YELLOWKNIFE - An eight-bed facility for treating children with behavioural problems will stay in Yellowknife after all.

On Wednesday, Health Minister Floyd Roland confirmed the Territorial Treatment Centre will not move to Hay River as planned.

Laura Johns, administrative assistant at the Territorial Treatment Centre, worked in 2005 to get 700 signatures on a petition to stay in Yellowknife. This week, the territorial government announced the centre will remain in Yellowknife. - Christine Grimard/NNSL photo Diary of Decision May 2005 - Then health minister Michael Miltenberger announces the territorial treatment centre would move to Hay River in late 2006 or early 2007. Range Lake MLA Sandy Lee says the decision "is a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul." May 30, 2005 - NWT News/North reports that workers at the centre don't plan to move to Hay River. "There is no for sale sign on my house," said one worker. June 2005 - Treatment centre staff begin petition campaign to oppose the move. A 700 name petition opposing the plan was later in the year presented to the government. October 2005 - An e-mail written by then deputy health minister Dave Murray described the move as a "political" decision. Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay called the e-mail a "smoking gun" that proved cabinet was more interested in political gamesmanship than the welfare of children. April 2006 - Government announces that it would tear down and construct a new building, rather than renovate Dene K'onia young offenders facility to house the treatment centre. September 2006 - The government changes its mind and decides renovating Dene K'onia, as originally planned, was more cost effective. At that time, the treatment centre move was not likely until 2008. March 21, 2007 - Government decides the treatment centre would remain in Yellowknife, and that a new facility to house disabled adults would be built in Hay River instead.

Instead, the government plans to build an assisted living facility for adults in Hay River.

The treatment centre move was announced in May 2005, igniting an uproar among Yellowknife MLAs and treatment centre workers.

Under the plan, $3.2 million was to be used to either renovate the former Dene K'onia young offenders facility or build a new facility in Hay River to house the centre.

"All these people came together to say this move to Hay River is not a good one," said Great Slave Lake MLA Bill Braden.

He attributes the reversal to a change in leadership in the Department of Health and Social Services.

"I hate to call it good news because it never should have happened in the first place," said Braden.

Laura Johns, administrative assistant at the centre, helped collect 700 signatures on a petition opposing the move.

"For the sake of the kids, Yellowknife can't afford to lose another facility," said Johns.

"A lot of people were not happy with the fact that we were losing another facility for the children."

The facility is run by Bosco Homes and has a staff of 17 full-time and six relief workers to supervise boys and girls aged eight to 12.

Johns added that it never made any sense to move the centre to Hay River because specialists who work with children such as pediatricians and psychologists are based in Yellowknife.

Hay River South MLA Jane Groenewegen welcomed word the government was planning a new facility for her community.

"It doesn't gain anything to take a facility from one place and put it in another," she said.

Roland said money budgeted for renovating the young offenders facility will now be spent to build the assisted living facility.

According to the health department, the new facility will eventually be home to 10 of the 32 adults with disabilities now living in southern facilities.

"It's been on the books for quite some years, to bring more of our patients back to the North," said Roland.

Work on the assisted living home could start as early as this summer, he said.