The residents of Copperbelt can expect a byelection to be called in the near future, Premier Dennis Fentie said today.

'It appears Mr. (Haakon) Arntzen will be resigning and the government is already moving towards ensuring that a byelection can be held in the riding of Copperbelt as soon as possible,' Fentie told the Star this morning from the airport in Old Crow. He and other cabinet ministers were waiting there for a plane to head to Mayo as part of their summer community tour.

Arntzen's lawyer, Brian Beresh, told Yukon Supreme Court yesterday the MLA would resign his seat in the legislative assembly following his sentencing, which was expected to continue at 4 p.m. today.

Last May, Arntzen was convicted of three incidents of indecent assault against two women between 1972 and 1980. The women were children at the time.

There were calls for the government to oust Arntzen from his position throughout the summer. Fentie, conversely, maintained the government would permit the due process of the courts to conclude.

However, having not asked a question in the legislature since Dec. 13, 2004 and having been absent for much of the spring sitting while his trial was underway, Arntzen now appears to be resigning.

'I think it's clear that the decision made by the individual in question is the correct decision,' said Fentie. 'As the government has said all along, if Mr. Arntzen doesn't do the right thing, we will. We will act quickly and decisively.'

However, Fentie would not say if the residents of Copperbelt, who elected Arntzen in 2002, can expect to have a representative in the legislature for the fall sitting.

In 2004, the legislature began its fall sitting on Oct. 21 and in 2003, it sat on Oct. 30.

'Given that I haven't set a date for the next sitting, that would be speculative answer,' he said. 'When I say as soon as possible,' that means we're going to move quickly.'

Fentie said he still needs to discuss the logistical challenges of calling a byelection with the clerk of the assembly and the chief returning officer.

Patrick Michael, clerk of the assembly and chief electoral officer, told the Star the process should be able to go forward quickly.

Arntzen will first need to provide notice to Ted Staffen, the Speaker of the legislature, of his resignation. A notice will then be given to Michael, who will inform Commissioner Jack Cable the seat has become vacant.

The entire process shouldn't take more than a day or two after Arntzen actually resigns, said Michael.

It will then be the premier's responsibility to contact the commissioner to call a byelection, he added.

It is the norm for an election notice to be issued on a Friday with the polling taking place 31 days later, usually on a Monday. The return occurs seven days later.

Though the date of the next sitting of the legislature has not yet been released, Michael said that based on the starting times of the previous years, it seems unlikely that Copperbelt will have a representative prior to the sitting.

But he added it is certainly possible to have a new MLA begin sitting for the riding some time during the session.

The byelection will cost approximately $35,000, he added.

'We will make sure that the timing of the election is in the immediate future,' said Fentie. 'That's our focus now, and I want to assure the residents of Copperbelt that we are going to move as soon as possible to hold a byelection for them.'

However, Opposition Leader Todd Hardy told the Star Wednesday a byelection could have been called previously.

'This is a situation that should have been resolved four months ago before the legislative assembly closed,' he said.

The NDP put forward a motion calling for Arntzen's resignation during the spring sitting of the assembly, but the Yukon Party refused to debate it and it died on the floor of the house.

'I think the people of Copperbelt deserve a byelection,' Hardy said. 'They could have had proper representation. The people of Copperbelt deserve to have an MLA for the fall sitting.'

Arthur Mitchell, leader of the Liberal party and a constituent of Copperbelt, agreed. The people in the riding have been without representation since the spring of 2004, when Arntzen was charged with the crimes, he told the Star yesterday.

'It's unfortunate that Mr. Fentie has played politics with it for so long but there's no reason now not to call a byelection,' he said.

Both Hardy and Mitchell have been receiving calls and hearing concerns from constituents throughout the summer about the lack of representation for their riding.

Hardy previously told the Star he estimated that hundreds of constituents have contacted the NDP's office.

The NDP will continue to try to represent the riding's concerns, he said yesterday, and to push to ensure they have representation in the legislature.

However, Fentie said the government represents all the citizens in the territory.

'Government represents all citizens, incumbent governments do. The citizens of Copperbelt have had no less representation than any other constituency in this territory.'

See coverage of Wednesday's protest over the Arntzen affair, p. 4.