Mr. Speaker, I'd like to continue my theme this week celebrating Yellowknife South constituents' accomplishments and achievements. And today I am proud to speak about two individuals who last week were awarded the King's Coronation Medal. The Coronation Medal commemorates the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III as King of Canada and are for individuals who have made a significant contribution to Canada or to a province or territory. And the following two people, Mr. Speaker, are, indeed, exactly that. They have both made significant contributions to our community.
Matthew Yap was awarded the King's Coronation Medal in recognition of his contributions to the Northwest Territories through services for over ten years working with multiple different charities, community groups, organizations, and as a member on various boards. He was also the coordinator of the Yellowknife evacuation centre during the 2023 wildfires working on the evacuation of some of our most vulnerable residents. And further to his service to the Northwest Territories and to the community, Mr. Yap was one of the service aides during Prince Charles and Camilla's 2022 Royal Tour to Yellowknife. This, of course, makes the award, recognizing now the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III, particularly special.
Mr. Speaker, the other Yellowknife resident who I'd like to make mention of, and who was awarded the King's Coronation Medal for her work in community service, was Rene Sanderson. For many years, Ms. Sanderson has been a support to many folks across the Northwest Territories and particularly within Yellowknife. She initiated and hosted the annual event of Christmas in July, providing prepacked backpacks to vulnerable populations, organizing clothing drives for families, baby baskets for mothers, and has created a public pantry and toy drives also during the holidays. She's currently employed in a leadership role in one of our local non-profit organizations and serving the houseless population and those facing food insecurities.
Mr. Speaker, I'd like to thank Mr. Yap and Ms. Sanderson for their contributions to Yellowknife, to the Northwest Territories, thank them for their inspiration that they provide day to day to the people around them and, of course, take this opportunity to congratulate them on this well-deserved honour. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member from Yellowknife South. Members' statements.
