During the 33rd Legislative Assembly, he also served as a member of the Standing Committee on Statutory Instruments.
[2] Shortly before being sworn into Cabinet, Istchenko made headlines when he admitted to falsifying documents in 2008 to obtain a wilderness tourism operator permit.
[3] Istchenko once again drew controversy in 2015, this time after a photo emerged of him drinking a beer while in the driver's seat of a parked all-terrain vehicle.
[5] As of September 29, 2024, Istchenko serves as the Official Opposition critic for Environment and Rural Services.
[7] Istchenko is the grandson of Hilda Watson, former MLA for the same electoral district of Kluane, and the first woman to lead a political party in Canada.