Yellowknife (Oct 29/03) - A public servant in Yellowknife is being honoured for negotiating the first ever Nunavut land claims.

Bob Gamble, a public involvement officer for Parks Canada, received a letter in August from the governor general of Canada. He was the recipient of a Meritorious Service Medal.

As the chief federal negotiator in 1995, Gamble secured 79,734 square km of land for the creation of national parks on Ellesmere Island, Baffin Island, and Bylot Island.

The Inuit Impact and Benefit Agreements (IIBA) are required out of the Nunavut land claims agreement.

The ceremony was postponed due to the power outage in the East, but Gamble will head to Ottawa once the event is rescheduled.