Executive Council
Seniors, Wellness and Social Development
August 24, 2015

Supporting Competitive Sport and Physical Activity

Premier Names 2016 Labrador Winter Games Board of Directors

Preparations for the 2016 Labrador Winter Games are officially underway, as the Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, officially announced the 14-member board of directors during an event today (Monday, August 24) at the E.J. Broomfield Arena in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

"The Labrador Winter Games serve as a promotion of competitive sport and the benefits of active, healthy living. They are also unique in that they celebrate the distinct and diverse culture of Labrador. The Provincial Government is pleased to provide $500,000 to support this event, and I am looking forward to seeing the planning take shape."
- The Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

The members of the 2016 Labrador Winter Games Board of Directors are John Andersen, Janice Barnes, Andrew Battcock, Ron Bowles, Jeannine Chaulk, Sheila Downer, Joe Goudie, Rex Goudie, Eugene Hart, Jason Hennebury, Richard Lewis, Sterling Peyton, Lt.-Col. Luc Sabourin, and Jamie Snook. Biographical information is provided in the backgrounder below.

"The Labrador Winter Games are a great opportunity to promote the development of sport and recreation in Labrador. The board of directors is composed of a dynamic group of individuals who bring energy, experience and dedication to the role, and I am confident that under their leadership, the games will be a great success."
- Honourable Clyde Jackman, Minister of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development

The Labrador Winter Games are held every three years, typically in March. The specific dates for the 2016 games will be determined by the board in the near future. More than 400 participants from up to 30 communities are expected to take part.

"The Winter Games event transcends boundaries and brings people together for some of the most exciting sporting events you will experience. From the highly-anticipated Northern Games to dogsled races, cross-country skiing and the Labrathon, teams from across Labrador will come together to see who will hoist the Labrador Cup. These games showcase our love of the great outdoors and our respect for the traditions of the Big Land."
- The Honourable Keith Russell, Minister of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs

The Labrador Winter Games support the goals and strategic directions of the province's recreation and sport strategy, Active, Healthy Newfoundland and Labrador. For more information, see: www.swsd.gov.nl.ca/recreation/pdf/active_healthyNL.pdf .

QUICK FACTS

• Preparations for the 2016 Labrador Winter Games are officially underway, as the Honourable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, officially announced the 14-member board of directors during an event today (Monday, August 24) at the E.J. Broomfield Arena in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
• The members of the 2016 Labrador Winter Games Board of Directors are John Andersen, Janice Barnes, Andrew Battcock, Ron Bowles, Jeannine Chaulk, Sheila Downer, Joe Goudie, Rex Goudie, Eugene Hart, Jason Hennebury, Richard Lewis, Sterling Peyton, Lt.-Col. Luc Sabourin, and Jamie Snook.
• The Labrador Winter Games are held every three years, typically in March. The specific dates for the 2016 games will be determined by the board in the near future.
• More than 400 participants from up to 30 communities are expected to take part in the games.

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Media contacts:

Heather MacLean Director of Communications Office of the Premier 709-729-3581 heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca	Donna Ivey Special Assistant, Communications Office of the Premier 709-729-3551 donnaivey@gov.nl.ca
Heather May Director of Communications Department of Seniors, Wellness and Social Development 709-729-0928, 697-5061 heathermay@gov.nl.ca	Vanessa Colman-Sadd Director of Communications Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs 709-729-1495, 682-6593 vanessacolmansadd@gov.nl.ca

BACKGROUNDER
Labrador Winter Games Board of Directors 2016

John Andersen
John Andersen has participated in sports from an early age and continues today as an active volunteer coach for broomball, hockey and soccer in his home community of Makkovik. He is also the Recreation Director for Makkovik, a position he has held since 1994. As a member of the 2013 Labrador Winter Games Board of Directors, and a previous Winter Games Coordinator, Mr. Andersen has an intimate knowledge of the importance of the games to the people of Labrador. He is also a board member for Recreation Newfoundland and Labrador, the Aboriginal Sports and Recreation Circle, and the Torngat Recreation Commission.

Janice Barnes
Janice Barnes, Executive Director of the Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs Office, has been a volunteer in Labrador West for many years. She serves as president of the Labrador West Employment Corporation, an organization which assists persons with exceptionalities in the pursuit of meaningful employment. In September 2004, she became the first woman to serve as deputy mayor for the Town of Labrador City - a position she held until she became mayor in September, 2009.

Andrew Battcock
Andrew Battcock recently retired from the Labrador School Board, following a career as a physical education teacher, consultant and program specialist. For three years he was Provincial Director of the Canadian Intramural, and Recreation Association (CIRA), an organization focused on promoting active living and healthy lifestyles through intramural and recreation programs within the educational community. Prior to that, he was the provincial intramural student leadership chairperson for four years. Mr. Battcock is an active volunteer, coach and sports official, and has served in leadership roles with the Labrador Winter Games since 2006.

Ron Bowles
Ron Bowles, assistant deputy minister with the Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs Office, has co-chaired the Management Committee of the Inuit Communities Agreement and served as the provincial representative on the Labrador Winter Games Board of Directors in 2006, 2010 and 2013. Prior to working in government, Mr. Bowles was the Executive Director of the Central Labrador Economic Development Board and served as councillor and deputy mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. He is also a former educator who began his career teaching high school in Churchill Falls.

