Award recipients for the last 10 years
MASSEY MEDAL
2020
John Smol
Awarded to Queen’s University professor John Smol, paleolimnologist specializing in responses of Arctic and alpine ecosystems to environmental change.
2019
Dr. Derek Clifford Ford
Derek Ford is recognized internationally as Canada’s leading expert on karst and cave resources in the Canadian context.
2018
Arthur J. Ray
Professor Ray, FRSC is a distinguished, internationally-recognized, historical geographer who pioneered the use of the Hudson’s Bay Company’s vast archives to derive economic and ethno-historical data to interpret the historical geography of Canada’s First Nations from the time of first European contact.
2017
Dr. David Morrison
Dr. David Morrison is one of the world’s foremost scholars in Arctic archeology and a leader in the museum field. Much of what is known about the long-term history of Inuit and Inuvialuit culture across the Canadian Arctic results directly from his prolific fieldwork and ground-breaking publications.
2016
Dr. Steve Blasco
Dr. Blasco has recently retired from the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Geological Survey of Canada, after a career of more than 39 years focused on scientific research in marine environments of Canada.
2015
Brian Osborne
As well as inspiring students with his enthusiasm for geography since he started teaching at Queen’s in 1967, Osborne has published extensively about Kingston’s history, and has researched settlement in Wales, Colorado, Western Canada and Ontario.
2014
Dr. Derald Smith
Dr. Smith earned an international reputation as the leading authority on anastomosing rivers — a distinct type of multi-channeled and stable river pattern found in low-gradient conditions such as deltas, but also for his pioneering work on ground-penetrating radar.
2013
David Ley
A social and urban geographer, David Ley is known for his formative research on ‘gentrification’ in North American cities. He is also recognized for his work as founding director of the Vancouver Metropolis Centre of Excellence, an interdisciplinary research centre founded in 1996.
2012
Graeme Wynn
Graeme Wynn is a world-renowned historical geographer and environmental historian. Over his nearly 40-year career, Wynn has contributed to the study of forest exploitation, conservation and management; histories of migration and settlement; and the intersections of environment and empire.
2011
David Livingstone
David Livingstone knows full well the challenges of treading a fine line between the conflicting interests of resource development and conservation. At one point during his 16 years as director of Renewable Resources and Environment for the federal Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in the Northwest Territories, he was responsible for mining development as well as the remediation of abandoned, contaminated mine sites.
2010
Raymond Price
Price, a professor emeritus of geology at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont., has devoted a large part of his career to determining how mountains form, particularly in the southern Canadian Cordillera.
2009
Michael Church
For his thought-provoking and rigorous science, Michael Church — a specialist in how rivers and streams shape the landscape, and professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia — has been awarded the 2009 Massey Medal for outstanding achievement in Canadian geography.
2008
Bruce Mitchell
Bruce Mitchell is a Professor of Geography in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at the University of Waterloo. He is a well-respected leader in the field of resource and environmental management, with a focus on water resources.
GOLD MEDAL
2019
Richard Boudreault
Richard Boudreault is an internationally recognized leader in Arctic science and research.
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Clarkson, journalist, author, honorary chief, and co-founder of the Institute for Canadian Citizenship, has played an inestimable role in fashioning an understanding of Canadian identity.
Dr. Jane Goodall
Dr. Jane Goodall, anthropologist, primatologist, author, educator and environmentalist, is known internationally for her ground-breaking research with wild chimpanzees in Africa and for her indefatigable advocacy on behalf of the environment.
2018
Trans Canada Trail
The Great Trail has been called the contemporary equivalent of the national dream, connecting millions of Canadians and exposing them to their natural heritage and remarkable geography, to new people and communities.
Perry Bellegarde
National Chief Bellegarde is a strong advocate for honouring and implementing inherent rights and Treaty rights, title and jurisdiction. Drawing on the strong beliefs and traditions instilled in him by the many Chiefs and Elders he has known, National Chief Bellegarde is passionate about creating real, measurable progress on priorities that matter most to First Nations and that will close the gap in the quality of life between First Nations and the rest of Canada.
Clément Chartier
Clément Chartier is a lawyer, writer, activist, lecturer, and leader who has served in both political and administrative capacities with Indigenous Peoples’ organizations in Canada and abroad.
Natan Obed
Natan Obed has devoted his career to working with Inuit representational organizations to improve the well-being of Inuit in Canada. He has been instrumental in working towards a renewed relationship with the Government of Canada based on mutual respect.
