Mr. Speaker, people in Fort Smith, throughout the Northwest Territories, and beyond our borders were saddened to hear of the recent passing of long-time Fort Smith resident, Alex Hall.

Alex was born and raised in Ontario and began canoeing as a boy. Educated as a wildlife biologist, he received a Master's degree in Animal Ecology from the University of Toronto. In 1974, Alex established Canoe Arctic, an eco-tourist/travel business based in Fort Smith, which he ran for more than 40 years, taking adventurous tourists on canoeing expeditions along the Thelon River and other tundra and Barren Lands rivers.

Accomplishments and awards in his career include:

• In 2002, he was a runner-up for the Arctic Award, an international award administered by the World Wildlife Fund for linking tourism and conservation.
• Alex authored a number of magazine articles. He also wrote a book on the Barren Lands entitled "Discovering Eden: A Lifetime of Paddling Arctic Rivers." The Globe and Mail included Discovering Eden among its year-end list of the top 100 books published in Canada in 2003.
• In 2004, he was presented with a lifetime achievement award for his impact on the development of the tourist industry in the Northwest Territories and for his conservation work in connection with the Thelon Wildlife Sanctuary.
• In 2007, National Geographic Adventure chose Canoe Arctic's canoe trips in the Canadian Arctic as one of its "Top Destinations for 2007 and Beyond."
• As recently as last fall, Alex was honoured at the NWT Tourism AGM for his contributions.

Mr. Speaker, I was honoured to know this extraordinary man, whose contributions to conservation and tourism in the North will be an enduring legacy. Thank you.