Yukon Party Awards Yukon 125 Medals to 10 Outstanding Yukoners

WHITEHORSE – This week, Yukon Party Official Opposition Leader Currie Dixon and MLAs began presenting Yukon 125 medals to Yukoners nominated by Yukon Party membership and selected by a volunteer committee of three past and present Yukon Party MLAs.

The Yukon Party was asked to nominate 10 candidates for these medals under the program announced in January to mark 125 years of the territory in Canadian Confederation. The medals were to honour Yukoners ‘who embody values of leadership and reconciliation and have shaped the territory for the better’.

The 10 outstanding Yukoners receiving medals from the Yukon Party are:

• Rod Adams
• Gordon Steele
• Doris Anderson
• Grant Macdonald
• Said Secerbegovic
• Natalie Taylor
• Joe Sparling
• Murray Lundberg
• Karen Lang
• Deb Ryan

“It was an honour for my colleagues and I to present these medals to 10 Yukoners who have made our territory a better place,” said Leader Currie Dixon. “While we had hoped for a more public acknowledgement from the Liberal government on the premier’s Yukon 125 medal program, we are proud to shine a light on these outstanding Yukoners.”

See backgrounder for more information on the 10 recipients.

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Contact:
Tim Kucharuk
Media Director
(867) 689-7874

 

Backgrounder:

Rod Adams

Rod Adams was nominated for his leadership in the private sector and tremendous contributions to the Yukon.  Rod founded Nuway Crushing, which has grown since 1989 from a small company with seven employees and a crusher to a thriving business with over 50 employees, crushing approximately 90 per cent of the gravel in the Yukon.

Through Rod’s leadership, Nuway Crushing has given almost $2 million to charity since 2000.  His mentorship is evident in his children and employees who have inherited his sense of fairness and hard work.

Gordon Steele

Gordon Steele has made an extensive and longstanding contribution to the political and constitutional development of the Yukon Territory. His work began in the office of Jim Smith where he assisted in the administration of the Commissioner-led era of territorial government and continued throughout the process of establishing responsible government vis-à-vis the Epp Letter.

Following the establishment of responsible government and the creation of a political system based on political parties, Gordon played a leadership role in the governments of several different Government Leaders or Premiers. He served in senior roles, including as Principal Secretary, in the governments of Pearson, Phelps, Ostashek, Fentie and Pasloski.

During his career, he played an instrumental role in the negotiation of the Umbrella Final Agreement and most Yukon First Nations Final Agreements. Likewise, he played an instrumental role in the negotiation of the Devolution Transfer Agreement.

Doris Anderson

Doris Anderson was nominated for her incredible community leadership and work with the Yukon Native Women Association, helping to facilitate reconciliation and drive the MMIWG2+ movement in the Yukon.  She has listened to the stories shared by families of lost women and girls and brought a voice before there were cameras and press releases. Doris embraced the deep traditional teachings of her family and passed on this knowledge to her daughters and grandchildren. 

Grant Macdonald

Grant Macdonald, Q.C. is the senior partner of Macdonald and Company and has been an active trial lawyer in the Yukon for over 40 years since joining the law firm of Nielsen, Hudson and Anton in 1980. Grant is viewed as a mentor and valuable resource by many lawyers in Whitehorse due to his experience. He has represented numerous organizations, companies and Yukoners as clients in litigation, and has provided support to the Yukon Foundation, ensuring they were able to provide numerous grants and scholarships to so many deserving Yukoners pursuing post-secondary education. Grant has also been a longtime community volunteer, coach, legal advisor, and board member for numerous sports organizations in the territory

Dr. Said Secerbegovic

Dr. Said Secerbegovic was nominated for his leadership in health care, providing exceptional medical services to Watson Lake and the surrounding areas for almost 50 years. For many of those years, Dr. Said was the only doctor servicing the region and was on call 24/7. He is highly regarded for his care by many generations of Yukoners and is deserving of this recognition for his lifetime of service.

Natalie Taylor

Natalie is a passionate community volunteer and activist whose work in Whitehorse and the Yukon at large has touched the lives of many. She has been working in the NGO sector to advance the principles of equity since 2011, working with the Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society of Yukon, Yukon Anti-Poverty Coalition, and currently as Executive Director of the Whitehorse Aboriginal Women’s Circle. Natalie has volunteered with Girl Guides of Canada since 2002, and has a long history of volunteerism with Scouts Canada, Whitehorse soccer, and with numerous NGOs. 

Joe Sparling

Joe Sparling, through sheer dedication and hard work, established “Air North, the Yukon’s Airline”, and brought with it the best in-flight service in the country. Together with his partner the Vuntut Development Corporation, Joe operates Air North for the people of the Yukon.  He provides an incredible work environment for his employees and is well known as a hands-on, community-minded leader.  The generosity of Joe and his team has been felt throughout the territory.

Murray Lundberg

Murray Lundberg was nominated for his leadership and dedication in the preservation of Yukon history. Mr. Lundberg runs a Facebook page called ‘Yukon History and Abandoned Places’, which not only brings Yukon’s history to life but serves as a dynamic and interactive record.  His contributions make Yukon’s history vibrant and interesting, which should be celebrated by all.

Karen Lang

Karen Lang was nominated for her leadership in the private sector as well as her many contributions to the community, driven from a desire to enhance the cultural and social fabric of the Yukon. Karen and Archie Lang owned and operated several businesses throughout the Yukon over the span of 50 years, and Karen was certainly the driving force of the community-centred nature of their business efforts. Balancing family responsibilities with active involvement in business and community endeavours speaks volumes to the strength, resilience and depth of her character.

Deb Ryan

Deb Ryan is the Manager of Strategic Planning and Alliances for Air North. Deb has been an active member of the community for decades.  She had her own event planning business, and later dedicated her energy full-time to marketing and ensuring we had the best little airline in North America. 

Deb has a deep commitment to Yukon and the people. There is hardly a fundraiser that does not have an Air North Pass or Gift Certificate as an award or prize.  This speaks volumes as they give so much back to non-profits and fundraisers.

Most recently, Deb partnered with the Canada Goose Resource Centre to distribute parka-making fabric to Indigenous sewers across the Yukon. This is an amazing accomplishment and deserving of recognition for assisting local sewers with much-needed high-quality supplies. 

Through the years there are far too many things to recount but know that Deb Ryan has been there as decision-maker and backbone of this airline.