Research Grants Commitee

Christine Duverger-Harrison is a long-standing Fellow of the RCGS and is a recipient of the Camsell Medal for her service to the Society. She has served for many years on the RCGS Grants Committee.

Christine graduated from l’Université de Bordeaux in Geography where, following graduate studies in Geography at the University of Victoria (B.C.), she completed her Maîtrise en Géographie. 

Christine spent over 30 years as Professor of Geography at the CEGEP de l’Outaouais and was on several occasions head of the Department.  She contributed directly to the modernization of the geography curriculum in Québec and was a member of key committees at the provincial level.  Christine’s research and teaching focused on the Geography of Tourism and Urban Geography. She is an alumna of Students on Ice (2010).  

Denis A. St-Onge began his career as a geoscientist at the University of Manitoba where, through the Collège de St-Boniface, he received his bachelor’s degree in 1951. In 1957 he obtained a L.Sc. from l’université de Louvain, Belgium and, in 1958,  joined the Geographical Branch of the Department of Mines and Technical Surveys. He was a member of the original group of the Polar Continental Shelf Project which took him to Ellef Ringnes Island where he carried out geomorphological surveys during the summers of 1959 to 1961. He was awarded his D.Sc. by l’Université de Louvain in 1962 and, in 1965, joined the Geological Survey of Canada.

St-Onge was also a Professor at the University of Ottawa where he held a series of positions, among them Chair of the Department of Geography and Vice-dean of the School of Graduate Studies and Research.  At the Geological Survey he was Director of the Terrain Sciences Division and Scientific advisor to the Polar Continental Shelf Project. St-Onge has also been active in many national and international bodies. Although he has carried research in many parts of Canada most of his work was concentrated in the Arctic particularly in the Coppermine River – Bluenose Lake regions of the tundra his environment of predilection.

Among the honours St-Onge has received in recognition for his scientific research are Honorary Membership in the Société géographique de Belgique; the commemorative medal of the reign of Queen Elizabeth II in 1979; the medal of the université de Liège in 1980; Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of Manitoba in 1990, membre honoraire (médaille André Cailleux) from the Association québécoise pour l’étude du Quaternaire in 1991, and election as Honorary Life Member by the General Assembly of INQUA also in 1991. The Arctic Institute of North America made him a Fellow in 1994. In September 1994, he was awarded the Geographical Medal by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society. His induction as an Officer of the Order of Canada in May1996 was in recognition of his long and distinguished career. In June 2000 the Canadian Association of Geographers presented him its Award for Service and in May 2001 the Geological Association of Canada awarded him its Ambrose Medal for “sustained distinguished service to the earth sciences in Canada”. In 2002 he was presented with Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. The RCGS presented him with its 75th Anniversary medallion in 2004. In 2005 the RCGS awarded him the Camsell medal for exceptional services to the Society. In 2012 he was given the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and in 2016 he was awarded the Gold Medal by The Royal Canadian Geographical Society for his scientific contributions and in 2017 he was presented with the Stefansson Medal by the Canadian Chapter of The Explorers Club.

Greg Halseth is a Professor in the Geography, Earth, and Environmental Sciences Department at UNBC, where he is also the Canada Research Chair in Rural and Small Town Studies, and the founder and Co-Director of the UNBC Community Development Institute. His research examines regional development processes, rural and small town community development, and community strategies for coping with social and economic change, all with a focus upon northern B.C.’s rural and small town communities. His international research has taken him to Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South Africa, Russia, and the Nordic countries. 

He has served on the governing council of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and as a member of numerous federal and provincial government advisory committees on various rural issues. 

Greg’s most recent books include: “Doing Community-Based Research”; “Transformation of Resource Towns and Peripheries”; “The Integration Imperative” (on cumulative impacts); “Investing in Place – Economic Renewal in Northern British Columbia”; “The Next Rural Economies” (with contributions from 12 OECD countries); “Transformation of Resource Towns and Peripheries” (with contributions from Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Finland), “Towards a Political Economy of Resource-dependent Region”,  and “Service Provision and Rural Sustainability”

James Boxall FRGS FRCGS is the Geography and Map Curator in the Dalhousie Libraries GIS Centre. He teaches Geography and GIS in the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, and has taught Marine Spatial Planning in the graduate Marine Affairs Program, and Geospatial Management in the Masters of Information Management. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, a Fellow and past Governor of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, and a past Governor of the Nova Scotia Museum. He has worked on sea-level rise projects locally and internationally, and has devoted his career to enhancing geographic education, and for that he received the Geographic Literacy Award from RCGS.

