Sandy Silver, then-Yukon's premier, participates in a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Friday, Dec. 9, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
WHITEHORSE – Yukon is predicting a surplus of $119 million in its budget with money for housing, green infrastructure and a new program to integrate internationally educated health-care workers.
Finance Minister Sandy Silver says the $2.08-billion budget aims to tackle the rising cost of living, while investing in health care, education and infrastructure.
The government is promising $27.3 million to build affordable housing and $8.3 million to develop more rental homes.
In his budget speech, Silver says the Yukon Liberal government will introduce legislation to create a territorial health authority and spending $5.1 million to complete a mental health unit at Whitehorse General Hospital.
Silver says the health-care system is facing challenges that are made worse by a worldwide shortage of health-care workers and $3.6 million in federal money will go toward a new program to integrate internationally-trained medical workers into the Yukon system.
The budget includes $19.3 million to upgrade the territory’s government buildings to make them more environmentally sustainable, and there will be cash to tackle “climate-related illnesses,” and for flood mapping and forecasting.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2024
