Denise Yuhas announces plan to run in Thebacha

Fort Smith’s Denise Yuhas is the first to announce a planned run for the Thebacha riding in the upcoming territorial election this fall.

Current MLA Louis Sebert, also a minister in Premier Bob McLeod’s cabinet, has yet to confirm he’ll be running again.

In a message to Cabin Radio, Yuhas said the district “needs an MLA who will listen, communicate, and deliver.”

The riding encompasses the far southeast of the territory, including Fort Smith and the nearby subdivision of Bell Rock, and is home to 2,500 people.

Yuhas said she has lived in Fort Smith for 33 years, working in business and as constituency assistant to Michael Miltenberger.

Miltenberger served as Thebacha MLA from 1995 until 2015, including seven years as minister of finance, until his defeat by Sebert.

“I strongly believe that working with and respecting the roles of other elected officials is imperative to finding creative solutions that can address complex issues while working towards achieving common goals,” Yuhas wrote.

“These are challenging times and we cannot advance as a town or as a territory with divisive goals or centralization.”

Yuhas highlighted her volunteer experience mobilizing the community to fundraise for a dialysis machine, and helping to bring a high-quality running track to the town.

“I have proven my capacity to reach out and bring people together to meet the needs of the community,” she said.

Cabin Radio will feature extensive interviews with NWT election candidates beginning at the start of September, when nominations officially open. Bookmark our NWT Election 2019 homepage to follow our coverage.