Charles Dent is a former radio station manager, a volunteer fire fighter, a former municipal level politician and a long serving cabinet minister in the Northwest Territories territorial government.

Early life

Dent graduated from the University of Alberta

University of Alberta

The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...

 and moved to Yellowknife

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Yellowknife is the capital and largest city of the Northwest Territories , Canada. It is located on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, approximately south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the outlet of the Yellowknife River...

, Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories

The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...

, in 1976. He founded a radio station after he arrived in Yellowknife, CJCD-FM Mix 100

CJCD-FM

CJCD-FM, branded as Mix 100, is a Canadian radio station broadcasting at 100.1 FM in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. The station airs a hot AC format and is the only commercial station licensed to broadcast in the Northwest Territories. The station also has a rebroadcaster CJCD-FM-1 at 100.1 FM...

. He managed that station until he was elected as an MLA in 1991.

Dent began his political career on the Yellowknife city council. He held the position of alderman from 1984 to 1985 and became President of President of the NWT Association of Municipalities.

Politics

Dent ran for a seat in the Northwest Territories legislature in the 1991 Northwest Territories general election

Northwest Territories general election, 1991

The Northwest Territories general election, 1991 was the 17th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 15, 1991.Twenty four members were elected to the Northwest Territories Legislative Assembly....

. He was re-elected in the 1995 Northwest Territories general election

Northwest Territories general election, 1995

The Northwest Territories general election, 1995 was the 18th general election in the Northwest Territories history. The election took place on October 16, 1995. This was the last election before the Northwest Territories was split in two with the creation of Nunavut.The big issue this election was...

 with a comfortable margin. He would stand for a third term in office in the 1999 Northwest Territories general election

Northwest Territories general election, 1999

The Northwest Territories general election, 1999 took place on December 6, 1999, and was the 19th general election in the history of the Northwest Territories, Canada. This was the first election under the new boundaries that were created when Nunavut was carved out of the Northwest Territories...

 winning just under half of the popular vote. He would run for his fourth and final term in office in the 2003 Northwest Territories general election

Northwest Territories general election, 2003

The Northwest Territories general election, 2003 was the 20th general election in the Canadian territory's history, conducted on November 24, 2003, to elect the 19 members of the Legislative Assembly.The election was called on October 27...

. During his time in the Legislature he served numerous portfolios in the cabinet including. Government House Leader, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, Minister of Human Resources, Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Minister Responsible for Seniors, and Minister Responsible for Persons with Disabilities. He did not run for a fifth term when the legislature was dissolved in 2007.

External links

• Charles Dent biography