On Thursday, Premier Sandy Silver recognized the outstanding public service of two Aboriginal employees. At the annual Aboriginal Employees’ Forum gathering, Daniel Adamson and Trish Hirsch were presented with the Aboriginal Employees Award of Honour.
The Aboriginal Employees Award of Honour was created in 2009 to recognize the accomplishments of Government of Yukon Aboriginal public servants who provide excellent service or contributions to the government, fellow employees or to the Yukon public.
In addition to the two Aboriginal Employees Award of Honour recipients, Marge Baufeld was presented with the Naats Tláa Award. This award is presented to a long-standing public servant who has made a significant contribution toward reconciliation throughout their career in the Government of Yukon public service.
The event was also an opportunity to unveil the new dignity blankets that were handcrafted by Government of Yukon Aboriginal employees. These blankets will be placed over Aboriginal Elders who pass away in the Whistle Bend, Copper Ridge and Thomson Centre long-term care homes.
Update: This release has been updated to include Naats Tláa Award recipient Marge Baufeld.
Thanks to the vision and the hard work of the Aboriginal Employees’ Forum, this award ceremony has grown into an important and inspiring event that honours First Nations culture and recognizes the incredible contribution by Aboriginal public servants. Congratulations to all nominees and recipients of the award over the past 10 years.
Our public service is made richer and more relevant to the people that we serve thanks to the dedication, skill and professionalism of our many Aboriginal employees. This event is an opportunity to recognize excellent public service and to celebrate Aboriginal and Yukon First Nations culture.
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Since the inception of these awards, there have been 121 nominees, 28 recipients, three special recognition awards and one posthumous award.
This year’s Aboriginal Employees Award of Honour recipients are:
Daniel Adamson: Daniel is a Regional Protection Officer in Yukon Wildland Fire Management in the Department of Community Services. Dan provides steadfast contribution to the organization as well as to all Yukoners he serves. He consistently demonstrates a positive attitude that is invaluable in the face of challenging situations and long, fatiguing fire seasons. He is extremely skilled and knowledgeable in the realm of wildland fire operations and brings a wide range of experience to the program. During the 2019 fire season, he readily assumed additional duties and responsibilities on his own initiative. His exemplary action, leadership skills and work ethic were at the forefront for getting the job done in extremely harsh environments throughout the fire season. His leadership and commitment are well recognized by new recruits, where he shines as a role model.
Trish Hirsch: Trish is a Kindergarten teacher with a focus on Yukon First Nations cultural integration in Golden Horn Elementary School. Trish is an outstanding educator who is dedicated to improving learner outcomes for students in her class, her school, the broader community and Yukon at large. Her unassuming leadership and quiet resolve to advance and embed traditional knowledge, language, culture in teaching and learning has been steadfast. Her leadership, support and collaboration come at a pivotal time in education and Canadian history when the role of reconciliation belongs to everyone. As a long-standing public servant, she has made significant contributions throughout her successful career as a skilled, passionate and caring teacher.
Marge Baufeld: Marge has worked for 20 years in the Public Service Commission as a Senior Representative Public Service Consultant. In her role, she was responsible for working on and implementing a number of foundational initiatives related to the Representative Public Service Plan that are still being used today. Among her responsibilities was leading the Aboriginal Employees Forum, which was created to provide a comfortable and safe environment for Aboriginal employees. In addition to providing Aboriginal employees with networking opportunities, the Aboriginal Employees Forum helped employees build relationships through cultural programming, professional development opportunities and by supporting culturally safe work environments. Over the years, Marge was also responsible for the Aboriginal Recruitment and Development Program with its goal to increase the representation of Aboriginal employees and to support individuals in promotional opportunities. Marge has continuously gone above and beyond to meet expectations in the valuable role she played through her work.
Stewart Burnett
Cabinet Communications
867-332-0480
stewart.burnett@gov.yk.ca
Nigel Allan
Communications, Public Service Commission
867-667-8902
nigel.allan@gov.yk.ca