Whitehorse to get new ambulance centre

Cabinet ministers in the Yukon continued a string of pre-election promises by announcing the construction of a new, centrally located ambulance centre in Whitehorse on Tuesday.

Premier Darrell Pasloski was on hand to unveil the $7 million facility that will house up to 6 vehicles.

Located near the intersection of Hamilton Boulevard and the Alaska Highway, ambulances dispatched from the new site should be able to reach most Whitehorse residents within nine minutes, deputy premier Elaine Taylor said at the announcement.

"This isn’t just about another building going up, another capital construction initiative. It’s really about improving the delivery of medical care in the territory and, in particular, in the city of Whitehorse," she said.

However, Liberal MLA Don Iverarity said the announcement was simply election grandstanding and is long overdue.

"They should have built it five years ago when they made the promise four days before the last election, they should have set the money aside and this building should have been done by now," he said.

The ruling Yukon Party’s mandate expires in October and an election call is expected soon.

The government said the city’s growth patterns required a more centrally located ambulance station than the one at Whitehorse General Hospital.

The old facility will continue to serve the downtown and Riverdale neighbourhoods.

Construction on the new station is scheduled to begin later this week and should take about a year.