The Government of Yukon is committed to completing the new 34-unit residence in Dawson to help respond to housing needs. Remediation work was required due to contamination found on site. Following positive environmental test results, this work is now concluding and construction is underway.
Site work was suspended last fall due to freezing temperatures. Snow was cleared from the site in early April, with further excavation to address the remaining contaminated soil and continue preparing the site for construction. Results of the most recent soil sampling indicate contamination below the residential land standard under the contaminated sites regulation of the Environment Act.
The building design includes five groundwater monitoring wells to address contamination identified in 2010. The site will be monitored until there are two full years of clean groundwater samples, as required by Government of Yukon environmental regulations.
Construction is expected to be completed by fall 2026.
-
Once completed, the building will more than double the number of affordable housing units previously available at the site.
-
In 2011, the former 14-unit apartment building and single detached house known as the Korbo site or Korbo Apartments were demolished after the discovery of an underground fuel oil leak. Following demolition, the site underwent soil remediation and backfilling and was declared “remediated” and fit for residential construction by a third-party consultant in 2015.
-
During the site excavation in summer 2024, the contractor encountered an area of contamination. Remediation efforts were initiated, which included dewatering and treatment of contaminated groundwater and removal of contaminated soils to a land treatment facility.
-
As of May 22, 2025, there were 24 households on the waitlist for Dawson rent-geared-to-income housing.
-
The project responds to key recommendations from the 2021 Dawson City Housing Needs Assessment, which identified a significant shortage of affordable rental housing in the community. The assessment recommended increasing the supply of affordable, rent-geared-to-income units to meet local housing needs.
-
On December 21, 2023, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation announced a $7 million contribution through the Northern Carve-Out under the Affordable Housing Fund. This funding helps address the higher construction costs in the North.
Kim Sheridan
Communications, Yukon Housing Corporation
867-667-8818
[email protected]