Paul Bickford
Northern News Services

Hay River (Aug 08/05) - Unlike some people reaching retirement age, Ron Courtoreille has no plans to leave the North for warmer climes.

"Not at all," says Courtoreille, who has been general manager of the NWT Liquor Commission since 1986. "This is home."

Courtoreille is happy to stay in Hay River, where he has lived for 56 of his 60 years.

"It's a pretty good life here," he says. "It's a great town."

Courtoreille's family moved to Hay River from Alberta in 1949.

"My dad was a fisherman on Great Slave Lake," he says.

In the beginning, the then-seven-member family lived in a one-room cabin his father built on West Channel.

"Would I go back to it? I don't think so," Courtoreille says with a smile, recalling life with an outhouse and carrying water from the river.

His family's roots are deep in Hay River. He has eight brothers and sisters still living in town. His first office with the Liquor Commission was on Courtoreille Street, named after the family.

Over the years, Courtoreille has been involved in the community, serving 10 years as a town councillor and as mayor in 1984-85. He also ran twice for the legislative assembly.

Something different

He has no political ambitions these days, he says, insisting he never really did. "I kept getting talked into doing these things."

Courtoreille also served as a volunteer firefighter for 16 years.

During his working life, he has had numerous jobs at petroleum bulk plants, a trucking company, propane operations, a welding supply firm and a heavy equipment sales company.

"I looked at every move as an opportunity to do something different," he says.

In 1986, Courtoreille got a job as an assistant manager at a liquor store.

Within a month, he had a new job as general manager of the NWT Liquor Commission.

"The job came open and I applied for it," he says, noting he went from sweeping up the liquor store to overseeing the entire operation across the NWT.

Courtoreille will mark his 20th anniversary with the government in February.

His last day of work will be Sept. 30.

However, he has vacation days to burn, which will put his official retirement date sometime in 2006.

One of his retirement projects will be to continue rebuilding an old fishing boat, Kimberley Ann III.

"I hope to get it in the water the first thing in the spring," he says.

Courtoreille has owned the 48-foot boat for about 15 years.

"This is just going to be a pleasure craft," he explained.

Courtoreille says he will also work on his house and do some travelling.