Yukon health minister expresses confidence in shelter operator amid calls to end its gov't contract

The Yukon's minister of health and social services expressed her continued trust in the Connective Support Society on Tuesday, amid calls for the territorial government to end its contract with the organization.

Connective has been running the Whitehorse emergency shelter at 405 Alexander St., along with the housing units above it, in partnership with the Council of Yukon First Nations since 2022. Its contract was set to expire at the end of the month. However, the Yukon government has extended the deal to the end of June.

Last April, a coroners' inquest examined the deaths of four women at the shelter. There have been a number of deaths at the shelter since. These deaths have prompted loved ones and the First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun to demand that Connective be fired.

"Any deaths or serious incidents where people are injured is not acceptable," Tracy-Anne McPhee, the health minister, told reporters after Question Period on Tuesday.

"But Connective are experts in their field. They are. And they deserve our confidence as well," she said. "What they do is commit to this community.… They've committed to bringing their expertise and to assisting the individuals at the shelter."

McPhee said the non-profit organization has also committed to improvement and that extending its contract was to ensure stability.

"The risk of changing a vendor at this time, or an operator for 405 Alexander is a risk to real people," she said, adding that Connective could "likely" still be running the shelter in three months.

The minister said the short-term extension includes stronger oversight, operational improvements and enhanced accountability measures to improve safety.

The issue of oversight was what the NDP's Annie Blake wanted to better understand.

"What does that mean for the government or who's going to be responsible for having that extra oversight with Connective running the shelter for an additional three months?" asked Blake, who represents the Vuntut-Gwitchin riding.

McPhee said as part of its transfer payment agreement with Connective, the Yukon Government is required to monitor and ensure its goals for the shelter are met.

In mid-April, the government is set to host a summit with Yukon First Nations governments. That summit will be for developing a long-term sheltering strategy, including how to improve the programs and services at 405 Alexander.

That summit could also include discussions about the facility's approach to harm reduction, specifically the level of accommodation for alcohol and substance use.

Currently, the shelter operates on a "low-barrier" model, which Yukon Party Leader Currie Dixon said needs to change.

The party has repeatedly blamed the shelter's "permissive" policy on intoxicants as a key contributor to problems like crime and public nuisances.

Dixon called for changing to a "higher-barrier" model, though specifics would need to be ironed out with stakeholders.

"The way that the shelter is working right now is not serving the best needs of Yukoners. It's not serving the needs of those who are clients of the facility," Dixon said. 

"It's not serving the needs of those people who are neighbours of the facility … homes, businesses. And the downtown as a whole has suffered as a result of the mismanagement of that facility."