Meet the 2023 Order of the NWT inductees

Helen Balanoff, Richard Hardy and Mary Teya are the latest Order of the Northwest Territories inductees. Here’s a guide to the lives they have led.

Balanoff is a longtime northerner who worked for decades in the fields of northern education and literacy. Though she now resides in Victoria, BC, she continues to make frequent trips to the NWT for work.

Balanoff said receiving the honour left her “humbled” and “overwhelmed by the fact that people had nominated me.”

She was nominated for her contributions to education and has dedicated more than 40 years to advocating for the educational rights of children and adults alike, according to a supplied biography.

“She strongly believes in the transformative power of literacy and learning, ensuring that every individual has the opportunity to participate fully in society,” read the biography, which paid tribute to her innovative thinking and ‘can-do’ personality.

Balanoff has previously received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and Ministerial Literacy Award.

Hardy, born in Tulita, lived in Inuvik and Yellowknife for more than 50 years before settling in Nanoose Bay, BC.

His biography states that after earning a law degree from the University of Saskatchewan, he became the first lawyer in the Great Bear region. He also served as president of the Fort Norman Métis Community.

“Despite his demanding schedule, Mr Hardy generously provided pro bono advice to organizations, notably the Fort Norman Métis Community,” his biography reads.

Hardy wrote a book, Mǫ́lazha, about his family history and life as a residential school survivor, which was published in 2022.

In an email to Cabin Radio, Hardy said he was pleasantly surprised to learn that he was nominated as a recipient of the ONWT, and accepted it “bearing in mind all of the people that have supported me in my life’s journey,” including his parents, Jack and Alice Hardy, as well as his aunts and uncles.

“I could not have achieved what I have without their support,” Hardy said.

Hardy has also received the Confederation of Canada Award and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Teya is from Fort McPherson and was nominated for her contributions in community leadership.

“She is renowned for her advocacy for Elders, utilizing her Gwich’in language to share its knowledge and engage in a wide range of community initiatives,” her biography reads.

She has served on the Teetl’it Gwich’in Band Council and the NWT Elders Committee, has sat on the Justice Committee, and was a member of the board of directors at Housing NWT.

“Known for her commitment to organizing holiday events and activities, she spent years devoted to St Matthew’s Church, where she shared her expertise in the Gwich’in language with younger generations,” her biography reads.

She became a lay leader and was ordained as deacon in 2000, retiring in 2019.  

Teya said “it’s a real honour” to be a recipient of the Order of the NWT. When she got the call from Yellowknife, “it was something really exciting,” she said.

A ceremony is planned to celebrate the three recipients in Yellowknife in October.