Friends and family are remembering Alfred Moses as a kind and helpful person who was deeply committed to his family and community — as well as an active and capable athlete.
Following a memorial service at the Midnight Sun Complex, Moses was laid to rest Aug. 2 at the Inuvik Cemetery.
“As far back as early childhood, Alfred and I would play baseball outside his house pretending that we were in the big leagues home run derby,” said Jozef Carnogursky, who grew up with Moses. “He was always George Bell from Toronto and I would pretend to be Tim Raines from the Montreal Expos. He would always beat me when being George and would never let me pretend to be George Bell because I think he didn’t want his winning streak to end and I think he just really enjoyed beating me.
“On one occasion he let me be George Bell and he still beat me. I remember going home and telling myself I’ll beat him at that game one day and trying to think of ways to overcome his pitching.
“I look forward to the day we meet again and I can maybe, just maybe, get that win.”
Carnogursky said Moses was a champion for health and wellness during his early years working for the GNWT, always willing to offer a hand where needed. This advocacy continued into his life in public office, where he served at several posts. His foray into politics began as an Inuvik town councillor and he was later elected as MLA for Inuvik-Boot Lake in 2011, winning by five votes.
Starting in 2015, Moses was appointed to several cabinet posts, first as the minister of Education and then as minister of Municipal and Community Affairs (MACA). He was also formerly the minister responsible for NWT Housing Corporation, Workers Safety and Compensation Commission, homelessness, and youth.
During his time in government, Moses helped pass anti-bullying legislation, implemented emergency 911 lines across the territory and assisted in bringing about the pre-kindergarten program.
Following his retirement from the legislature, Moses returned to Inuvik and briefly sat as an Inuvik town councillor.
Regardless of which chair he was sitting in, Carnogursky said Moses was always looking at the bigger picture.
“He was the type of person that it didn’t matter if you were not his constituent, he would do his best to help people in other ridings no matter where they lived — from Inuvik to Fort McPherson and Aklavik to Yellowknife and beyond,” he said. “He really cared for people and always wanted the best.”
Moses died July 26. He was 45 years old. A lifelong athlete, he found his passion in promoting wellness and good health at an early age. He led a Delta-wide stop-smoking campaign called “Don’t be a Butt Head,” through which he proudly convinced his mother to quit the habit, among many others. When Moses served on town council in 2002, he was a strong advocate for the town’s smoking bylaw, which prevented smoking indoors. Inuvik was the first community in the Northwest Territories to pass such legislation.
Having sat with him during his first term as town councillor and watching him in action ever since, Town of Inuvik Mayor Clarence Wood said he was always in awe of Moses, to the point he, a smoker, supported Moses’s anti-smoking efforts.
“I realized that it was bad for everybody too,” said Wood. “It was a passion of his. He worked very hard on those types of issues, was a very caring person and always supporting people. He had some really deep thoughts about issues and when he got behind something he did it 100 per cent. There was no half measures with Alfred.
“I wish I had his work ethic.”
