Yukon Party say slow development in Whitehorse neighbourhood contributing to housing shortage

Yukon's official oppostion party is accusing the territorial government of "mismanagement" when it comes to housing development in the Whistle Bend neighbourhood of Whitehorse.

In a statement on Monday, Yukon Party housing critic Yvonne Clarke criticized the territory's Liberal government for delaying the development of 119 houses in Whistle Bend and charging interest on properties owners do not yet have access to.

With the winter approaching, Clarke told CBC News that lot owners are concerned about the closing construction window and that interest rates should be waived while purchasers are prevented from building.

The Porter Creek Centre MLA also said construction delays contribute to the affordable housing scarcity in the territory.

"We think the government should fix this problem because they made it," Clarke said. "The cost of housing keeps increasing and it's becoming more difficult to find a place to live."

In an email to CBC News, a Yukon Government spokesperson said the lots were offered to the public through the 2023 lot lottery and did not include completion timelines.

"Once again, the MLA for Porter Creek Centre seems confused about lot development in the Yukon," the email reads.

"It is unfortunate to see the conservative Yukon Party undermining the labour from these dedicated private companies and their employees who are working hard to advance this project," the statement continues.

A government news release in April about the land lottery said construction work on the 119 lots, including grading and street and lane paving, "will continue this spring with a planned spring/summer completion." It also says the residential lots were sold with a three-year commitment to build.

Kristina Craig of the Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition says the properties' incomplete development is not a significant contributor to the territory's housing situation — despite Clarke's assertion that it is.

Craig says it's a dearth of affordable housing that is leaving many Yukoners high and dry.

"As long as we are seeing housing as a financial investment and a way to make money, whether you're a
developer or a financial institution or an investor, we're going to come up against these issues," she said.

The Yukon Government did not comment on whether the incomplete Whistle Bend lots are accruing interest.