10-bed continuing care facility to open in Whitehorse

The Yukon government plans to convert the old Oblate Centre on 6th Avenue in Whitehorse into a small continuing care facility with 10 beds.

The government is working toward a new 300-bed facility planned for the Whistle Bend subdivision in Whitehorse but that project is still years off, and this new downtownfacility is expected to ease some of the pressure on the growing waitinglist for urgent care.

"The 10 new beds will not automatically free up acute care beds, but they will alleviate some of the pressure on our facilities," says Health and Social Services Minister Mike Nixon.

"We know that the long-term care beds cost more per day with those individuals in the hospital, so this will be a cost savings, moving to a facility like this in the downtown core," he says.

The government purchased the apartment building this week from the Catholic order Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate.

With renovations, the government expects the total cost to reach $2.8 million.

The new care facility has the support of Yukon opposition parties.

"I actually like this purchase," says Liberal leader Sandy Silver. "It's a small facility, which I believe is the way to go. I do not support the 300-bed warehouse for seniors that the government is getting ready to build in the Whistle Bend area."

"This is a population of 35,000in the Yukon, we don't need, nor should we want a 300-bed institution," saysNDPMLAJan Stick. "Smaller, community-based, assisted living these are the kind of services people are looking for and that we currently don't have."

Renovations on the building are expected to begin in May and the government hopes it will be ready for residents to move-in by November.