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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - A Hay River man has won the GNWT's Happy Camper Award for 2008.

Industry, Tourism and Investment Deputy Minister Peter Vician, left, presents the Happy Camper Award to Peter Lesage of Hay River. - Photo courtesy of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment

The award, which recognizes individuals who exhibit extraordinary hospitality and service in territorial parks and visitor centres, was presented to Peter Lesage, a worker at the 60th Parallel Territorial Park over the summer.

Lesage was nominated by Donna Kay of Edmonton.

Kay, who was making her first visit to Hay River, was nearly out of gas when she arrived at the border late one evening during the summer. She had forgotten to fill her vehicle with gas in High Level, Alta., and was expecting to find a service station at the border.

"Mr. Lesage was kind enough to find a jerry can," she wrote in her nomination. "He was closing up, but managed to get some gas in it and I made it to Hay River."

Peter Vician, the deputy minister of the Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI), presented the award to Lesage on Nov. 15 during an awards banquet held in conjunction with NWT Tourism's annual general meeting.

The Happy Camper Program was created in 2005.

Nominations are solicited from visitors and park users with signs, handouts and entry ballots.

A panel of representatives from ITI's Tourism and Parks Division, NWT Tourism and the NWT Tourism Association review submissions every fall and select a winner.