Serving the community and society
Lemelin is a professor in the school of outdoor recreation, parks and tourism at Lakehead University. He completed his PhD at Waterloo in 2004. Prior to that, he was at the University of Ottawa, where he received his bachelor and master’s degrees in sociology.
Besides an impressive array of prestigious grants, scholarly publications, invited presentations and awards, what distinguishes Harvey is his ground-breaking and ongoing work with Indigenous peoples. At least 20 years before current efforts to recognise and adopt Indigenous teachings and scholarship, Lemelin forged authentic research collaborations and partnerships with Indigenous groups. For his doctoral research, for example, he worked with Indigenous groups in Churchill, Manitoba to examine the impact of the polar bear viewing industry there.
His focus is on the relationships between nature, society, health and well-being. He has made significant contributions to the understanding of Indigenous tourism and cultural livelihoods, climate change, historical site interpretation, parks and protected area management, human-wildlife interactions and rural and northern outdoor recreation and tourism.
One of his most innovative lines of inquiry is about the role of insects in leisure and tourism. His research on ‘dragon-hunting’ (the pursuit of dragonflies by enthusiasts) in Northern Ontario is an example.
Along with his numerous refereed papers, Lemelin is the author of several highly respected books on recreation and tourism. Lemelin was made Lakehead University Research Chair in Parks and Protected Areas in 2010 and he is a co-recipient of the Lakehead University’s Aboriginal Partnership Research Award.
In recognition of his extraordinary accomplishments as a scholar and innovative teacher, as well as his ongoing commitment to community service, R. Harvey Lemelin is the recipient of the 2022 Faculty of Health Alumni Achievement Award.