Dawson City's name for new hospital rejected

Klondike MLA Sandy Silver is calling on the Yukon government to rethink the name of Dawson Citys new hospital.

After public consultations last fall, Dawson City community members decided on the name Father Judge Memorial Hospital. Father William Judge, a Jesuit missionary, founded the first hospital in Dawson City during the gold rush.

But Silver said government officials have now decided to name the hospital something else.

"We figured this was a great way of rallying the community behind naming it and we picked a name, and you know there was a battle as far as how that went down, but ultimately the community picked the name," said Silver.

"And we went forward to the hospital corporation with that name just to be told. Yeah no, we have decided to go in a different direction and we are just going to call it the Dawson City Hospital."

Silver said the project has been mishandled since it was first announced in 2004.

The original price tag of $5.2 million is now estimated to be more than $30 million.

The auditor general is expected to release a report on the construction of the Dawson City Hospital and the Watson Lake Hospital later this month.