Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I want to use this opportunity to talk about the NWT Track and Field Championships. For 26 years, Hay River has been hosting this exciting event. Last night, I had the honour of attending the opening ceremonies. I want to thank the Members who joined Minister Schumann and me in our home town for the ceremony, including you, Mr. Speaker, Premier McLeod, Minister Moses, Minister Cochrane, the MLA for Nahendeh Mr. Shane Thompson, and the MLA for Deh Cho, Mr. Nadli. Track and Field Championships are an amazing event. Hay River's population grows by 25 per cent over the three days. More than 800 out-of-town athletes from 18 communities, from Fort Smith to Inuvik and many points in between, pour into Hay River. In all, there are over 1,000 athletes participating this year. I always loved participating in the Track and Field Championships, and honestly I'm a little envious of the athletes right now who are busy making life-long memories and new friends. Golden memories. I must say, though, that the real heroes of the event are the volunteers. Just imagine what it takes to organize an event with 1,000 participants. There are 400 volunteers from Hay River alone. For perspective, almost one out of every nine people in the community donate their time and energy to this event. Thank you to all the volunteers, the organizers, the parents, the teachers, the Rangers, the Cadets, the RCMP, the sponsors, and everyone else who makes this event possible year after year. I also have to give a special shout out to Hay River's own PA Predators Cheer Squad. They put on a great performance to close out the opening ceremonies and I just wanted to let them know that all of us on the stage were thoroughly impressed. Way to go and keep up the good work. Finally, I just want to say to all the athletes, good luck and have fun. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Masi. I'd just like to say also best of luck to all the athletes who are in Hay River, and thank Hay River for hosting this particular very important tournament. Members’ statements. Member for Sahtu.
