Yukon secures funding for Whitehorse convention centre in the 11th hour before election call

A delegation that included Yukon MP Brendan Hanley and Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai flew to Ottawa late Thursday night to secure funding for a new convention centre in Whitehorse.

Around 48 hours before Prime Minister Mark Carney officially kicked off a federal election, the delegation secured his approval on a $56.25 million funding deal with the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency to build the facility. 

"We're tired," Pillai told a crowd of officials, media and stakeholders on Saturday. "This came down to the very end to get this in place." 

The project, which is being called the Yukon Gathering Place is expected to cost around $75 million in total. The facility is projected to span 9,500 square metres and have the capacity to accommodate up to 750 guests for seated banquets or 1,000 people in a theatre setting.

Hanley said the project is a key economic development piece for the Yukon's tourism industry. 

"I've heard over and over again how many national meetings, conferences, events are dying to come here, but can't, because of the lack of meeting space," he said. 

The facility will be built just north of the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre on First Nations settlement land. Chu Níikwän, the First Nation's development corporation, is leading the project's design and construction.

"We're looking at building a sustainability economy," said Kwanlin Dün Chief Sean Smith. "Tourism is a priority for us as a community, but also looking at ways we can continue to build connections and opportunities.… This [facility] will bring people together from all parts of Canada and the world." 

A red-eye flight to secure the deal

In a March 19 social media post, Canyon City Construction said the convention centre project had been "postponed due to lack of funding."

The next day in the legislature, Porter Creek MLA Geraldine Van Bibber grilled John Streicker, the minister responsible for tourism, about that post and the project's status. 

"Can the minister explain what this means for the project?" she asked

In response, Streicker said the territorial government was working to secure federal funding. 

"On the initial RFP … the Yukon government seemed to give the impression that there was funding secured for this project," Van Bibber pressed. 

"Many companies spent a lot of money and put a lot of time and effort into the bids because…. They assumed that the government had some assurances of funding. Can the minister tell us whether or not the federal government ever actually committed to this project?"

Streicker reiterated that the facility is a top priority. 

"We just got the numbers recently – tourism total spending in the Yukon is up 45 per cent over 2019," he said. "We know that a convention centre is the next step for us as a territory."

A Yukon contingent got on a red-eye just hours later "to get that last signature, which was the prime minister's signature," explained Pillai. "Because this is a really significant amount of money."

Back in 2024, the completion date for the Yukon Gathering Place was expected to be in 2027. When asked if that timeline was still realistic, Pillai said supply chain challenges could create additional difficulties during the construction process, but the goal is that it'll be a three-year project. 

Once the facility is ready, officials anticipate a surge of visitors to the territory. 

"We're going to be in a position to see a tremendous amount of Canadians and international guests come here and spend time and money in our communities," he said.