Feds invest $3M to expand transit between Whitehorse, Dawson City, and Watson Lake

Yukon MP Brendan Hanley, left, Liard First Nation Chief Stephen Charlie, centre, and First Kaska GP Ltd. CEO Jasper Lamourelle at a funding announcement in Whitehorse, Aug. 21, 2024. (Virginie Ann/CBC)

First Kaska GP Ltd. already offers thrice-weekly shuttle bus service between Watson Lake and the capital

Some new federal funding will mean expanded public transit services between Whitehorse and the communities of Watson Lake and Dawson City, Yukon.

Yukon MP Brendan Hanley announced $3 million in new funding for the initiative. First Kaska GP Ltd. — the economic arm of the Watson Lake-based Liard First Nation — is also putting in $303,000.

“This is such a great opportunity,” said Liard First Nation Chief Stephen Charlie at a news conference in Whitehorse on Wednesday.

“We’re just expanding on something that we’ve been doing for a number of years now, through to our shuttle and freight service from Watson to Whitehorse. Now we’ll be expanding to Dawson, and serving other communities.”

The new money will go toward the purchase of seven new transit vehicles, and two transit garages.

 Twice-weekly shuttles

The plan, according to First Kaska GP Ltd. CEO Jasper Lamourelle, is to begin with twice-weekly shuttle service between Whitehorse and Dawson City early next year, to “test the waters” and gauge demand.

The company has already been offering a thrice-weekly service between Watson Lake and Whitehorse for the last five years, which Lamourelle says will likely continue.

“We feel that’s the right frequency,” he said.

Right now, the company charges $298 for a return ticket from Watson Lake to Whitehorse. Lamourelle said they’re looking at similar fees for Dawson City.

Charlie said that one of the biggest benefits of the transit service is “safety.”

“We have so many of our vulnerable individuals within the communities that do not have access to comfortable, safe transportation. So by establishing this here, we can lessen the, you know, the hazards [for] some of our members and our most vulnerable in the community, especially women and girls.”