Date
October
26
2006
Members Present
ITEM 1: PRAYER
Assembly Members
Debates of October 26, 2006 (day 16)
Topics
Statements
Minister’s Statement 44-15(5): Champions For Children
Michael McLeod
Deh Cho
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to report to Members on the results of an extraordinary fundraising initiative that will make a significant difference to sport development in the Northwest Territories.
On September 9th of this year, the Sport North Federation and several key corporate sponsors including Medic North, the Royal Bank, Canadian North, Top of the World Travel, and Nunasi Corporation sponsored the Champions for Children fundraising dinner.
Ron McLean of Hockey Night in Canada fame and retired Chicago Blackhawks player Dennis Hull were two of the key speakers at the event. Many others assisted including Olympic and Paralympic medal winners Sara Renner and Donavan Tildsley and northern Olympians Sharon and Shirley Firth.
This one-day event raised an amazing $50,000.
---Applause
These funds will now be split between Sport North's Kidsport Program and the NWT High Performance Athlete Grant Program, which is a partnership between the Department of Municipal and Community Affairs and Sport North.
The Kidsport Program plays a crucial part in the Northwest Territories sports program. It helps buy equipment, pay for user fees and assists with many other expenses for many children who would not get a chance to play if a program like this did not exist. In the lead up to the 2006 Arctic Winter Games, the Kidsport Program played a very important role in helping youth participate.
The NWT High Performance Athlete Grant Program supports today’s sport champions as they pursue their dreams, including the Olympics. The athletes are not only champions but are also today’s youth role models and tomorrow’s sports leaders.
Earlier this year, I was pleased to announce that 10 NWT athletes received funding from the program in 2005-06. Later this fall, I will be announcing the 2006-07 recipients.
Both programs could not exist without the great support of the corporate sector and the volunteers who help out with events like the Champions for Children dinner. Mahsi.