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Who's running for mayor and council in Whitehorse and Yukon's communities

CBC
·3 min read
Whitehorse city hall. The list of candidates is set for the municipal elections on Oct. 21. Most communities will have a contest for mayor and council, although some candidates are acclaimed. (Wayne Vallevand/CBC - image credit)
Whitehorse city hall. The list of candidates is set for the municipal elections on Oct. 21. Most communities will have a contest for mayor and council, although some candidates are acclaimed. (Wayne Vallevand/CBC - image credit)

Just as the federal election wraps up, Yukon is turning its attention to the Oct. 21 municipal elections.

Nominations for the municipal elections in Whitehorse and other Yukon communities closed last Thursday afternoon, and the names of the candidates will be finalized on Monday.

Below is a list of nominated candidates running for mayor and council in each community.

This list will be updated Monday once the candidate lists are finalized.

Whitehorse

Three people are running for mayor:

  • Patti Balsillie

  • Samson Hartland (incumbent councillor)

  • Laura Cabott (incumbent councillor)

After three terms in office, incumbent mayor Dan Curtis is not seeking re-election.

Balsillie has worked as a consultant since 2008. Before that she was the chief executive officer for the Tourism Industry Association of the Yukon and had previously worked as the executive director for the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce.

Hartland and Cabot are both currently sitting councillors. In his bio on the City of Whitehorse website, Hartland says he was first elected to Whitehorse City Council when he was 21 in 2000 and that he is a "lifelong Yukon resident." He recently left his role as executive director of the Yukon Chamber of Mines, and previously worked as project manager with the Whitehorse Chamber of Commerce, and as a ministerial aide to the deputy premier, according to his bio.

Cabott, born in B.C., is a lawyer, and has lived in Whitehorse for 26 years, according to her bio on the City of Whitehorse website. Her bio also says she has volunteered in numerous organizations including the Law Society of Yukon, the Whitehorse Food Bank, the Wilderness Tourism Association Yukon, Whitehorse Minor Hockey, and Civil Air Search and Rescue, among others.

Seventeen people are running for six city council positions:

  • Eileen Melnychuk

  • Noah Curtis

  • Telek Rogan

  • Mellisa Murray

  • Kelsey Hassard-Gammel

  • Kirk Cameron

  • Michelle Stimson

  • Cam Kos

  • Doug Graham

  • Ted Laking

  • Robin Reid-Fraser

  • Jocelyn Curteanu (incumbent)

  • Michelle Friesen

  • Dave Blottner

  • Michelle Christensen-Toews

  • Janna Swales

  • Dan Boyd (incumbent)

Dawson City

Four people are running for mayor:

  • Stephen Johnson

  • Kevin Mendelsohn

  • Xen Van Nostrand

  • Bill Kendrick

Incumbent mayor Wayne Potoroka is not running for re-election after three terms in office.

All four candidates for council are acclaimed:

  • Alexander Somerville (acclaimed)

  • Patrik Pikalek (acclaimed)

  • Elizabeth Archbold (acclaimed)

  • Brennan Lister (acclaimed)

Carmacks

Two people are running for mayor:

  • Lee Bodie (incumbent)

  • Tara Wheeler (incumbent councillor)

Six people are running for four council positions:

  • Helena Belanger (incumbent)

  • Lorraine Graham (incumbent)

  • Kevin Unterschute

  • Justin Lachance

  • John Laughlin Jr.

  • Doris Hanson

Faro

Three people are running for mayor:

  • Leonard Faber (incumbent)

  • Lisa Snyder (incumbent councillor)

  • Jack Bowers

Bowers and Faber both ran for mayor in the 2018 municipal elections and were tied for votes. Faber won the mayoral race by draw.

Five people are running for four council positions:

  • Sarah McHugh

  • Leif Nyland

  • Russell Truman

  • Taylor Fetterly

  • Paul Medvid

Haines Junction

Three people are running for mayor:

  • Thomas Eckervogt (incumbent)

  • Kari Johnston (incumbent councillor)

  • Bruce Tomlin

Three council nominees are acclaimed, and there is a fourth council seat available:

  • Angie Charlebois (acclaimed)

  • Vicky Maynes (acclaimed)

  • Mark Nassiopoulos (acclaimed)

Charlebois and Nassiopoulos are incumbent councillors. A fourth council seat remains available and nomination papers for this position will be accepted until Sept. 29 at noon.

Mayo

Trevor Ellis is acclaimed as mayor.

All four candidates for council are also acclaimed:

  • Brent Chapman (acclaimed)

  • Blair Andre (acclaimed)

  • Simeon Paschuk (acclaimed)

  • Jo-Ann Aird (acclaimed)

Andre and Aird are incumbent councillors.

Teslin

Incumbent mayor Gord Curran is acclaimed as mayor this election.

Curran is also the president of the Association of Yukon Communities.

Five people are running for four seats on council:

  • Luc Johnstone

  • Juanita Kremer (incumbent)

  • Jeff Myke

  • Jenny Roberts

  • Trevor Sallis (incumbent)

Watson Lake

Two people are running for mayor:

  • Christopher Irvin (incumbent)

  • Justin Brown

Five candidates are running for four council positions:

  • Dale Burdes

  • Beckie Ann Lussier

  • Thomas Slager (incumbent)

  • Lauren Hanchar (incumbent)

  • Denina Paquette

Nominations can be challenged by an application to the Supreme Court for two days following the close of nominations.

Municipal elections take place Oct. 21.

This story will be updated Monday once the candidate lists are finalized.