The Dehcho’s Gilbert and Mary Jane Cazon have been named NWT Tourism’s Operator of the Year at a ceremony in Yellowknife.
The two own and operate K’iyeli Tourism Services, which they describe as a company supporting Dene language and culture, the arts and tourism from its Fort Simpson base.
NWT Tourism names one operator each year who “models best practices in the industry resulting in strong growth, a record of success, and … a commitment to education and training as well as community involvement and leadership.”
Accepting the award last week, Mary Jane paid tribute to her late son, Dylan, “because he was the one that really encouraged us to get into the business.”
“I’m very proud and happy to be standing here with the privilege that we have received this award,” she said.
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“I really acknowledge my great-grandparents. I spent quality time out on the land with them from the time I was born till I was aged 12.
“They really taught me a great wealth of knowledge: how to respect and be out on the land, to accept everybody that’s out in the world, and to really help each other continue the way they have lived.”
Gilbert said: “Doing what we do is carrying their memories and their stories forward, because it’s important for people to hear the struggles of the Indigenous people, to humble ourselves and build ourselves back up.”
NWT Tourism’s Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Ragnar Wesstrom, a Swedish ex-pat dubbed “the King of Trout Rock” for his lodge a 15-minute floatplane journey outside Yellowknife.
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Since starting as a tour operator in the late 1980s, NWT Tourism said, Wesstrom had transformed “a simple fishing lodge in Yellowknife into a thriving destination for adventure-seekers eager to experience the region’s stunning landscapes.”
Told he was receiving a lifetime achievement award, Wesstrom shot back: “I’m not that old, you know.”
He told attendees at NWT Tourism’s awards gala, held at the Chateau Nova Hotel, that his Enodah Kennel is making a comeback after closing down during the pandemic.
“We had been running Enodah Kennel for many years before Covid but, when Covid hit, we shut her down,” he said of the dog-sledding venture.
“I’m glad to announce that this year we’re opening up Enodah Kennel again.”
Other award winners on the night were Garth Mackie, who received the NWT Parks Hospitality Award for his work on South Slave parks, and Verda Law, who won the Service Excellence Award for her work with Yellowknife Tours, which bills its staff as the only guides in the territory to offer services in Mandarin, Cantonese and English.
In the course of delivering his own acceptance speech, Wesstrom – who received his award from Law – said: “I used to be in the Merchant Marine for five years before I came to Canada. I met all kinds of people. I have never met any more hard-working people than Angela Law and Verda Law. Those girls are amazing, unbelievable.”