Ry Moran
As the founding director of the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation, Ry Moran has worked tirelessly to build a vibrant, dynamic and effective organization that generates awareness and understanding among all Canadians about Indigenous issues, past, present and future.
Roberta Jamieson
Roberta Jamieson is an inspirational leader who has garnered national acclaim and recognition for her role in shaping public policy and good governance in Canada and for her successful efforts to advance the educational outcomes of Indigenous students nationwide.
2017
Sir David Attenborough
Presented in recognition of his lifelong contributions to advancing public awareness of the natural world.
Gordon Lightfoot
Lightfoot is a singer-songwriter and prolific Canadian cultural ambassador with more than 20 bestselling albums.
John Turner
John Turner is Canada’s 17th Prime Minister; served for decades as a public servant and has travelled extensively in the Arctic.
2016
Marc R. St-Onge
Paul F. Hoffman
Denis St-Onge
The Geological Survey of Canada
2015
Dr. Jacob Verhoef
The society is pleased to award the 2015 medal to Dr. Jacob Verhoef. As Director of the Geological Survey of Canada, Atlantic, Dr. Verhoef recognized the unique role of Natural Resources Canada in this endeavor and spearheaded Canadian efforts for the UNCLOS Extended Continental Shelf mapping program.
Graeme Gibson
A tireless advocate for Canadian writers, Graeme Gibson has been instrumental in the foundation and the development of major writers’ organizations.
Margaret Atwood
Her contribution to literature through a remarkable and globally celebrated body of work, Margaret Atwood has deepened our understanding of the relationship between literature and geography.
2014
Canada’s Astronauts and the Canadian Space Agency
From brain surgeons to rocket scientists, each one of the eight former and current Canadian astronauts honoured with this medal has made achievements in the broad field of geography and been a part of important national and international events.
2013
Michael Palin
For his contribution to geographical literacy.
Robert Bateman
For his work to make the RCGS a leading educational force in Canada.
Mapping Information Branch of Natural Resources Canada
For the completion of the topographic mapping of Canada at the 1:50 000 scale.
2012
Philip Currie
2011
Sir Christopher Ondaatje
For his long abiding support for geography.
NASA Astronaut Jerry Linenger
For his outstanding contribution to furthering geographic education around the world.
Parks Canada, the Dehcho First Nations and the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
For their collaborative efforts to protect the Nahanni Wilderness Reserve.
2010
Alex Trebek
For his outstanding contribution to popularizing geographic education.
Canadian International Polar Year National Committee
For its guidance and vital role in ensuring the success of Canada’s IPY 2007-2008 program
CAMSELL MEDAL
2019
Beth Dye
Beth Dye, teacher, educator, coach, administrator and Fellow, has served the Society in a range of capacities for more than twenty years.
Joe Frey, CD
Joseph Frey is an explorer, diver, writer, speaker, world traveler, and tireless advocate for the Society and its mission.
2018
Dr. Paul Ruest
Ruest has been an active volunteer and contributor to the Society for 15 years. In 2011, he became vice-president of the Society and in 2014, he assumed the role of president. His focus and determination have resulted in a stronger, more diverse, dynamic and enterprising organization.
Élisabeth Nadeau
Élisabeth Nadeau became a Fellow over 20 years ago, and so began two decades of incomparable service to the Society. From her ardent support of Géographica, and through her many contributions to the Board of Governors, Awards Committee, Endowment Fund, Nominating Committee and By-Law Committee, Nadeau strengthened and enhanced the Society.
2017
Jody Decker
During a period when the Society was functioning under severe financial constraints, Jody Decker was a passionate and constant advocate for the funding of the research and grants program, emphasizing its importance to university students over the course of their geography studies.
Philip Howarth
As a long-standing member and chair of the Lectures Committee, Howarth delivered a national outreach program that engaged Canadians, served the Society’s educational mission, and raised the profile of the RCGS by establishing innovative new partnerships.
2016
Mark Graham
Vice-president, research and collections, Canadian Museum of Nature.
Peter Harrison and Christine Duverger-Harrison
Long-serving Society volunteers; Harrison is a past vice-president of the RCGS.
2015
Bruce Amos
Bruce Amos speaks and thinks passionately about Canada, Canadian Geography and the RCGS and our role in the Canadian fabric to promote Canada to the world. As photographer Bruce was the driving force behind the Can Geo Photo Club (2008).
