CDETNO 20th celebration gala kept all its promises

CDETNO’s 20th anniversary week culminated with a Gala, which brought together approximately 130 guests at the Explorer Hotel on October 18.

Under the direction of master of ceremonies Nuka de Jocas, Bobby Drygeese presented a speech on the Dene tradition of Yellowknife, followed by a performance by the Dene drummers. Afterward, we heard speeches from Frédéric Deschènes, president of CDETNO, Garett Cochrane, deputy mayor of Yellowknife, Liza Pieper, representative of the Yellowknife Dene chiefs, Julie Tremblay, president of RDÉE Canada, and Caitlin Cleveland, minister (ITI, ECE).

This evening was capped by a beautiful musical selection, catering, awards ceremonies, and two performances by Munya and his friends. The guests stated that CDETNO went above and beyond for this anniversary celebration.

“We are very pleased with the celebration we had with our members, partners, administrators, and employees,” says CDÉTNO’s executive director, François Afane. “CDETNO is extremely proud of the community’s confidence in our programs and the enthusiasm shown by all our partners.”

List of people awarded:

Founders

Diane Boudreau
France Benoit
Jean-François Pitre
Sylvie Francoeur

Former general managers

Antoine Gagnon
Sylvie Francoeur
Andréanne Laporte
Anne Christine Boudreau

Long-time employees

Mercy Beilem
Nadine Cantin
Gordon Ross

Long-serving board members

Frederic Deschènes
Jean-François Pitre

Long-time CDETNO members

AECOM Canada
Association franco-culturelle de Yellowknife
Association franco-culturelle du Sud et de l’Ouest
Best Movers
Collège Nordique Francophone
Crowe MacKay
Commission Scolaire Francophone des Territoires du Nord-Ouest
Danmax Communication
Explorer Hotel
Fédération franco-ténoise
Médias Ténois
Multicultural Community of Yellowknife
My African Cuisine
NWT Tourism
Office Compliments
Pido Production

We also thank our sponsors for the gifts offered during the evening and throughout the week:

Charlotte Henri, decorator
Clinique de physiothérapie YKPY
Copperhouse
Édit Simar, clinical esthetician
Independent
Rebecca’s Flowers
Shoppers
SunDog

We would especially like to thank Rolland-Éric Rakotomena from Explorer Hotel and Pido Productions for their participation in the event’s success.

Photo Credit: Epic Studio