'It's an absolute delight': Kirk Cameron elected mayor of Whitehorse

Kirk Cameron, elected mayor of Whitehorse on Thursday, says he's predicting some "tough times" ahead as the city faces some major infrastructure needs in the coming years.

Cameron was elected by a healthy margin in Thursday's vote. Soon after polls closed at 8 p.m., he immediately took the lead over four other mayoral candidates as initial results came in, and held the lead through the rest of the evening.

With all polls reporting results by about 8:50 p.m., Cameron led with 3,116 votes compared to Dan Bushnell's 2,206. Stephen Kwok finished third with 381 votes, followed by Jack Bogaard with 195 votes and Dino Rudniski with 71 votes.

Along with a new mayor, the city's next council is also almost entirely new. Coun. Dan Boyd was the only incumbent among 18 people seeking the six city councillor positions. Boyd was re-elected, along with new councillors Lenore Morris, Paolo Gallina, Anne Middler, Jenny Hamilton, and Eileen Melnychuk.  

The results are considered preliminary until they're confirmed in the coming days.

Cameron, who watched results come in with family and friends at a downtown restaurant, said he didn't want to start celebrating too early in the evening, even as his win seemed assured.

"It's an absolute delight," he said of his win. "I never get too enthusiastic about this stuff until literally the last numbers are in."

Speaking to CBC News, Cameron — a city councillor during the last term — predicted a lot of "heavy lifting" to do over the next council's four-year term. He predicted the city could need up to $750 million in infrastructure spending.

"It's going to take a lot of hard work for us to make sure we are able to get that money, get it to work, and to put in place that infrastructure that we need. So these are ... they're going to be tough times," he said.

Cameron said his second priority is dealing with downtown crime. It's become a hot-button issue for many residents and business owners.

"I think we can take a close look at our bylaw services, and see if there's a way in which we can build a more robust presence here in the city, working very closely with the RCMP and with community officers as well," he said.

"I think there's a lot more we can do."

Dan Boyd, the only councillor from the last term who ran for re-election this time, said he believes the new council will be "refreshing."

"They're pretty keen and excited," he said.

Boyd agreed that infrastructure spending will be a major issue in the coming years. 

"There just isn't enough money, and we can't collect enough money from the tax base to pay for all the needs of a growing capital city," he said.

Boyd says the city is going to have to look to the federal and territorial governments for help.

"We're counting on it and I think it will come, it's just that it will take a while," he said. 

Lenore Morris, who finished just behind Boyd in the vote count for councillors, said it felt "gratifying" to have earned so much support. She credits the two campaigns she ran as a federal Green Party candidate in the Yukon for helping build her profile.

She said she's interested in tackling some of the "big picture stuff," such as long-term planning and making the city a "great place to live."

"There's a lot of things that people want, and obviously we can't do everything and we have to do the best that we can, with the resources that we have," she said.

"I'm excited about the people who were elected. It was a great field, really diverse field of people that ran and I'm thrilled to be working with the group that was elected."

Anne Middler, another one of the city's new councillors, said the election campaign was an "uphill battle," with so many candidates running.  

"I'm surprised, it feels really good to have the confidence of the people of Whitehorse," she said.

Middler has operated a business selling kicksleds, and that's how she got herself over to city hall on Thursday night to see the results come in.

"So I'm living my best life, I'm very happy today," she said.

Paolo Gallina, a former Liberal MLA unseated in the last territorial election, said he was "happy to be representing folks in Whitehorse."

Gallina said he was happy that Cameron and Boyd were returning to council, and said the new councillors have a lot of community and business experience.

"I feel good about the team that we have," Gallina said.

Eileen Melnychuk, who has run in several elections over the years, said the work ahead of her feels "kinda daunting."

"It comes with a lot of responsibility, this job, and I take that responsibility seriously. I'm excited to get started on the training, because I know we'll need some training, and then get to work," Melnychuk said. 

Read more 2024 municipal election coverage from CBC Yukon: