Member of the Order of Canada

• Awarded on: October 21, 1999
• Invested on: November 16, 2000

A well-known and respected geographer, he founded the Department of Geography at the University of Alberta, today one of the largest geography departments in the country. Over the years, his academic career earned him an outstanding reputation as an authority on geographical aspects of the Canadian North. In addition, he is the Founder of the Boreal Institute, an organization which studies the vast boreal forest regions of Canada.