Mayo was an
electoral district which returned an
MLA to the
Legislative Assembly of the
Yukon Territory in
Canada. It was created in 1928, at a time when it was one of three districts who elected advisors to the
Yukon Territorial Council. The more contemporary, final iteration of the riding was created from an amalgamation of the riding with part of the riding of
Klondike. It was abolished in 1992 when it was amalgamated with the riding of
Tatchun to form the riding of
Mayo-Tatchun.
It was situated on the traditional territory of the
Selkirk First Nation and the
First Nation of Na-Cho Nyäk Dun. As of 1970, the population of the electorate was 476 voters and by abolition (c. 1992) it was 421 voters.
History
Mayo was created as a district in the
1928 Yukon election at a time when representatives for the
Yukon Territorial Council were being elected. The Yukon Territorial Council was the Yukon's political body prior to the creation of the
Yukon Legislative Assembly. Although not a full legislature, the council acted as an advisory body to the
Commissioner of the Yukon, and had the power to pass non-binding motions of legislation which would be forwarded to the Commissioner for consideration. Because the Commissioner retained executive authority,[2] empowered through Ottawa, the Yukon Territorial Council was thus not a fully democratic government. Although an elected body, its powers were significantly more constrained than those of a provincial legislative assembly.[2]
When Mayo was created in 1928, it was one of three districts with representatives on the Yukon Territorial Council along with
Dawson and
Whitehorse.
When partisan politics was introduced to the Yukon in the
1978 election, Mayo was one of the initial electoral districts, its communities of
Mayo,
Elsa,
Stewart Crossing, and
Keno forming the centre of much of the Yukon's mining production. Elsa at one point was the 2nd largest producer of silver in Canada and the 4th largest in the world.[3] Keno was also known for its silver and lead mining. However, in 1989 when United Keno Hill closed its mining operations in the area of Keno and Elsa, the communities essentially shut down. Keno maintains a small population of around 15-20 people, while Elsa is abandoned. Both are maintained as sites of historical significance.