Ed. note: this is one of a series of riding profiles for the Nov. 7 election being published in random order.

The riding of Copperbelt North features a new cast of characters this time around.

The riding was established in 2009, when the former riding of Copperbelt was split into two – Copperbelt North and Copperbelt South.

Copperbelt North includes areas along and off the Alaska Highway north of the Mount Sima Road, along part of Hamilton Boulevard and parts of Copper Ridge bordering the Whitehorse West riding.

In the newly formed riding in 2011, the Yukon Party’s Currie Dixon defeated then- Liberal leader Arthur Mitchell with 520 votes compared to Mitchell’s 407. Coming third was Skeeter Miller-Wright (who’s running in the Vuntut Gwitchin riding this time) for the NDP at 159 votes.

Dixon has opted not to seek re-election. However, he is serving as the party’s campaign chair throughout the election, with Pat McInroy seeking Dixon’s seat under the Yukon Party’s banner.

Ted Adel of the Liberals is also vying for the seat. along with André Bourcier of the NDP.

André Bourcier

Bourcier sees serving as an MLA as a chance to give back to the community he has called home for 15 years.

He, his wife and two sons moved here from Quebec so Bourcier could take a job teaching at the Yukon Native Language Centre.

As he notes, his career as a linguist has given him an opportunity to work with First Nations and others around the territory.

He says his support for the NDP comes from the party’s vision for a fiscally responsible government that honours and respects First Nation governments

Volunteer roles in the francophone community as well as recreation interests, such as swimming and paddling groups, have also brought him in touch with a variety of Yukoners.

The riding of Copperbelt North has a diverse population that lives in a variety of housing types. They range from the larger country residential lots in the Mount Sima area to the smaller mobile home lots of the Lobird Trailer Park to the more urban residential sites in Copper Ridge and more.

The riding has a complement of both young families and those who have raised their children, who, like his own, are now adults out on their own, he says.

Despite the varied demographics of the riding, there are a number of issues that come up across the board, with health care being at the top of the list, Bourcier says.

Within health care are a number of issues that are all connected – recruitment and retention of workers, palliative care beds and the plans for the 150-bed extended care facility (with room to expand in the future by another 150 beds) being built in Whistle Bend.

As Bourcier notes, the Whistle Bend facility is raising a number of questions. Many have noted the benefits of having smaller care facilities and home care where possible.

Now, with construction of the Whistle Bend site underway, many are wondering how the space will be used when the complex opens, including a number of health care workers who live in the riding.

The facility, he pointed out, is slated to have 10 palliative care beds. The question remains, though, whether those beds will be placed in a separate unit or incorporated into other parts of the residence.

That same issue exists in meeting the needs of other residents who will live in the facility as well, Bourcier says.

Individual residents’ needs will likely be complex, and that could be difficult for staff who have to deal with a large number of residents, all with different needs.

The cost of housing is another big issue in the riding, with many wanting to see more affordable housing options available.

Ted Adel

For 24 years, Adel has called the Yukon home.

He was unsuccessful in securing a seat in the legislature for the riding of Mount Lorne-Southern Lakes for the Liberals in 2011.

However, his desire to serve the Yukon as a Liberal MLA and move the territory “in a more positive direction” has not waned in that half-decade.

Adel beat out two other candidates for the party’s nomination in Copperbelt North, a riding he lives close to with his wife and two sons.

The candidate’s careers have seen him own and operate a business, work as a realtor, for Canada Post and now for the Yukon Liquor Corp. along with a lengthy list of volunteer roles which started just six hours after arriving in Whitehorse.

Given that, Adel says he has the experience of collaborating and working with a variety of people who will serve him well as an MLA.

“I have worn so many hats,” he says. “I’ve seen it all.”

The 63-year-old noted it’s the Liberals’ efforts to collaborate and work with people of all stripes that have seen him support the party over the years.

“Be heard” is exactly what it means, he says of the slogan that’s come up on so many Liberal election signs, noting the party wants to work on good ideas regardless of where they come from.

And hearing from voters is the best part of the election campaign for Adel.

“I love knocking on doors,” he says.

Many voters are engaged in this election and sharing their thoughts with him, he says.

Mental health services are an issue that continually comes up from residents.

“There’s a gap,” he says of the services that need to be available to people from a very young age.

The economy is another big issue for Copperbelt North, Adel says.

Residents want good jobs that may bring young people back to the territory to enjoy the unique lifestyle available in the Yukon.

Pat McInroy

While this will mark the first time McInroy’s name appears on a ballot, it’s something that’s been coming for a long time.

In 2011, he had thought about it. However, his kids were still fairly young, at eight and 11 at that point, and he just didn’t have the time to commit to the job.

Five years later, his kids are older and he now feels he has the time to commit to serving in the legislature.

After talking about it with his wife, the 46-year-old decided to seek a seat in the riding he has lived in since 1996. That’s the year he returned to the Yukon after studying natural resource management at the University of Alaska.

“It’s been a real goal of mine,” McInroy says of serving as an MLA, emphasizing his commitment to the territory he was born and raised in.

Over the last five years, his commitment to the Yukon Party has been clear in his role as party president.

For McInroy, he supports the party’s commitment to keeping taxes low (the Yukon Party lowered taxes last year, he pointed out), thus keeping more money in the pockets of Yukoners. That, he argues, helps stimulate the economy.

As McInroy, the owner of P&M Recycling, travels door-to-door, it’s the possibility of one tax that’s dominating the conversation.

The federal government has said it will impose a carbon tax throughout the country if individual jurisdictions do not go ahead with it.

“Obviously, we’re the only party that’s going (to fight that),” McInroy says.

Copperbelt North, he says, has many families who are raising children – getting them to school, the rink, the soccer field and so on.

“It’s a costly time of life,” he says, noting many cannot afford the added cost that would come with a carbon tax.

Along with running P&M, McInroy has held a number of roles coaching hockey and baseball in Whitehorse.