Operators of the Minto copper mine in central Yukon have had to temporarily lay off dozens of its workers after a mould infestation was found in two staff residences over the weekend.

The mould was discovered in the bathrooms of the mine's Sherwood and Minto bunkhouse wings during a health and safety committee inspection, prompting both wings to be shut down on Saturday.

"Dating back over the past 10 days, we've had a series of meetings with the employees where mould, visible mould, was brought up as a concern," Randall Thompson, general manager at the Minto mine site, told CBC News on Monday.

"That's how we started the investigation into the mould in the washrooms in both Minto and Sherwood."

Eighty sleeping units were shut down as a result, affecting about 50 workers. About 30 employees are on temporary layoff, while another two dozen contract workers have been put up at the Carmacks Hotel.

"We've modified our workforce as of Sunday at noon," Thompson said.

"We had 169 employees and contractors on site. We've scaled back the operation to 115 employees because that's essentially the amount of people we can house."

Occupational health and safety officials with the Yukon government said they are monitoring the situation at the Minto mine, located 240 kilometres north of Whitehorse, near Carmacks.

Vancouver-based Capstone Mining Corp. owns the mine, which has been in commercial production since 2007.

Despite the reduction in staff, Thompson said it won't slow down production.

"Production rates were exceeding budget, so the net impact on production is insignificant," he said. "Our mill facility is still operating as per normal."

Environmental specialists from Vancouver were expected to arrive at the Minto site Tuesday morning to advise mine officials on how to deal with the mould infestation.

Thompson said the housing crunch brought on by the mould problem should be temporary, since a new 49-unit bunkhouse is on order and is expected to arrive next month.