Louise Maffett
Louise Maffett became the Executive Director of the RCGS in 1995 a position she occupied until December 2010. During that period she was instrumental in the rapid and significant increase in membership, and very importantly in helping to raise the funds to launch Géographica.
2014
Dr. Christopher Burn
Christopher Burn has served the Society for more than 20 years in positions including vice president and the chair of the Nominating, Research and Grants, and Policy and Planning committees.
Dr. Iain Wallace
Iain Wallace has served the Society for 31 years in board positions including the Awards, Editorial Advisory, Research and Grants, and Policy and Planning committees.
2013
Sir Christopher Ondaatje
After immigrating to Canada in 1956, Sir Christopher Ondaatje became a member of the Canadian Olympic bobsleigh team in 1964. He then moved on to a successful career in finance and publishing before becoming a writer and global adventurer.
2012
Jean Fournier
A Fellow and Governor of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS) for more than 15 years, Jean Fournier has helped in fundraising efforts and was involved in the creation of the Canada Post envelope that marked the Society’s 75th anniversary in 2004.
2011
Gisèle Jacob
Gisèle Jacob was the first female president of the Society, a position she held from 2004 to 2010. A number of notable developments occurred under her leadership, including the launch of The Canadian Atlas Online and the publication of Canadian Geographic Travel.
Arthur E. Collin
Arthur E. Collin was president from 1998 to 2004, the year of the Society’s 75th anniversary and several special initiatives, including the joint publication of The Canadian Atlas with Reader’s Digest Canada.
2010
Pierre Bergeron
A journalist and former book and newspaper publisher, Bergeron offers an invaluable perspective on the publishing industry as a member of the Canadian Geographic Enterprises (CGE) Management Board and the Society’s Finance and Audit committees.
Helen Kerfoot
An Ottawa-based geographer with an unparalleled expertise in geographical names, Kerfoot has served on the Board of Governors and numerous committees. As a member of the Editorial Advisory Committee, she helped form Canadian Geographic’s policy regarding Canadian place names.
LAWRENCE J. BURPEE MEDAL
2019
Anne Innis Dagg
Anne Innis Dagg, biologist, zoologist, feminist, author and publisher, is acknowledged internationally as the founder of giraffe science. Her ground-breaking field work and subsequent academic study have led to her being credited with the establishment of the fields of giraffology and behavioural biology.
2018
Chris Cran
Chris Cran is a internationally recognized and widely exhibited visual artist, teacher and mentor. His art is represented in major galleries around the world and has been featured in solo and group exhibitions.
André Préfontaine
André Préfontaine, as president and publisher of Canadian Geographic Enterprises and latterly as executive director of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, led the Society through a critical period of financial upheaval and dramatic shifts in the world of magazine publishing.
Peter Suedfeld
Dr. Peter Suedfeld is a globally celebrated psychologist, professor emeritus of the University of British Columbia, and scholar of human adaptation to extreme environments.
2017
President Jimmy Carter
Former United States President Jimmy Carter has been awarded the Lawrence J. Burpee medal in recognition of his role in expanding the U.S. national parks system and ongoing work with Habitat for Humanity.
Andrew Prossin
Andrew Prossin is an entrepreneur from Nova Scotia with a passion for conservation and environmental protection. Andrew Prossin is the founder and managing director of One Ocean Expeditions (OOE), the exclusive travel partner of the RCGS.
2016
Simon Winchester
Simon Winchester is a geologist, journalist and acclaimed author who has enhanced the ability of the RCGS to fulfill its mission and assisted in the general advancement of geography.
2015
Louie Kamookak
Louie Kamookak has dedicated his life to exploring the geographical legacy of the Canadian North and sharing his learning with Canadians and with the world.
Wendy Cecil
Since becoming a RCGS Fellow since 2012, Wendy Cecil has worked tirelessly to support the Society’s efforts to make the Society’s work better known to Canadians.
Alex Trebek
While many of us know Alex Trebek as the celebrity host of Jeopardy! Trebek was also a champion of geographic learning and education. Through a generous donation, Alek Trebek reinstated the Can Geo Challenge’s face-to-face competition.
2014
Parks Canada Victoria Strait Dive Team – Marc-Andre Bernier, Ryan Harris, Jonathan Moore and Andrew Campbell
The 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition made headlines around the world for its discovery of HMS Erebus, one of two exploration ships abandoned in 1848 while searching for the Northwest Passage.
