Outgoing Chair of the WRRB--Joseph Judas

The Board and staff would like to announce that Joseph Judas has submitted his resignation as Chair of the Wek’èezhìı Renewable Resources Board (WRRB) following his recent election to the Tłı̨chǫ Assembly.  Joseph had been with the WRRB since 2006, and was unanimously chosen as Chair by the other Board members in May 2010.

Born at Russell Lake and a resident of Wekweètì since 1974, Joseph has spent most of his life as a harvester--hunting, trapping and fishing.  Joseph has also been a member of the Wek’èezhìı Land and Water Board, worked as a fire fighter in Wekweètì for the GNWT, and participated on a number of working groups and committees, including the Tłı̨chǫ Land Use Planning Committee. 

Joseph served as Chief of Wekweètì from 1998 to 2005, at a critical time in Tłı̨chǫ history--during land claim and self-government negotiations and the completion of the Tłı̨chǫ Agreement.  When the Agreement was initialled in Whatì in 2002, Joseph paid tribute to "the elders who travelled with us as advisors" and encouraged all present to "live a good life on the land".

Joseph's leadership, knowledge and experience have been invaluable to the WRRB and to Wek’èezhìı as a whole.  In his work with the Board, Joseph embodied the Tłı̨chǫ philosophy of being "strong like two people".  His ties to his Tłı̨chǫ culture and connection to the land and its wildlife are strong--and his experience with wildlife, land and water management issues has greatly benefited the Board. With his ability to understand and approach wildlife management issues from both perspectives, Joseph has been a respected communicator and consensus-builder.

We would like to thank Joseph for his contribution to the WRRB--and to congratulate him on his new position with the Tłı̨chǫ Government.

WRRB Board member Grant Pryznyk has been appointed Interim Chair of the WRRB while the Board undertakes the process of nominating a new Chair.

Read the Northern News Services article by Kassina Ryder here