Kam Lake | Dave Ramsay, Kieron Testart - Action News
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Kam Lake | Dave Ramsay, Kieron Testart

Can an enthusiastic political newcomer knock off an incumbent who's won three straight elections, including two huge majorities? The polls will tell on Nov. 23.

Political newcomer Kieron Testart takes on 3-time incumbent Dave Ramsay in Kam Lake

Kam Lake candidates Dave Ramsay and Kieron Testart. (submitted)

Can Kieron Testart, an enthusiastic political newcomer, knock off Dave Ramsay, an incumbent who's won three straight elections, including two huge majorities? The polls will tell on Nov. 23.

Kam Lake covers Yellowknife's outer suburbs and industrial areas, includinga jumble of homes, trailers, apartments, industrial lots and dog yards at the south end of Yellowknife. It includes the North Slave Correctional Facility, N.J.MacPhersonSchool and St. Joseph School.The ritzy new subdivision of Grace Lake also votes here.

Just 31 per cent of eligible voters in the riding came out to the polls last election.

Dave Ramsay

A Yellowknifersince the age of 10, Ramsaywas a businessman and worked in tourism development for the territorial government.

His first two runs for territorial office Yellowknife Centre in 1995 and Range Lake in 1999 were unsuccessful, although he did serve two terms on Yellowknife city council between 1997 and 2003.

Ramsayis seeking a fourth term. He was first elected in 2003, and won thelast two elections by huge majorities, including a win with 80 per cent of the vote in 2007. He took 65 per cent of the vote against three challengers in 2011.

He became a cabinet minister in 2011, serving as minister of Transportation, Justice, Industry, Tourism and Investment, and the public utilities board.

Ramsay says the cost of living is his most important issue in this campaign. He defends the government's decision to twice provide extra cash to the Northwest Territories Power Corporation to head off rate increases, but says more must be done to boost the economy. Ramsay suggests looking at tax changes to support small- and medium-sized businesses and luring more tourists to the territories.

Campaign Facebook page

Kieron Testart

At 30, Testart is one of the younger candidates running in this election. He wasborn in Victoria, B.C., and raised in Yellowknife.

He worked for five years as a deputy sheriff and two as a policy analyst with the territorial justice department. Earlier this year, he entered his namefor the N.W.T. federal Liberal nomination, before dropping out of the race to support Michael McLeod.

Testartsays hisnumber one issue is the cost of living. He also supports tax changes for small business, regulatory changes and new infrastructure for industry. Testart says without immediate government action, theN.W.T. economy will go intodecline.

He's also promising greater transparency in government by opening up committee meetings, improving access to information and passing legislation to protect whistleblowers.

Campaign website

The CBC will profile all candidates, by riding, in the leadup to voting day, Nov. 23.