Government of Yukon provides update on work underway to enhance public safety in Whitehorse

Premier and Minister of Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Yukon Housing Corporation Ranj Pillai and Minister of Health and Social Services and Minister of Justice Tracy-Anne McPhee provided an update on the Government of Yukon’s response to concerns related to public safety and crime prevention in downtown Whitehorse.

Recognizing that the principles of harm reduction cannot be limited to people who use substances but instead must include a community-wide focus on reducing the harms related to the Substance Use Health Emergency, the Government of Yukon has responded to residents’ and business owners’ safety and security concerns by:

• including in the 2024–25 Supplementary Estimates No. 1 increases in funding for the RCMP and SCAN Unit. If passed in the Yukon Legislative Assembly, this funding will result in the hiring of two new RCMP officers for the Whitehorse Detachment and one new SCAN investigator;
• announcing the upcoming launch of a new Crime Prevention Grant Program, to be operated through the Department of Economic Development, which will provide financial support to businesses and organizations who are taking steps to improve their security – more details on this program will be announced later this fall, and this funding will require legislative approval;
• working with the Aboriginal Community Safety Planning Initiative of the Government of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Safer Communities to establish a partnership with the City of Whitehorse, which will continue engagement with downtown businesses and residents and provide a clear path to bringing multiple perspectives together to identify clear and actionable priorities improve safety and wellbeing in Whitehorse;
• hiring House of Wolf & Associates and working with President and Community Safety Specialist Gina Nagano, who will play a critical role in coordinating downtown Whitehorse safety and wellbeing efforts;
• preparing to re-open the warming centre and community space in the Jim Smith Building this winter, noting that in approximately six weeks, last year’s pilot project saw more than 1,200 visits from Yukoners who were able to use the space to connect with support workers, use computers and print, make phone calls, access the internet, get warm, have snacks and beverages, and access harm reduction supplies, period products, bus tickets and washroom facilities;
• renovating the Yukon Housing Corporation building at 408 Alexander Street so that the Safe at Home Society can operate a supportive housing program that will offer secure, supervised housing to Yukoners who require wrap-around supports;
• investing $1.8 million through the National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence to provide funding to community-run violence prevention and victim support services;
• supporting the continued implementation of Yukon’s MMIWG2S+ Strategy by working with the Yukon Advisory Committee to plan the third Accountability Forum in October 2024;
• continuing to partner with Safe at Home Society to develop The Hearth, a permanent supportive housing project at the former High Country Inn – to date, Yukon Housing Corporation has committed $12.9 million in funding to this project and the Department of Health and Social Services will be contributing $777,000 for the Safe at Home Society to administer supportive housing at 408 Alexander in funding through the 2024–25 Supplementary Budget – this funding will require legislative approval;
• addressing community concerns along Alexander Street by removing fencing, tree branches and benches and increasing private security presence and the frequency of outdoor maintenance at Yukon government-owned facilities to reduce loitering, anti-social behaviour and the setup of temporary structures;
• supporting people experiencing gender-based violence by offering a rent subsidy through the Canada-Yukon Housing Benefit so they can obtain and maintain safe housing – this program will provide individuals who need to access safe housing with up to $2,000 per month for 12 months, followed by a gradually reduced benefit for an additional six months, so they can leave unsafe situations at home – and more than $2 million annually will be available to help survivors of gender-based violence obtain and maintain safe housing; and
• encouraging the City of Whitehorse to sign a letter of intent to clarify the municipality’s roles and responsibilities with respect to community safety in Whitehorse, and continuing to work with all partners to do their part to make downtown Whitehorse safer for everyone.

The Government of Yukon has updated the Downtown Whitehorse Safety Response Action Plan to include these new initiatives, provide updates on work already underway and to add recommendations from the April 2024 Coroner’s Inquest into the deaths of four Yukon First Nations women occurring at or around 405 Alexander Street.