stated that its strategy for climate change energy and a green economy will be released shortly. Yet, here we have a significant infrastructure project that will do little to encourage active transportation options."

The government's draft climate change strategy will be released Thursday morning.

Mostyn responded to Hanson by saying the government was still working on plans for improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians.

And he said highway improvements are a good way to address climate change.

"Keeping road pavement in good condition and increasing the efficiency of traffic flow reduces greenhouse gas emissions ... that is one concrete method we are using to make sure that we reduce our greenhouse gas emissions."