Janis Dale, Geology Department, Faculty of Science, and Associate Member of the Dept. of Geography. Retired April 2021, Adjunct Professor University of Regina

Janis has been a Fellow in the RCGS since 2001, serving on the Board of Governors for 6 years and on the Research Grants Committee since 2002. She retired last April 30th, 2021, after some 27 years as a Professor at the University of Regina, working first in the Dept. of Geography (Arts) and later in the Dept. of Geology (Science). Her early research career was conducted in the Canadian Arctic on Baffin, Ellesmere and Igloolik islands. Still active in research, her current research projects concern future energy sources and environmental impacts in southern Saskatchewan. Her MSC students are developing the geological siting requirements of small modular reactors in Saskatchewan. Her second area of interest is the promotion of geothermal applications in southern Saskatchewan. She was awarded a Fellowship in Geoscience Canada (FGC) 2016, and is the Saskatchewan representative and Vice Chair on the Canadian Geoscience Standards Council. She was awarded the Alumni Teaching Award at the University of Regina in 2015. She continues to study paleosols and Quaternary deposits in southern Saskatchewan. 

Leslie Grattan FRCGS

Leslie Grattan is a marine scientist and studied at the University of Guelph, University of Waterloo, Memorial University, as well as St. Andrews Biological Station and the Universite′ de Paris Laboratoire Arago. Leslie has worked at the senior level in both government (federal and provincial) and private industry.

As a scientist in the federal Energy Mines and Resources department in the early days of offshore oil and gas exploration, Leslie introduced oil spill contingency planning, led a multi-year biological study off Labrador and initiated the Environmental Studies Research Fund (ESRF).   Returning to Newfoundland and Labrador to work in the offshore petroleum industry, Leslie worked on the environmental assessment and operations planning for the Hibernia and Bull Arm Fabrication Site and then served as a Deputy Minister in the NL government from 1997 into 2004. In 2004, Leslie established Leslie Grattan & Associates Inc., an environmental consultancy. 

Leslie’s main professional focus is environmental planning and protection during the early stages of development projects. Experience includes offshore oil and gas, hydro power generation, civil construction, mineral exploration/production, and aquaculture. Timely and effective community and stakeholder engagement is a priority. Specific projects include Hibernia, Venture (Sable Offshore Energy) Hebron, and Bay du Nord in the offshore; Grieg’s salmon aquaculture in Placentia Bay; reactivation of CFI’s fluorspar mine in St. Lawrence; and ongoing mineral exploration. Most recently, using a combination of in-person and on-line training, Leslie has added to her knowledge base through the Universite′ de Montreal’s Sustainability in Practice course and CSA’s Incorporating Climate Change into Public Infrastructure Planning and Design.

Leslie is presently Chair, Oceans Learning Partnership Inc., a not-for-profit focused on bringing awareness of oceans life, research, technology and careers to K – 12, using innovative experiential education techniques. She is on the Atlantic Board of the Nature Conservancy Canada and the board of directors of NL Oilco. Leslie is honoured to be named a Fellow of Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) NL and an honourary member of the Professional Engineers and Geoscientists NL (PEGNL). In 2017, Leslie became a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society.

Pat Maher is Professor of Physical and Health Education and the inaugural Dean of Teaching at Nipissing University. He is an interdisciplinary scholar whose research blends outdoor and environmental education, sustainable nature-based tourism and narratives from the Polar Regions.  Pat is an award-winning educator (3M National Teaching Fellow), as well as a former University Research Chair. He has successfully secured funding and reviewed applications at Provincial, National and International levels; consistently supporting graduate student awards and mentorship.