We would like to congratulate Larry Doke on his many years of service as a Member of the Legislative Assembly in Saskatchewan and recognize his tremendous contributions to PNWER. In his tenure as a PNWER delegate, Larry served as PNWER President (2018-19), Vice President (2017-18), and as Agriculture Working Group Co-chair (2015-2020). He was also a graduate of the Legislative Energy Horizon Institute (LEHI) in 2013.

As a PNWER Officer, Larry visited every state and province in the PNWER region and met with key federal leaders in both Washington, D.C. and Ottawa. He testified in legislative committee hearings in every state about issues including trade, transportation, agriculture, and invasive species. His passion to keep our region’s lakes and rivers pristine drove him to push for increased awareness and funding to address aquatic invasive species on both sides of the border. These efforts led to increased inspection stations and better cross-border coordination on invasive species response.

Larry led PNWER during an unprecedented time in Canada-U.S. relations. He helped guide the organization as we navigated the U.S. tariffs on Canadian paper, steel, and aluminum and the resulting retaliatory tariffs from Canada. Larry also led a major effort to ensure PNWER had a significant voice in the renegotiation of NAFTA by providing specific recommendations from our region to key negotiators on both sides of the border. Under his leadership, PNWER issued several statements and letters encouraging our national leaders to strike a deal that would benefit both the U.S. and Canada. Despite disagreements at the federal level, Larry ensured that our cross-border relationships remained strong at the PNWER level.

Also during his tenure as PNWER President, Larry expanded the inclusion of culture and economic development best practices of Native Americans, First Nation, Métis, and Indigenous peoples into the Annual Summit. This was a significant focus of the 2019 Summit where he hosted the entire region in Saskatoon for the 29th PNWER Summit and showcased many of the great sights and best practices of Saskatchewan.

We would like to wish Larry and Val a happy retirement and express our gratitude for all they have done for our region and our organization. They have built lasting and valuable friendships over the years, and we hope to continue to stay in touch. On behalf of the PNWER staff and our delegates, we thank Larry for his service and dedication!