Premier announces three new deputy ministers

WHITEHORSE—Premier Darrell Pasloski announced today the appointment of three new deputy ministers. They are Kelvin Leary at the Department of Community Services, Jim Connell at the Department of Environment and Stephen LeClair at the Department of Finance.

“All three individuals bring many years of experience and expertise to these leadership positions within the Yukon public service,” Pasloski said. “I have every confidence that the departments and the government will be very well served by these appointments and I look forward to working closely with them as we continue to move Yukon forward.”

Kelvin Leary succeeds Harvey Brooks who served as deputy minister of Community Services since September 2012. Leary will assume the position on June 26.

Stephen LeClair succeeds David Hrycan who has served as deputy minister of Finance since April 2007. LeClair will assume the position on August 4.

Jim Connell succeeds Kelvin Leary who served as deputy minister of Environment since December 2006. Connell will assume the position on June 26.

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See background for biographies.

Contact:

Catharine Read
Public Service Commissioner
867-667-5252
catharine.read@gov.yk.ca

Biographies

Stephen LeClair

Stephen LeClair is the assistant deputy minister of the Economics and Fiscal Policy division with the Alberta Treasury Board and Finance ministry, and has served in a number of senior positions with the NWT, Alberta and federal governments. He led the preparation of Alberta’s budgets and served as Canada’s head of delegation to the fisheries committee of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

LeClair has an MA in economics and a BA in economics with honours.

Kelvin Leary

Kelvin Leary started his career in fire management and parks in Alberta before moving to Yukon in 1985. He was stationed in several Yukon communities while employed as a resource management officer for the federal Department of Indian and Northern Affairs. Leary joined the Yukon government in 1995 as the manager of environmental assessment for the Department of Renewable Resources. Since then he has held progressively senior positions in the Yukon public service and was appointed deputy minister of the Department of Environment in 2006.

Leary completed his post-secondary education in forest management, fisheries and wildlife in Alberta. He has training in mediation, facilitation and negotiation skills and is in the process of completing a master’s degree in public administration.

Jim Connell

Jim Connell has served in a number of leadership positions in government and the broader public sector over the past 25 years. He began his public service career with the Yukon government and held several senior management positions in the Executive Council Office and the Department of Renewable Resources before taking on senior leadership roles with Canadore College in North Bay, Ontario and the Ontario College system. Most recently, Connell returned to the Yukon government to serve in Finance as director of the management board secretariat and then became assistant deputy minister of strategic corporate services for the Executive Council Office.

Connell has a BA in economics and history and has completed a post-graduate teacher qualification program at UBC. He has also completed training in strategic planning, quality assurance and negotiations.