Dennis G. Fentie (1950 – 2019)
Dennis Fentie was born in Alberta to parents Mary and Gordon Fentie. He and his mother moved to Watson Lake in 1962 and then he was sent out to school and to live with his uncle Joe in Edmonton where he fell in with a bad crowd.1) In 1974 he was convicted and went to prison for heroin trafficking. He received a full pardon in 1996.2)
Dennis returned to the Yukon, determined to move on and live a productive life. He became a community leader, business owner, and hockey coach. He developed a network of friends in mining, logging, and transportation.3) He owned and managed Frances River Construction and was a director with the Association of Yukon Forests and the Watson Lake Chamber of Commerce.4)
Dennis Fentie was elected as a member of the Yukon New Democratic Party from 1996 to 2002 after which he moved to the Yukon Party and was elected leader of a majority government. In 2003, he joined with the other territorial governments to negotiate greater funding from Ottawa for health services. His government established hospitals in Dawson and Watson Lake, improved the Robert Campbell Highway, and increased industry in Watson Lake. Fentie was re-elected for a fourth term and a second majority government.5) In 2003, he presided over the devolution of important services that expanded the size of the Yukon Government and its ability to control land resources.6)
The Yukon Party was reduced to minority standing in August 2006 when three Yukon Party MLAs resigned or chose to sit as Independents. He called an election for October 2006 and regained majority standing.7) He retired from politics in 2010.8)