Mackenzie Delta | Frederick Blake, Jr., William Firth, David Krutko, Norman Snowshoe

In Mackenzie Delta, three people are taking on incumbent, Frederick Blake Jr., including former four-term MLA David Krutko.

• Mackenzie Delta candidates took part in an online forum on CBC North
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As its name implies, the Mackenzie Delta district is centred on the many-braided mouth of the Northwest Territories' biggest river. The region largely consists of low-lying, scrubby boreal forest, though in the west, the Richardson Mountains rise to the Yukon border. Over the last 25 years, the area has witnessed the boom, bust, renewed boom, and bust again of oil and gas exploration.

Fort McPherson (pop. 792), on the banks of the Peel River, is economically dependent on hunting and trapping, tourism, and maintenance of the Dempster Highway, which links it and subsistence hunting and trapping-based Tsiigehtchic (pop. 160) to the regional hub of Inuvik.

Residents of Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic are largely Gwich'in, whereas Aklavik (pop. 691), further down the Mackenzie, is home to a mix of Inuvialuit and Gwich'in inhabitants.

Voter turnout has tended to be moderate over the years. In 2011, it fell below 50 percent (47%).

Frederick Blake, Jr.

Frederik BlakeJr.was born and raised inTsiighetchic and went to high school in Inuvik and Edmonton. He's also had post-secondary education in negotiations and leadership. He's worked for the Gwich'in Tribal Council, development corporation and settlement corporation, sat on thePorcupine Caribou Management Board and was a two-term chief and mayor of Tsiigehtchic.

The top concerns in Mackenzie Delta, according to Blake, are the region's severe housing shortage, education (particularly social promotion), and unemployment. He says there needs to be more apprenticeship programs for trained and educated young workers who are coming home only to struggle finding work. He's also concerned about the high cost of living, noting high gas prices in Aklavik and high water rates in Fort McPherson.

William Firth

Firth was born and raised in Fort McPherson. He has post-secondary education in linguistics and native language instruction. He has worked in Gwich'in language programming for CBC and CKLB and as an interpreter for the GWNT's language bureau. Since 2000, he's worked for the Gwich'in Social and Cultural Institute. He has served as a band councillor and on Fort McPherson'seducation authority.

Firth says he's concerned about the education system. He says students are being pushed through school whether or not they're ready for the work world. He says communities in the riding need more infrastructure and local gravel sources. And he says there isn't enough affordable housing and that the tourism industry in the region should be expanded. He promises to do a better job consulting with residents in the riding.

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David Krutko

Krutko did not respond to repeated interview requests for this article. Born in Aklavik and raised in Fort McPherson,he was a four-term MLA for Mackenzie Delta from 1995 until 2011, when he opted not to run again. He has served as the speaker of the Legislative Assembly and as the Minister of Public Works and Services and had cabinet responsibilities for the Northwest Territories Power Corporation and the Workers' Safety and Compensation Board.

Krutko told a CBC online forumhis main concern is the cost of living in the region.One way to do this, he says, is to increase renewable energy in the territory and by promoting the production of the territory's oil reserves for local consumption.He also countshousing, health care, elders care, healing services and improvinglocal economies through tourism as priorities.

Norman Snowshoe

Snowshoe was born and raised in Fort McPherson. He has a college diploma in renewable resource management. He has worked for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as an aboriginal liaison and a manager of environment and enforcement. He's currently the vice president and director of implementation for the Gwich'in Tribal Council. He ran unsuccessfully in 2008 for the presidency of GTC.

Snowshoe says the main concern in the riding is the high cost of living and the general economic downturn in the region. He says communities in the region need access to infrastructure money promised by the new Liberal federal government. Snowshoesays the region has economic potential that's remained untapped because it doesn't get the same attention as other parts of the territory.

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