Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Municipal and Community Affairs, I believe it is important to recognize NWT volunteers. For more than ten years MACA has sponsored the NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards to honour our volunteers. This year we formed a partnership with the NWT Power Corporation to promote the awards program more widely. Earlier this year, we asked residents to nominate volunteers for the 2002 NWT Outstanding Volunteer Awards Program.
Mr. Speaker, we received over 70 nominations from all over the Territory. From those numbers, many were recognized as winners in their own regions, and six were chosen for territorial awards. I would like to take a moment to list the territorial award winners. These are:• Janet Wong for the High Five Youth Award;• Ed Jeske for the Respected Elder Award;• Dusty Miller for the Board Member Award• Dixie Penner for Outstanding Volunteer;• Lori Uhlenberg for the Good Neighbour Award; and• The Thrift Shop of Hay River for the Outstanding Community Organization Award.
A complete list of regional award winners and all nominated volunteers is available on the MACA website.
A ceremony to honour the six territorial winners will take place here in the Great Hall this afternoon at 2:30. I would like to invite all Members to meet these special people and help us recognize their contributions.
Mr. Speaker, volunteers are important to this government. We are committed to improving the quality of life in the Northwest Territories by providing meaningful activities and services. Volunteers play a large role in our ability to meet this objective. I am delighted to see them receiving this much attention, especially since they share so much of their own precious time with others.
Mr. Speaker, I look forward to meeting these volunteers and shaking their hands. Thank you.
-- Applause