Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to celebrate a very impressive addition to the Fort Simpson Territorial Park. In previous years at the park, Deh Cho ITI parks division heard concerns that the area around the kitchen facility did not have a gathering area where guests could meet and socialize. The manager of tourism and parks, ITI, attended to this concern by developing a vision with a community manufacturer, PR Contracting. After developing the vision, PR Contracting worked on a fire pit design that would depict Deh Cho wildlife while also including a seating and gathering arrangement.
Once the design was agreed upon, the project was well under way, and, as evidenced, the workmanship and the final products were outstanding.
On June 1, 2018, as part of Tourism Week, the Fort Simpson Visitor Information Centre along with ITI and the territorial parks held an open day for the park season, showcasing this new addition to the park. This event brought together more than 50 tourists, local children, and adults for an evening of food, storytelling, and friendship. The group connected through conversation and food around the newly unveiled fire pit with the seating and gathering area.
Mr. Speaker, the department was able to invite a local elder, Bob Norwegian, to come and partake in the celebration and the official unveiling of one of the new additions to Fort Simpson Territorial Park. He shared some of the history around Fort Simpson and surrounding areas and stories of his ancestors, who have been in the area for more than 600 years.
After the stories, more food was shared throughout the group. As a way to say thank you to everyone who participated, a river tour for two was raffled off, with a local resident claiming the prize. This is an excellent opportunity for community connection through tourism.
Mr. Speaker, this past season, this project and the new addition was very popular for the park. Throughout the summer, the facility was well-utilized by multiple groups, such as Parks Canada, ITI parks events, VIC interpretation program, Nahanni tourism companies, tourism, tourists, and community members.
I would like to thank the Deh Cho regional staff from the department as well as PR Contracting for developing this new addition to our community. Thank you for a job well done, and much appreciated. We will enjoy the use of it this summer. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.