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Nine new candidates confirmed in Yukon ridings

It has been a busy two weeks as the parties try to firm up candidates
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Legislative assembly on the last day of the fall sitting in Whitehorse on Nov. 22, 2018. As the legislature prepares to return on March 4, the three parties are continuing to finalize candidates in the territory’s 19 ridings. (Crystal Schick/Yukon News file)

As the legislature prepares to return on March 4, the three parties are continuing to finalize candidates in the territory’s 19 ridings.

It has been a busy two weeks as the parties try to firm up candidates that will run for election in the upcoming territorial vote, which will need to be called by the Liberal party on or before Nov. 18.

In the past two weeks nine candidates were confirmed by the three parties and seven people have stepped forward to seek nominations.

Current Whitehorse mayor Dan Curtis has been acclaimed as the Liberal Party candidate for Whitehorse Centre. Amanda Brown, a member of Liard First Nation and health advocate, will run for the party in Watson Lake.

Cynthia Lyslo, a public servant and management consultant, will represent the Yukon Party in Riverdale South. Retired federal fishery officer Chad Sjodin will run for the party in Porter Creek South.

Other new and familiar faces have been confirmed in five other ridings. Current Porter Creek North MLA Geraldine Van Bibber will seek re-election in her riding. Current Watson Lake MLA Patti McLeod will seek re-election in her riding, along with Copperbelt South MLA Scott Kent.

Long-time leader of the Canadian-Filipino Society Yvonne Clarke will be on the ballot in Porter Creek Centre. In Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes Eric Schroff will run for the party. Schroff is a long-time public servant and current executive director of the Yukon Fish and Game Association.

Two people are seeking to run under the Yukon Party banner in Mayo-Tatchun. Carmacks deputy mayor Lorraine Graham and Peter Grundmanis, a teacher and coach who grew up in Elsa, are both seeking the candidacy. The contested nomination will be decided with a vote on March 4.

The NDP also announced new nominees in several ridings. The ridings will have confirmed candidates when the nomination period closes.

Teacher and activist Jason Cook will run in Riverdale South, while archivist and school council member Vanessa Thorson will run in Riverdale North.

Accessibility advocate and NGO consultant Colette Acheson is seeking the nomination in Porter Creek South. Student and writer Saba Javed is running in Copperbelt North and photographer Erik Pinkerton is running in Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes.

A date for the election has not yet been set. The Liberal party can decide when an election will be called, although it must take place on or before Nov. 18.

Likely anticipating the possibility of a spring election, all three parties began riding nominations in January. The News has covered previously decided candidates and nominees in bi-weekly articles published Jan. 7, Jan. 31, and Feb. 10.

Contact Haley Ritchie at haley.ritchie@yukon-news.com