Three Jasperites have been recognized as Citizen Community Builders by the Alberta Municipalities association and the provincial government.

Firefighters Kelly Dawson and Mathew Conte, along with municipal councillor Kathleen Waxer, were presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal on November 27 at a ceremony in Edmonton.

Dawson, who came to Jasper in 2015, was recognized for volunteering with several community organizations such as Jasper Pride, Jasper Victims Services, the Jasper Community Team and the Jasper Food Bank.

Dawson said her commitments to such causes stem from seeing her parents do likewise in their home town. Her dad was a firefighter and she recalled volunteering with her mother at the cancer support clinic and the nursing support centre in Whitby, Ontario.

“Both were heavily involved in their community,” she said. 

The same could be said about Kathleen Waxer, who was recognized on Saturday for a lifetime of service to the community of Jasper. Under Waxer’s leadership and guidance, Jasper’s Community Outreach Services have been integrated, accessible and responsive. She began her career in Jasper in 1986. Today, part of her legacy is a suite of inclusive, locally-managed services that help meet the needs of the community.

“Her commitment has resulted in cost-effective and meaningful change that enhances lives,” Waxer’s nomination citation reads. 

Jasper Fire Chief Mathew Conte was also honoured. His 20-year-plus dedication as a firefighter has helped make the communities he’s served, including Jasper, safer. Conte took over the top role at Jasper’s Emergency Services department in May of 2021.

Conte was also partly responsible for Dawson’s nomination. He testified to the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal committee that Dawson is an “outgoing, positive and dedicated community member.”

Although she was reluctant to share the news of the award with her peers (“I didn’t tell anyone I was going to the city this weekend”), Dawson did want to let her 94-year-old grandmother know about the recognition. They talk on the phone every morning. 

“My nana always puts everyone before her,” Dawson  said. “She’s done that her entire life.”

All sitting mayors across Alberta, including Mayor Richard Ireland, also received a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal.  

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com