Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, in April, we lost an outstanding son, husband, father, officer, manager, mentor, and friend much too soon.
Adrian Lizotte was born in Fort McMurray on June 20th, 1979. He came to the NWT in 1990, late 1990s, and his appreciation for the beauty of the growth, northern growth. He loved to get out on the land, participate in traditional activities, and spent much of his time hunting, fishing, and camping with friends and family.
Adrian carried that love for the land with him into his work as well. He started his career with the GNWT as a corrections officer and then joined ENR as a fire tech summer student in 2008.
As life took him down the ENR path, he became a renewable officer, finally to manage our wildlife and environment in the North Slave region. He committed 23 years of his life to the GNWT and the people of the Northwest Territories.
Mr. Speaker, Adrian had a pivotal role in the wildfire management programs. I can say he was a natural leader, colleague, mentor, supervisor, and friend to many people who have worked with him. He was wellrespected in the community and took pride in work with people sharing his passion for wildlife and keeping people safe.
Adrian received the Premier's award as part of the team that responded to the largest outbreak of anthrax in wood bison in 2012 and was recognized as the ENR Manager of the Year in 2017.
Mr. Speaker, Adrian, just as Adrian served the public at work, he also was a very active member in the community in the evenings and on weekends. Everyone who spent time at the rink in Yellowknife in the last ten years would have been hard pressed to miss Adrian. If he wasn't coaching young hockey or watching his kids play, Boomer was on the ice as an accomplished wellliked and respected player. He was an avid sports fan, and he was always a team player.
As proud as Adrian was of being an officer and a manager at ENR, Mr. Speaker, his real pride and joy was his family. He and his wife Amy met through a friend who introduced them in Yellowknife and quickly fell in love. Together, they had three children Wesley, Cole, and Sophia, and the centre of their lives. Adrian was a very proud father who would do anything for his kids to be happy and successful, succeed in life.
He instilled in them the same love of the land, tradition, and community that were so important to him. Among of the many contributions Adrian made in his 42 years, there's no doubt he holds raising his children above all.
After his passing, there was a flood of memories and tributes for Adrian from friends, colleagues, and acquaintances from across the NWT and beyond. To paraphrase one of those tributes, may Adrian's kind spirit travel across the land, among the animals he protected over the years.
I'd like to extend my deepest condolences to Amy, their children, and extended family, friends and colleagues, and the countless others he touched over the life. Adrian's passing is a monumental loss for us all. He is and will be missed, Mr. Speaker, and he will always be remembered. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Nahendeh. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and his fellow colleagues. I know he will be deeply missed, mahsi.
