Three vie for Yellowknife mayor

Three candidates are running for mayor of Yellowknife and 12 others are competing for eight council seats after nominations closed on Monday.

Mark Heyck, Paul Falvo and Tim Doyle are vying for mayor.

Heyck, a current Yellowknife city councillor and deputy mayor, said running the city is a big job.

"It’s a huge challenge for us in Yellowknife right now, with the diamond mines shutting down," he said.

Falvo, another current city councillor, said it’s not just about stimulating the economy, but really about lowering the cost of living.

"The city doesn't set rents, but we can make sure there is enough supply of housing so that people can locate here and want to move here and it’s affordable for people to live here."

Doyle, executive director of the Yellowknife Chamber of Commerce, said he would implement a tax freeze in his first year as mayor.

"Then we are going to live within a budget and keep costs down, then we are going to figure out how to grow both the population and the business community in Yellowknife," he said.

The mayoral candidates agree on at least one thing – they are all calling for more addictions treatment services to help combat crime.

Election day is Monday, Oct.15.