Yellowknife's mayor is running to be the N.W.T.'s next MP. What happens to her job if she wins?

If Northwest Territories' Liberal candidate wins in the federal election on Monday, she's expected to leave a mayor-sized hole in Yellowknife's city council.

Rebecca Alty was first elected mayor in 2018 and was acclaimed in 2022. She took a leave of absence last month to campaign as the territory's Liberal candidate, and deputy mayor Ben Hendriksen has been filling in for her.

Alty is running against the Green Party's Angela Davidson, also known as Rainbow Eyes, Kimberly Fairman of the Conservative Party, and Kelvin Kotchilea of the NDP. 

If Alty is elected as the territory's next MP, the mayor's seat in Yellowknife would become vacant. The territory's Local Authorities Elections Act then offers city council three potential courses of action: appoint a new mayor from within its ranks, hold a byelection, or leave the seat empty until the next municipal election.

Hendricksen said the legislation means council wouldn't just be "making up decisions on the fly that suit us as a council."

"It's decisions that are within our authority under territorial legislation, and that will be what we all believe together is in the best interest of the city," he said.

If council chose to appoint one of its members as mayor, and more than one councillor put their name forward, the decision would be put to a vote by the remaining councillors, said Hendriksen. 

Since the mayor's role is full-time, the winning councillor would likely have to quit or take a leave from their day job.

Council could also leave the mayor's seat empty until the next municipal election, meaning, Hendriksen said, that he would continue on as acting mayor. He doesn't foresee that happening though, in the event that Alty wins N.W.T.'s seat in Parliament, since the next municipal election isn't until Oct. 19, 2026.

Coun. Rob Warburton told CBC News over text that if the mayor's seat becomes vacant next week, he would prefer to appoint a new mayor from council.

"I think it's too much time before the next election to leave it vacant, but weirdly also too short to put the significant staff time, focus and cost into running a byelection," Warburton said. 

City officials did not respond before deadline to questions about what might happen to the mayor's job if Alty is elected MP.

CBC News asked all the sitting councillors whether they would go for the mayor's job if Alty left it for a seat in the House of Commons.

Coun. Garett Cochrane said he's seriously considering it.

Couns. Warburton, Cat McGurk, Tom McLennan and Steve Payne said they would not. Couns. Hendriksen and Stacie Arden-Smith declined to say yes or no, and Coun. Ryan Fequet did not respond. 

CBC News asked Alty and her campaign team whether she would resign as mayor if she was elected MP, or if she would return as mayor if she doesn't win, but did not get a response before deadline.