Mahsi, Mr. Speaker. As you drive into the Northwest Territories along the Mackenzie Highway, near the hardworking communities of Enterprise and Hay River, you have the opportunity to stop just off the highway to appreciate some of the natural beauty of the Northwest Territories. If you drive this route often, or if you haven’t driven it in some time you may have forgotten, but looking ahead to spring and summer hiking, camping and other outdoor recreation, I need to remind you. Today I want to talk about Alexandra Falls or, as it’s known in Slavey, Xahtl’o Ndeh Naili Cho.
The falls offer fantastic views. Whitewater kayaking opportunities, hiking trails and a day-use area are all part of the Twin Falls Gorge Territorial Park. The park also includes the Louise Falls and Escarpment Creek campgrounds. So whether you want to stop for photographs and have a picnic lunch, or a multi-day camp, the falls facilities have something to offer.
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Today I’d like to recognize Mr. Doug Lamalice. Mr. Lamalice is a member of the K’atlodeeche First Nation. He isn’t only a father of seven and an active artist, he is also a celebrated tour guide, leading cultural and nature tours around the falls, and a former member of the Aboriginal Tourism Champions Advisory Council. One of his tours, called Walk a Mile in My Moccasins, shares stories of Dene culture while visitors walk the trails. Through his work as a guide, Mr. Lamalice has been an ambassador of the Northwest Territories and for the K’atlodeeche First Nation, teaching visitors from all over the world about his culture and the land.
In 2013 two of Mr. Lamalice’s daughters discovered a fossil near Louise Falls, preserving their find until
it could be studied by a curator from Alberta’s Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology. The Lamalice family does exceptional work, and it’s not just me that thinks so; Mr. Lamalice was recently honoured with a hospitality award.
The next time you’re passing by the falls, make a point of stopping. Let’s keep supporting those on the front lines of tourism and the people on the ground and on the trails and viewing platforms that keep tourism coming in the NWT.