Jeannine Chaulk
Jeannine Chaulk is departmental program coordinator with the Office of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs; owner of North Paw Bookkeeping and Consulting, and an active volunteer in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. She is a member of the Institute of Professional Bookkeepers of Canada (a member of the Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE); vice-president of the Trappers Running Club; a board member the Eastern Labrador Arts Alliance, and treasurer of the Labrador chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD).

Sheila Downer
Sheila Downer has worked in Labrador for 28 years and is a strong advocate for the development of rural communities. She is a former recreation director for communities in the Labrador Straits and has served as the managing director of Smart Labrador Inc. She has worked for the development of information technology in Labrador and has led the planning and management of several major IT projects. Ms. Downer has been recognized as one of Atlantic Canada's Top 50 CEOs; has served as a member of the Hemispheric Advisory Board for the Institute of Connecting the Americas (International Development Research Centre), and is currently the chair of Memorial University's Harris Centre Advisory Board.

Joe Goudie
Joe Goudie has been a fishing guide and trapper; a native liaison offer with the Department of National Defence; a consultant and community liaison officer with Parks Canada, and the provincial MHA for Naskapi (now Lake Melville), holding Cabinet portfolios in Fisheries and in Rural, Agricultural and Northern Development. For the past number of years he has served as Honorary Colonel of 444 Combat Support Squadron at 5 Wing Goose Bay. Mr. Goudie served as the chair of the Labrador Winter Games Board of Directors in 2010 and 2013.

Rex Goudie
Rex Goudie was born and raised in L'Anse-au-Clair and joined the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) in 2002. In 2004, he was appointed manager of the Labrador District Office where he is currently responsible for coordinating economic development activities throughout the Labrador region. Prior to joining ACOA, he served as assistant deputy minister with the Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs as the coordinator of the Comprehensive Labrador Agreement. Mr. Goudie has been involved in community activities in Labrador since the 1980s. He is currently chair of the Grenfell Foundation (Labrador East Chapter). His other volunteer involvement and commitments include serving in various capacities with the Rotary Club of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador Winter Games, and Amaruk Golf and Sports Club.

Eugene Hart
Eugene Hart is from Sheshatshui and currently resides in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. He is vice-principal of the Sheshatshui Innue School and an elected member of the Innu Nation Board of Directors. Mr. Hart is an active volunteer and plays a strong leadership role on The Voices of our Children Committee that focuses on suicide prevention.

Jason Hennebury
Jason Hennebury is a recreation special events coordinator with Nalcor, and is based in Churchill Falls, where he grew up. He has worked with the Department of National Defence at 5 Wing Goose Bay and as a recreation and fitness director. He has also served as recreation development officer with the Government of Nunavut in Cape Dorset.

Richard Lewis
Richard Lewis began his career in British Columbia working for a mining exploration company, he then moved to Ontario to work in the construction industry as an architectural and structural surveyor. In 1997, he moved to Happy Valley-Goose Bay and started his own business, Lewis Concrete Forming Ltd. Mr. Lewis is currently working with Astaldi on the Lower Churchill Development Project. Mr. Lewis contributes back to the community, as a volunteer and sponsor. Lewis Concrete Forming Ltd. has won Community Sponsor of the Year for Goose Bay on several occasions, and Mr. Lewis is a member of the Rotary Club, Labrador Winter Games Board, and Labrador Transportation Advisory Board.

Sterling Peyton
Sterling Peyton worked with the Federal Government for over 30 years, holding positions with Transport Canada, Manpower and Immigration, Employment and Immigration, Regional Industrial Expansion, and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). In 1995, Mr. Peyton became the senior representative in Labrador for ACOA. He was federal co-chair of the most recent federal/provincial Comprehensive Labrador Cooperation Agreement. In 2003 he retired from the Federal Government and served as the Provincial Government's deputy minister for Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs. In 2004, Mr. Peyton joined his wife in private business and he was subsequently elected president of the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce from 2005-2007. He currently serves as chair of that organization. He was a founding member of the Labrador Canoe Regatta Association and has been with the Labrador Winter Games as a volunteer since the first games in 1983 - serving as chair in 1989.

Lt.-Col. Luc Sabourin
Born and raised in Montreal, Lt.-Col. Sabourin enrolled in the Canadian Forces in 1985. He attended both the Collège Militaire Royal in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, and the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, graduating in 1990 with a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering. He later graduated with a Master's of Science in Aerospace Vehicle Design from Cranfield University, Bedfordshire England. LCol Sabourin took command of 5 Wing Goose Bay in 2014.

Jamie Snook
Jamie Snook is the Mayor of Happy Valley-Goose Bay. He is a former Volunteer of the Year; an alumni of the Governor General's Canadian Leadership Conference, and recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. His interests lie in community development, leadership, and health promotion. He has completed 16 marathons and was one of the founding members of the Trappers Running Club.

2015 08 24                              2:50 p.m.