SIR CHRISTOPHER ONDAATJE MEDAL FOR EXPLORATION
2019
Dr. Charles (“Chas”) Yonge
Dr. Charles (“Chas”) Yonge has made significant contributions in Canada and internationally as a climber, cave explorer, scientist, entrepreneur and author for over forty years.
2018
Chic Scott
Chic Scott is an adventurer, mentor, historian and writer, whose unwavering dedication to the pursuit, exploration, and enjoyment of mountaineering has led him to influence generations of Canadians through his work.
2017
Pat and Baiba Morrow
Mountaineers, photojournalists and filmmakers; Pat was the first climber in history to reach the Seven Summits.
Wade Davis
Anthropologist, “plant explorer” and prolific author; has studied Indigenous cultures around the globe.
2016
Richard Weber
Richard Weber is an Arctic explorer and first Canadian to reach the North Pole on foot.
2015
Jean Lemire
Jean Lemire was leader of the expeditions Arctic Mission (2002), Whale Mission (2003), Antarctic Mission (2005) and The Last Continent (2007), all four carried aboard the Sedna IV. He has over 20 years of experience in marine biology and his filmography work includes 18 films.
2014
George Hobson
George Hobson is a geophysicist and seismic explorer. In his position as Director of the Polar Continental Shelf Project, Hobson’s logistical support contributed enormously to scientific and exploratory work in Canada’s Arctic.
2013
Jill Heinerth
Jill Heinerth is a Canadian cave diver, underwater explorer, writer, photographer and film-maker.
Capt. Joseph-Elzéar Bernier Medal
2018
Laureen Harper
A Fellow and a fervent supporter of the Society, Laureen Harper has lent her talents to helping foster connections between the Society and other like-minded organizations, most notably the Trans Canada Trail (TCT).
2017
Phyllis Arnold
Phyllis Arnold, a former Governor of the society, has invested in geography education by establishing an endowment fund in her name to strengthen pedagogy and practice in geographic education in Canada.
Shelagh and Jon Grant
Shelagh Grant, an educator, historian and author, and Jon Grant, a business leader, are longstanding supporters of Can Geo Education.
Thomas Edward Kierans
Thomas Edward Kierans is a major figure in Canadian business and a national leader in public policy development and in the area of advanced research.
Bob Ramsay
A legendary connector in many spheres, Bob Ramsay has been instrumental in introducing The Royal Canadian Geographical Society to prospective supporters and in forging major partnerships between the Society and corporate partners.
Mike Robinson
As Chief Executive of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society, Mike Robinson has been responsible for modernizing, relocating, re-structuring and re-invigorating one of Scotland’s oldest educational charities.
2016
Alexandra Shackleton
Alexandra Shackleton is a philanthropist and lawyer (now retired), as well as a RCGS Advancement Committee member.
Anthony Hendrie
Anthony Hendrie is president of the James Caird Society and vice patron of the U.K. Antarctic Heritage Trust.
Thomas E. Kierans
Thomas E. Kierans is a business leader and dedicated supporter of Canadian culture, scientific research and public policy.
2015
Kathryn McCain
Kathryn McCain has served as chair of the McCain Foundation and as chair of the University of New Brunswick’s Board of Governors. She is a ellow and former Governor of The Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Milbry Polk
Milbry Polk worked for fifteen years as a photojournalist in the Middle East , South America and Asia.She co-founded Wings Trust, an educational organization and Wings WorldQuest which which celebrates the discoveries of women explorers and supports scientific exploration.
THE MARTIN BERGMANN MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN ARCTIC LEADERSHIP
2019
Dr. Wayne Pollard
Dr. Wayne Pollard is an accomplished member of the permafrost research community who describes himself, first and foremost, as a field scientist.
2018
Dr. James Drummond
Dr. James Drummond’s contributions in furthering Arctic research include his establishment of PEARL (Polar Environment Atmospheric Research), the globally-recognized Arctic flagship observatory that has contributed to a significant body of research. He is a highly sought-after and active contributor in the national and international scientific community, including his work on multiple high-level committees.
Dr. Derek Muir
Dr. Derek Muir is a leading Canadian environmental scientist and is considered a world leader in his field. For more than 35 years, Dr. Muir has contributed to the understanding of contaminants in the North and the impacts they have on Arctic ecosystems and people.
2017
Martin Fortier
Martin Fortier is the executive director of the Université Laval’s transdisciplinary research program Sentinel North. As the former executive director of ArcticNet, Fortier demonstrated exceptional leadership and forever changed the way Arctic research is done in Canada.
