Yukon Senator Ione Christensen is expected to announce her retirement later this afternoon.

Christensen planned to host a press conference at 2 p.m. in her home in Riverdale to declare she has filed papers for her resignation from the Senate.

She has previously told the Star that she felt it was time to spend more time at home and helping care for husband, Art, a former longtime employee of the territorial government.

Christensen was appointed to the Senate in 1999 by then-prime minister Jean Chretien. She was not scheduled to retire from the lifelong appointment until October 2008.

A fourth-generation Yukoner, Christensen previously served as Commissioner of the Yukon in 1979, before resigning in October of that year for an unsuccessful run in the February 1980 election. Then-Conservative MP Erik Nielsen narrowly defeated her in that election.

She has held the positions of mayor of Whitehorse, chair of the Association of Yukon Communities, director with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, president of Hospitality North Ltd. and chair of the Yukon Placer Mining Guidelines Review Committee.

In 1994, she was appointed a member of the Order of Canada for her life accomplishments in promoting, supporting and encouraging the preservation of Yukon history.

In the Senate, she replaced Liberal Paul Lucier, who had died of cancer.