The three main parties are continuing to prepare for an upcoming election.
On Jan. 21 the Yukon Liberals announced nearly all their current sitting MLAs are expected to run again in 2021, including Premier Sandy Silver in the Klondike region.
Don Hutton is the only sitting MLA to not run for reelection, leaving his riding of Mayo-Tatchen now open for a new candidate. Current Whitehorse mayor Dan Curtis announced earlier this month he will seek Whitehorse Centre, a riding currently held by retiring NDP MLA Liz Hanson.
Ted Adel will run again in Copperbelt North, Nils Clarke in Riverdale North, Pauline Frost in Vuntut Gwitchin, Paolo Gallina in Porter Creek Centre, Jeanie McLean in Mountainview, Tracy McPhee in Riverdale South, Richard Mostyn in Whitehorse West, Ranj Pillai in Porter Creek South and John Streicker in Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes.
The Yukon Party is also getting its house in order. The party announced Jan. 18 that they will begin their process of selecting candidates, starting with Mountainview, Kluane and Whitehorse West.
New party leader Currie Dixon, who is not currently elected, will run in Copperbelt North against the Liberal incumbent Adel. Dixon held that riding before in 2011. He’ll be joined by incumbent MLAs Brad Cathers in Lake Laberge, Wade Istchenko in Kluane and Geraldine Van Bibber in Porter Creek North.
The three remaining sitting Yukon Party MLAs (Stacey Hassard, Scott Kent and Patti McLeod) have not announced yet whether they plan to run for another term.
Finally, the Yukon NDP are also continuing their candidate selection process, which kicked off Jan. 5 when current MLA and former leader Liz Hanson announced she will not run again in Whitehorse Centre.
The party says 20 people are currently seeking nomination in various ridings, including three vying for Hanson’s riding. Current leader Kate White will run again in Takhini-Kopper King. The nomination process is currently underway for Kluane, Porter Creek Centre and Whitehorse.
There is no date set yet for the next territorial election, but by law it must be called by the sitting Liberal party before or on November 21, 2021.
Contact Haley Ritchie at haley.ritchie@yukon-news.com