An election will be held to fill the vacant trustee seat for the Yukon First Nations School Board as two nominations for the role were received.
According to a notice from Elections Yukon issued after nominations closed on Feb. 1, Shelby Blackjack and Matsʼäsä̀na Mą Primozic are the nominees.
Blackjack is a citizen of the Little Salmon Carmacks First Nation who is well-credentialed, holding a Diploma of Fine Arts from the Victoria College of Art and a Master of Education in Leadership from Simon Fraser University. Her bio on the Elections Yukon website states that she put a PhD in Indigenous governance studies on hold and returned to the Yukon when her daughter was born.
“Shelby is a recognized artist, academic, activist and educator of Northern Tutchone and European descent. Building strong community connections and cultural programs within the areas of education, arts, governance, heritage and cultural traditions is present in every aspect of her life,” the bio reads.
Matsʼäsä̀na Mą Primozic is from Champagne and Aishihik First Nation (CAFN) and lives in Däkwä̀käda (Haines Junction).
“Matsʼäsä̀na Mą is someone who thrives from the language and culture. In June 2021, she graduated from CAFNʼs Adult Language Immersion Program where she became an advanced-intermediate fluent speaker in her First Nation Language of Dän Kwänje (Southern Tutchone),” her Elections Yukon bio reads.
It goes on to state that she values youth and wants to guide them toward their culture, language and traditions. She was the chair of CAFN’s youth executive council and now sits on its language, culture and heritage advisory committee.
After its creation in 2022, initial elections were held for the school board’s five trustees. The board represents 11 of the Yukon’s schools.
The byelection is being held because a board seat was left by an elected member who is no longer eligible to serve, having taken a full-time job with the school board.
Online voting at electionsyukon.ca opens today and will run until 7 p.m. on Feb. 12. Voters can also apply to cast their ballots by mail until Feb. 5. Results will be made official by Tuesday, Feb. 13.
Eligible voters in the election must be Canadian citizens, at least 18 years old and either be a parent of a student who attends a school operated by the First Nation School Board or be entitled to membership of a Yukon First Nation and have an ancestral Yukon First Nation language and have been a Yukon resident for at least three months.
Full candidate bios and more information about the election are available at electionsyukon.ca.
Contact Jim Elliot at jim.elliot@yukon-news.com