The Yukon Government purchased the property at 407 Alexander St. which was the former site of Duffy's Pet Store. Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke/CKRW.
Whitehorse, YT – The Yukon Government has purchased the former Duffy’s Pets building adjacent to the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter with plans to offer new support services for vulnerable populations.
Premier Ranj Pillai said details are still being finalized, but confirmed the building will not be used for housing. Instead, a non-governmental partner is expected to provide services aligned with those at 405 Alexander Street.
“We’re in the final conversations of being able to have some new services provided out of that space, but it’ll be probably another couple weeks before we can announce that,” said Pillai.
The government paid $650,000 for the building, based on an independent appraisal.
The purchase has sparked criticism from the Yukon Party, which raised concerns about transparency and described the move as a “buyout” of a business negatively affected by the shelter.
“The bigger picture here is why is the government willing to buy out a local business instead of making changes to the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter? That’s the question,” said Dixon.
Yukon NDP MLA Lane Tredger also called for action on a long-promised review of Connective’s management of the shelter—a review unanimously approved by the Legislative Assembly in spring 2024.
