George Hickes (politician)

George Hickes is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He is the current Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba, a position he has held since 1999. Hickes is a member of the New Democratic Party.

Early life

Hickes was born into an Inuit family in the Northwest Territories (now Nunavut), and raised in Churchill, Manitoba. His early family life was a combination of a traditional Inuit lifestyle and that of modern Canadian society. He caught beluga whales in his youth (a long-standing tradition in Inuit culture), and earned the nickname "coldwater cowboy" for working without the aid of nets. The descendants of whales caught by Hickes can still be seen in several aquariums throughout the world.

Related Topics:
Inuit - Northwest Territories - Nunavut - Churchill - Beluga whale

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Hickes worked as a labourer in northern Manitoba construction projects for four years, and was a trades helper and plumber at the Department of Public Works in Churchill from 1968 to 1974. In 1974-75, he worked as a heavy equipment operator at the Tar Sands Project in Fort McMurray, Alberta. He then joined Manitoba's New Careers program, a decision which he later claimed saved him from a life of poverty.

Related Topics:
1968 - 1974 - 75 - Fort McMurray - Alberta

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Hickes became an adult educator after graduating from the program, and worked for eight years as trainer and co-ordinator at the New Careers Recreation Worker Program in Winnipeg. He then served as on-site manager of counselling services at the Limestone Hydro Project near Gillam in 1985, and was the executive director of training at the Limestone Training and Employment Agency in Thompson from 1986 to 1989. Hickes has also made recommendations for an adult training program in Yukon.

Related Topics:
Winnipeg - Gillam - 1985 - Thompson - 1986 - 1989 - Yukon

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