The annual music festival held at Ness Creek has once again been recognized as a major draw for tourists. (file photo/ paNOW Staff)

By Nigel Maxwell

Tourism leaders

Local tourism builders to receive provincial awards

Mar 4, 2020 | 8:00 AM

The Saskatchewan Tourism Awards are coming up next month in Regina, and two familiar names from the Prince Albert and Waskesiu areas have made the list of special recipients.

Brad Muir from Waskesiu and Gord Olson from Big River will each receive Tourism Builder Awards. Tourism Builders have shown exceptional dedication to positioning Saskatchewan as a welcoming destination.

Muir has been running Sundogs Excursions full time for nearly 20 years, and prior to that was in charge of public education at Prince Albert National Park.

“I’ve got guides who have been friends for as long as we have been mushing and they never get awards or recognition. So that’s one of the things I hope to correct,” Muir said.

Muir is no stranger to winning provincial awards, having previously won two awards for Tourism Ambassador and he was a finalist three times for the Land of the Living Skies Excellence Award. Muir said the builder award represents an opportunity to look back at the past, and say what they have done for visitors and guests.

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“We take people into the wilderness with sled dogs and they come out transformed, and I don’t mean the dogs,’ he said. “It is such a visceral kind of experience so when I can see that being contributed to someone’s life it makes me very happy”

Co-recipient Gord Olson is most well known for his work at the Ness Creek music festival as the site manager. The festival, which continues to grow every year, has been recognized numerous times by Tourism Saskatchewan for its ability to draw visitors from all corners of the province, as well as other provinces. The festival was named the 2017 Saskatchewan Marquee Event of the Year. The festival was also a finalist for the same award in 2016 and 2015.

There are a total of 13 award categories this year, including marketing, service, business practices, Indigenous tourism, and human resource development. One of three finalists for the Fred Heal Tourism Ambassador Award is Western Trophy Outfitters/ Great Grey Outfitters from the Foxford area.

The awards gala has been scheduled to take place April 2 at the Delta Hotels by Marriott in Regina.

“The Government of Saskatchewan congratulates this year’s finalists and Tourism Builders,” Gene Makowsky, Minister Responsible for Tourism Saskatchewan, said in a statement. “The Saskatchewan Tourism Awards of Excellence Gala pays tribute to their inspiring leadership and contributions to Saskatchewan’s growing tourism sector.”

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panews@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow