Dean Hassard, the current MLA for Pelly-Nisutlin, has announced his intention to seek the Yukon Party nomination for Porter Creek South.

The riding is currently held by Liberal MLA Pat Duncan. Last week, Duncan announced she will not be seeking another term.

'It meant I would not be doing battle with one MLA,' said Hassard.

Another factor in his decision to seek the nomination in the Whitehorse riding is his young family, he said.

'My biggest concern was the amount of travel and I was struggling with balancing my family with being an MLA.'

Hassard recently moved from Teslin to the riding of Whitehorse West, where he is renting a home.

Shifting focus from a rural riding to the city might involve a bit of a challenge, said Hassard, but it is one he believes to be reasonable.

'It doesn't matter where you come from if you can listen to people and hear their concerns,' he said.

Hassard was first elected to the Yukon Legislative Assembly in 2002, taking 46 per cent of the vote and defeating Liberal incumbent Jim McLachlan.

Before his election to the house, Hassard sat on the Teslin village council for two years and the Renewable Resources Council. He has also worked in construction, heavy equipment operations and has a background in big game outfitting and trapping.

Hassard said he hopes people will vote for him based on his record as a strong representative and advocate.

On a Yukon level, Hassard said he wants to continue to work on health care, education and tackling substance abuse.

'We need to maintain the strong economic leadership and fiscal management of the Yukon Party government so we can continue to provide the social programs necessary to keep our families and communities healthy,' he said.

Within the Porter Creek South riding, he said, he is concerned with the continued questions about greenspace and moving forward on programs such as Dogs for Drug-free Schools.

'I don't have all the answers,' said Hassard. 'I'm still learning what I can. I'm certainly interested.'

Hassard said he believes the key to moving a number of issues in the riding is to encourage more discussion. He added having a representative from the governing party would likely help.

'It is vital that the economic prosperity that the Yukon is experiencing today continues, and I want to keep working to ensure that Yukoners have a bright and prosperous future,' he said.