2016
Warwick Vincent
Warwick Vincent is a professor of biology and Canada Research Chair in biology at the Université Laval. where he studies polar aquatic food webs.
2015
Dr. John Smol
Dr. John Smol is a Professor of Biology and the Canada Research Chair in Environmental Change at Queen’s University.
2014
Dr. Donald Forbes
Dr. Donald Forbes has contributed to the Arctic through dozens of studies and mapping projects, and advanced our knowledge of climate change through his own work and by championing interdisciplinary collaborations.
2013
David Hik
David Hik is a professor of biological sciences at the University of Alberta, and has been instrumental in fostering international collaboration on Arctic issues and the development of extensive research networks.
2012
Martin “Marty” Bergmann
Marty Bergmann was a great Canadian “networker”, and the network he built, based on passion for the Arctic, was his greatest career accomplishment. He connected hundreds of people with resources and with each other and in so doing, became a central lynch-pin of Canada’s pursuit of northern goals during two decades.
LOUIE KAMOOKAK MEDAL
2019
George Jacob
George Jacob is an author, museum designer, environmentalist and cultural thought leader.
2018
Josephine Kamookak
Josephine Kamookak is an educator whose appreciation for the value of Inuit traditional knowledge was shared by her partner and ally, celebrated historian Louie Kamookak.
Michael Palin
Michael Palin is a great ambassador for geography, and his book Erebus is a rollicking account, filled with derring-do, at times funny at times harrowing and tragic.
Gregory Copley
Gregory Copley, historian, author, editor, strategic analyst, and president of the International Strategic Studies Association, is a long-standing supporter of and staunch advocate for the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.
Jared Harris
Harris is a celebrated English actor best known for his brilliant work both in film and television. His spell-binding portrayal of Captain Francis Crozier in the AMC series The Terror brought the story of Sir John Franklin’s tragic British Arctic expedition of 1845-48 to a wider audience.
Anne Kari Ovind
Her Excellency, Anne Kari Ovind, was prior to her posting as Norway’s Ambassador to Canada, Director of the Section for the High North, Polar Affairs and Marine Resources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Kim Wallace
Kim Wallace is a teacher, author, mentor and leader in geographic education in Canada. As a Fellow of the Society, Kim has worked tirelessly to successfully develop and implement a forward-looking geography curriculum for Ontario.
INNOVATION IN GEOGRAPHY TEACHING AWARD
2019
Mary Ellen Gucciardi
Mary Ellen Gucciardi is an accomplished educator with a passion for Canada’s North. Gucciardi is dedicated to experiential learning and to increasing understanding of the High Arctic between Indigenous and non-Indigenous youth.
2018
Breanna Heels
Educator, adventurer, mentor and advocate, Breanna Heels’ innovative educational practice is informed and energized by the philosophy of “think globally, act locally.”
2017
Paula Huddy-Zubkowski
Paula Huddy-Zubkowski teaches Grade 2 at St. Joseph School in Calgary, where she inspires her students to take on big projects, such as starting a school composting program.
2016
Greg Neil
Greg Neil is a teacher at Connect Charter School in Calgary, where he has provided exemplary contributions in fostering geographic engagement and increasing the geographic literacy of his students.
2015
Janet Ruest
Janet Ruest has been teaching geography since 1988 and her commitment to her craft shows. Her students learn how to develop case studies based on collected flora and fauna samples, photographs, sketches, maps and graphs they’ve produced; note human and physical interactions; and make recommendations about how humans can reduce their impacts on the environment.
2014
Mike Farley
A geography teacher since 2001, Mike Farley is currently the Department Coordinator of Canadian and World Studies at University of Toronto Schools in Toronto.
2013
Andrew Young
Andrew Young is the geography and social science teacher you wish you’d had. At G.P. Vanier Secondary School in Courtenay, B.C., and as a summer sessional geography instructor at the University of British Columbia, Young uses real-world examples to bring the discipline to life.
ALEX TREBEK MEDAL FOR GEOGRAPHIC LITERACY
2019
Andrew Young
Andrew Young is the geography and social science teacher you wish you’d had. At G.P. Vanier Secondary School in Courtenay, B.C., and as a summer sessional geography instructor at the University of British Columbia, Young uses real-world examples to bring the discipline to life.
