Northwestel is offering hundreds of young Army and Air Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers another way to stay in touch while participating in summer training in Whitehorse. Each visiting Cadet and Ranger will be given a prepaid phone card, courtesy of Northwestel, which they can use to call friends or family back home.

 

“We are very pleased to support the excellent learning experience that the Cadets and Junior Canadian Rangers have each year in Whitehorse,” said Paul Flaherty, Northwestel President and Chief Executive Officer. “We know that it’s important for them to be able to share their experiences with family and friends back home, so we are helping them do that by donating a phone card to each participant.”

 

The Prepaid Cards are valued at $5 and provide 26 minutes of calling time to anywhere in Canada.

 

Each summer, Boyle Barracks in Whitehorse welcomes hundreds of Junior Canadian Rangers from across the North and Cadets from across Canada, as well as an exchange group from the United Kingdom. Northwestel has donated more than 500 phone cards to be given to visiting youth.

 

“Family is an important value for both the Cadet Program and the Junior Canadian Rangers,” said Captain Cheryl Major, Public Affairs Officer for the Regional Cadet Support Unit (Northern). “Training in Whitehorse is sometimes a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these youth and we encourage them to call home while here. For some of them, it’s their first time away from home and for many of them it’s their first time in a city. The calling cards from Northwestel make it much easier for them to reach out to those at home. This is the kind of support that helps make our programs so successful in the North.”

 

Both the Cadet Program and the Junior Canadian Ranger Program are funded by the Department of National Defence.

 

The Cadet Program provides dynamic and structured activities for young Canadians ages 12 to 18. The Program’s goal is to develop attributes of leadership and good citizenship, to promote physical fitness and to provide information on the Sea, Land and Air elements of the Canadian Forces. There are approximately 450 Army and Air Cadets enrolled in 16 corps and squadrons in Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut.

 

The Junior Canadian Ranger Program is offered to young people, ages 12 to 18, living in remote and isolated communities across Canada. Participants are given a unique opportunity to take part in a variety of fun and rewarding activities which impart a wide range of community traditional skills (such as hunting and fishing), life skills (such as living in a healthy way) and Ranger skills (such as applying first aid).

 

In 2009, Northwestel contributed more than $550,000 in cash and in-kind donations to many northern community groups. Throughout its history, Northwestel has played a key role in the economic, social and cultural development of the North. Northwestel is recognized as a key contributor to the well-being of northern communities through its community investment program and the volunteer contributions of its employees.

 

Northwestel provides complete telecommunications solutions and entertainment services in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, northern British Columbia and High Level, Alberta. The company’s operations span nearly 4 million square kilometres of the most remote and rugged areas of Canada.