WHITEHORSE—Three teams and one individual received the 2012 Premier’s Awards of Excellence at a ceremony today in Whitehorse.
“I am honoured today to present the awards on behalf of all Yukoners in recognition of the creativity, professionalism and hard work of the recipients,” Premier Darrell Pasloski said. “The award winners exemplify Yukon government employees who work every day to make Yukon a better place for all.”
The individual recipient of the 2012 award is Helena Jirousek who works for Environment Yukon in Ross River. The team recipients are: the 2012 Upper Liard Flood Response team; the Wake and Bake Team, which created a program to tackle youth drug use; and the organizers of the 2012 GoMedia conference.
The Premier’s Awards of Excellence were established in 2005 to recognize exceptional accomplishments of Yukon government employees. The award celebrates the talent and teamwork of Yukon public servants.
The recipients are chosen by the Premier’s Awards of Excellence Selection Committee which includes YG employees from several departments and one community representative.
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Contact:
| Elaine Schiman Cabinet Communications 867-633-7961 elaine.schiman@gov.yk.ca |
Sarah Crane Communications, Public Service Commission 867-667-8902 sarah.crane@gov.yk.ca |
2012 Premier’s Awards of Excellence
2012 Individual Recipient
Helena Jirousek, Environment Yukon
Helena has worked as an Administrative Assistant in Ross River for more than 20 years. Her service and dedication to clients of Environment and Energy, Mines and Resources is outstanding. Her co-workers and nominators describe her as an indispensible asset to Natural Resources and Conservation Officers.
2012 Team Recipients
Upper Liard Flood Response Team
This team of 12 includes six members from Community Services: Laurel Cole, Scott Cole, Keith Fickling, Greg Iles, Louyse Mongeon and Ryan Nixon. Two members are from Highways & Public Works: Don Magun and Aisha Montgomery. Other team members are Brian Gudmundson from Health & Social Services, Stefanie Richardson from Executive Council Office and Sergeant Cam Lockwood from the RCMP. When the Liard River rose to its highest ever recorded levels in June, the challenges were great and the potential for tragedy was high. This team used excellent planning, interagency cooperation and work ethic to deal with an extraordinary situation.
Wake and Bake
This team includes seven members from Health & Social Services: Sandy Bowlby, Emily Bradbury, Brenda Dion, Mark Nassiopoulos, Ian Parker, Susie Ross, and Myra Shilleto. Members from the Department of Education are Stacey Burnard and Elizabeth Lemay. The Wake and Bake Team created a successful Yukon-wide comprehensive health promotion plan. The team tackled the issue of illicit drug use by youth through an educational play, facilitated discussions, a health fair and a teaching guide promoting further discussion. The team’s work and dedication allowed the program to reach a total audience of almost 2,000 in the fall of 2011.
GoMedia
This team includes eight members from Tourism & Culture: Robin Anderson, Linda Bierlmeier, Margaret Goodwin, Jim Kemshead, Carrie Labonte, Stephen Reynolds, Tiffy Riel and Frank Wilps. Other members are Erin Deacon from Economic Development, Sheila Dodd from the City of Whitehorse, Lily Gontard from Parks Canada, and Dennis Zimmermann from Outside the Cube. The work of the GoMedia Host Committee led to a successful 2012 annual meeting of the Canadian Tourism Commission in Whitehorse. Their collaboration and partnership-building skills meant national and international exposure for Yukon. Their nominators praised their hard work and creativity.