2018
Rob Langston
Rob Langston is an energetic, creative and accomplished educator at École secondaire Neelin High School in Brandon, Manitoba. He combines his passion for geography with a unique skill set, which has made a profound impact on the geographic literacy of his students, colleagues, and the wider educational community in Canada.
2017
Beth Dye
Beth Dye has been a teacher and a leader in geographic education for nearly 30 years. Beth Dye is the vice-principal at Twin Rivers Education Centre in Kamloops, B.C.
2016
Doug Koegler
Doug Koegler is a lecturer in the faculty of education at Wilfrid Laurier University, and previously an elementary and secondary teacher in Waterloo, Ontario.
2015
Zachary Vanthournout
Zachary Vanthournout is fearless in his commitment to finding innovative ways of making geography relevant to his students and the larger community of educators in Atlantic Canada.
2013
Anne Simth Mansfield
Anne Smith Mansfield instructs future geography teachers in the faculty of education at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. She is credited with being the first person in Canada to use giant floor maps as teaching aids.
2012
James Boxall
James Boxall is director of the Geographical Information Sciences Centre at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, and helped co-found Can Geo Education (formerly Canadian Council for Geographic Education) in 1993.
2011
Al Friesen
Over 30 years of teaching, Al Friesen has focused on linking textbook learning with observation in the real world, starting a Geo-Fair at his school, discussing urban planning challenges through field study and building this experience into Manitoba’s geography curriculum.
2010
Stuart Semple
An adjunct professor of geography at Mount Allison University, in Sackville, N.B., Stuart Semple (right) has taught geography in Canada and his native Australia and has trained about 500 Canadian geography teachers, as well as International Baccalaureate teachers in Africa, North America and Europe.
2009
Eric Kramers
While the web was still in its infancy, Eric Kramers realized its potential for raising the level of geographic instruction in Canadian schools. Since then, the Ottawa-based cartographer has applied his technological savvy to promote the use of digital mapping and online resources in the classroom.
2008
Linda Gollick
Linda Gollick is head of the Canadian and world studies department at Toronto’s Loretto College School and has been Ontario coordinator for The Great Canadian Geography Challenge for the past 15 years.
2007
Robert Twerdoclib
For more than 20 years grade-nine social studies teacher Robert Twerdoclib, or “Mr. Geography” as he’s affectionately called by his peers, has worked tirelessly to advance geographical studies in the Alberta curriculum.
2006
Paul VanZant
Paul VanZant is head of geography and history at Mayfield Secondary School in Caledon, Ont.. During almost two decades of teaching, he has helped his students understand and appreciate the world around them and the place they have in it.
2005
Dick Mansfield
Dick Mansfield, from Kingston, Ontario, played a major role in the creation of the Great Canadian Geography Challenge and was a key player in the development of the Canadian Geographic Education, which he chaired through its early years.
2004
Dale Gregory
A retired geography, social studies and physical education teacher from Port Coquitlam, B.C., Dale Gregory is a founding member of the CCGE and has been chair of its B.C. chapter for six years. He also writes all the questions for The Great Canadian Geography Challenge, a process that has him compiling trivia 10 months a year.
2003
Lew French
Lewis French dedicated 34 years to geographic education. Today a a lecturer with the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, he co-authored textbooks, helped write geography curricula and now instructs aspiring teachers at the University of Toronto.
2002
Margaret North
During her 38-year career, Margaret North rarely missed an opportunity to show her students how to apply what they learned in the classroom to the world surrounding them. As a specialist in vegetation mapping, she often lectured in the bogs and forest on the University of British Columbia campus’s fringe.
2001
Phyllis Arnold
Phyllis Arnold’s Arnold Publishing has sold about a million innovative and highly visual geography (left), history and social sciences texts nationwide.
2000
John Trites
When John Trites is not teaching geography at Horton High School in Wolfville, N.S., he is writing textbooks, collaborating with the provincial Department of Education on curriculum planning or speaking at workshops all over North America.
EREBUS MEDAL
Established by The Royal Canadian Geographical Society in 2015, the Erebus Medal recognizes participants in the 2014 Victoria Strait Expedition and their contributions to the discovery of HMS Erebus, the exploration ship commanded by Sir John Franklin and lost during his ill-fated 1845-48 expedition. All participants in the discovery, including those in the field and those who worked behind the scenes are recognized with the Erebus Medal. Together, they have rewritten the history books and underscored the importance of the geography of Canada’s Arctic.
Click here for a full listing of recipients of the Erebus Medal
