Rick O’Brien
Rick O’Brien was a journeyman carpenter with a successful construction business before he was first elected Chief of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation in 1999. In 2003, he was elected Yukon Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations. He was elected again as chief of the Kwanlin Dün in 2011.1)
In August 2011, Chief O’Brien explained plans for land development in the face of a housing shortage. O’Brien criticized Whitehorse for not addressing the needs of entry-level or mid-level homeowners. Together, the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation own 10.4 percent of Whitehorse’s developable land. The First Nation have a different business model for residential real estate where leasing and income tax revenue generates income from developed land. The First Nation planned to have a land act legislation passed by the end of the summer. Kwanlin Dun could potentially lease residential land in Mary Lake, Porter Creek, Copper Ridge, Range Road, and McIntyre.2) In 2017, O’Brien was the Chair of the Chu Niikwan Development Corporation. The Board’s vision was to grow the equity and resources of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation to benefit its members.3)