Person dies while visiting permanent housing unit at Whitehorse emergency shelter

A person visiting a permanent supportive housing unit at the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter died on-site on Monday.

Connective, the B.C.-based NGO that operates the shelter, confirmed the death in an emailed statement Tuesday.

"We are deeply saddened to confirm that a member of the community passed away while visiting one of the residents in the permanent housing units above the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter [sic] this weekend," Connective Yukon regional director Gigi McKee said in the statement.

While the statement acknowledged "the community's desire to learn the details of the incident," it said that no further details, other than that emergency services were called to the site, would be shared in order "to protect the privacy and safety" of residents.

Neither the deceased person's name nor the cause of death have been made public.

Yukon RCMP directed a request for comment to the Yukon coroner's service. Chief Coroner Heather Jones said in an email that her office "will not be releasing any information at this time."

The Yukon government's Department of Health and Social Services was not able to provide comment on the situation Tuesday.

A question-and-answer document on Connective's website says that the Whitehorse Emergency Shelter has 20 permanent housing units located above the drop-in shelter space that are staffed by tenant support workers. The units are intended to provide tenants with "access to life skills training, employment assistance, connections and referrals to community services, and more."

The death comes approximately five months after a coroner's inquest on the deaths of four Indigenous women at the shelter between 2022 and 2023. The inquest jury issued eight recommendations, including that Connective review its policies and procedures within six months and give staff better training. The jury also recommended that any future deaths at the shelter be subject to independent review.