The 2006 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship will get underway Saturday evening at the Whitehorse Curling Club in the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre.

It's the 43rd edition of The Mixed, which brings together 12 teams representing the 10 provinces, plus northern Ontario and Yukon/Northwest Territories.

At the conclusion of the round robin, the first-place team will advance to the final on Saturday, Nov. 26 while the second- and third-place teams meet in a semi-final on Friday, Nov. 25.

This is only the second time that Whitehorse has staged a Canadian Curling Association (CCA)-sanctioned championship. The city also hosted the Canadian senior men's and women's curling championships in 1990.

Among the competitors are Manitoba skip David Hamblin and second Ross Derksen, who teamed to win the 2002 Canadian and world junior championships, former Brier skips Terry Odishaw of New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador's Gary Oke and Nova Scotia's Brian Rafuse, Quebec second Marco Berthelot, a 1992 Canadian junior champion and 1993 world junior silver medalist, who also won the 2001 Canadian Mixed in Weyburn, Sask., as second for Jean-Michel Menard, and Quebec lead Janique Berthelot, who has skipped her province at two Scott Tournament of Hearts.

In addition, there are a number of other former junior, mixed, men's and women's provincial champions on the Canadian Mixed roster.

Saskatchewan shares the lead with Alberta for most Mixed wins eight, since the championship began in Toronto in 1964.

Teams from the Yukon/Northwest Territories have yet to win this event since joining the competition in 1972 in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Ironically, its best-ever won-lost record of 8-3 was established that year by skip Al Delmage of Yellowknife, who finished tied with Alberta for second, behind winner British Columbia.

Jamie Koe skips this year's NWT/Yukon team from Yellowknife, with his twin sister, Kerry, at third.

Last year, Newfoundland and Labrador won its first Mixed title under skip Mark Nichols, when his St. John's Curling Club team of Shelley Nichols, Brent Hamilton and Jennifer Guzzwell defeated host Saskatchewan, skipped by Kyle George, 7-5 in the 2005 final at the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club.

George would go on, though, to win both the K‰rcher Canadian Juniors in Fredericton and the world junior men's title in Pinerolo, Italy.

Nichols, of course, is also the third for Brad Gushue and will be competing at the upcoming Tim Hortons Canadian Curling Trials in Halifax.

Here are the teams expected in Whitehorse, listed in order of skip, third, second and lead:

Alberta Spruce Grove CC, Spruce Grove

Les Steuber, Heather Kuntz, Lorne Reed, Sheila Ashton

British Columbia Kimberley CC, Kimberley

Tom Buchy, Lori Buchy, Dave Toffolo, Robyn Toffolo

Manitoba Morris CC, Morris

David Hamblin, Kristen Williamson, Ross Derksen, Kendra Green

New Brunswick Thistle St. Andrews CC, Saint John and Capital WC,

Fredericton

Terry Odishaw, Becky Atkinson, Kevin Boyle, Jane Boyle

Newfoundland and Labrador Corner Brook CC, Corner Brook

Gary Oke, Marcie Brown, Scott Davidge, Donna Davis

Northern Ontario Fort William CC, Thunder Bay

Mike Assad, Angela Lee, Ben Mikkelsen, Kari MacLean

Northwest Territories/Yukon- Yellowknife CC, Yellowknife, NWT

Jamie Koe, Kerry Koe, Randy Turpin, Kelli Turpin

Nova Scotia Bridgewater CC, Bridgewater

Brian Rafuse, Laura Fultz, Dave Slauenwhite, Alexis Sinclair

Ontario Oakville CC, Oakville

John Epping, Julie Reddick, Scott Foster, Leigh Armstrong

Prince Edward Island Montague CC, Montague

Larry Dewar, Tammy Dewar, Ross Petrie, Gail Greene

Quebec Club de curling Boucherville, Boucherville & Club de curling

Laval-Sur-Le-Lac, Laval

Dwayne Fowler, Nathalie Audet, Marco Berthelot, Janique Berthelot

Saskatchewan Humboldt CC, Humboldt

Brian Wempe, Amy Jurgens, Kim Jurgens, Laura Jurgens.