Sheryl Yakeleya is the new MLA for Dehcho, having earned 229 votes once all 13 polls reported.
Yakeleya, from Fort Providence, defeated Richard Lafferty, Steven Vandell and outgoing MLA Ronald Bonnetrouge to win the race. Lafferty received 27 votes, Vandell 179, and Bonnetrouge 146.
“I feel amazing,” she said soon after her win. “My phone is blowing up.”
Yakeleya believes she was elected because she has a track record of “talking to people and working for them.”
“A lady gave a speech for me when we started the evening here, and she wanted to say thank you for all the work that I’ve done,” she said. “I think it’s just my connection to the people.”
Yakeleya said her top priorities as MLA will be housing, education, and mental health, as well as climate change, which she is “really worried about.”