Ketza Construction wins $29M contract to build new Whitehorse secondary school

WHITEHORSE—The Yukon government has awarded a local construction firm a $29.4 million contract to build a new French language secondary school in Whitehorse.

The territory handed Ketza Construction the design-build contract for the new school Dec. 11, noting the cost of the project has increased from original estimates due to a “surge” in material prices as a result of U.S. tariffs and a labour shortage in the construction industry. Ketza has completed numerous projects across Yukon, as well as work in northern B.C. and Alberta.

The new French First Language Secondary School is designed to house 150 students from grades seven to 12, while the project will also includes community spaces for Whitehorse’s Francophone residents. Along with contributions from Yukon, the project will receive $7.5 million from the federal government’s Minority Language Education program.

Work on the new school is expected to begin in spring of next year. Construction is scheduled to wrap up by late 2020 or early 2021.