"Can you sing?”

Jan Brault: No.

"Can you dance?”

Brault: No.

"Can you sew?”

Yes.

And that answer, provided more than 30 years ago, helped to land Brault, a candidate in next week's municipal election, her first job in the Yukon mending and making costumes for the Frantic Follies vaudeville show.

Like many Yukoners, Brault came to the territory for a visit, fell in love with the place and decided to make it her home.

Just as she earned her sewing job with the Follies, Brault is all about seeing where she can lend her interest and skills, then getting the job done.

As the former president of the Hillcrest Community Association, Brault pushed for and got the ugly electrical wires lining the local landscape buried.

"It was part of our beautification plan. Residents said they'd like to see the electric lines go underground and that's what Yukon Electrical is doing,” she explained.

When volunteering for the Yukon Historical and Museums Association, Brault saw there was a demand for, but lack of, historical walking tours, so she went ahead and started one.

"I did the first community walking tour through the association, and working with Carcross-Tagish First Nation,” recalled Brault. "After that, heritage took it over and now there's one in every community.”

In fact, the 53-year-old mother of two and grandmother of two, has helped lead or volunteered for a myriad of local community organizations, so it's easy to understand why Brault is making a stab at city council.

"I stepped up for council because I live here, it's my daughters' home, grandchildren's home, I just really believe you've got to be part of your community. It's really the Yukon way,” Brault says of why she's running.

"It kind of sounds hokey, but I've always been in community service and I believe in it and I believe it makes a good life.”

Her current occupation of mining camp chef keeps her busy and close to the "beautiful and peaceful” outdoors that she loves.

The idea of being a city councillor "sounded interesting,” says Brault, and that, combined with her love of community service, has drawn her into the campaign for one of six seats on council.

"If you want to see something happen, you get involved,” she says. "It's one of my passions; I think it makes the world go around.”