PHE Canada's 2019 National Award Winners

More on the Authorship

We are honoured to announce the winners of the 2019 PHE Canada National Awards at the 2019 PHE National Conference, which took place in Montreal, May 1 to 4. PHE Canada recognizes and celebrates the award winners for their commitment to physical and health education, and their contribution to a future in which all children and youth in Canada live healthy, physically active lives.

R. Tait Mackenzie Honour Award

The R. Tait McKenzie Honour is PHE Canada’s most prestigious award and is named after the distinguished Canadian physician, sculptor and physical educator. The award epitomizes Dr. McKenzie’s professional ideals, his service to humanity, his dedication to the advancement of knowledge and understanding of physical and health education, recreation and dance.

Award Winner: Dr. Douglas Gleddie

Dr. Douglas Gleddie is an Associate Professor and Vice Dean (Acting) at the University of Alberta. He has been an advocate for physical and health education his entire career and has published numerous articles in referred journals. His commitment to disseminating physical and health education knowledge spans much further than the academy. Most impressively, he has made more than 100 presentations to audiences across Canada and internationally, sparking interest in and reflection on important physical and health education topics. Dr. Gleddie is willing to challenge the norm and push boundaries, encouraging eductors to consider how physical and health education supports numeracy, literacy and the whole child education.

Dr. Gleddie's passion for physical and health education can be captured in this quote from one of his references, “Dr. Gleddie has gained a reputation of being a visionary, a leader, both as a researcher and a pedagogue, as well as an industrious, honest and dedicated professional.”  He is a very worthy recipient of PHE Canada’s R. Tait McKenzie Award. 

North American Society Fellowship Award

Established in 1999, the North American Society (NAS) Fellowship Award recognizes outstanding professionals within the allied professions of health education, physical education, recreation, sport and dance in North America.

Award Winner: Reginald Leidl 

Reginald Leidl’s deep knowledge, passion and commitment for physical education has manifested in all that he has accomplished as a Saskatchewan teacher, principal, curriculum writer, consultant, coach and Board member on provincial and national physical and health education associations and organizations. Reginald currently supports the personal and professional development of aspiring undergraduate student teachers by sharing his expertise as a Faculty Advisor in field-based internship programs at the University of Regina, University of Saskatchewan, First Nations University of Canada and Minot State University.

Regardless of his role, Reginald has consistently made physical education and healthy, active lifestyles a focus in his teaching. One of his references stated “[Reg] Leidl [is] a humble, dedicated and above all passionate professional who prides himself on his work ethic.”

Award Winner: Gordon Oliver

Gordon Oliver is a retired elementary physical education teacher and former Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) professor from Quebec. Gordon was monumental in bringing the cooperative games and Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approaches to the English school system in Quebec, sharing it through countless workshops and presentations at the board and provincial level. Later in his career, he shared his teaching across Canada and authored a book promoted through Physical and Health Education Canada called Fundamental Movement Skills: Beyond the Fundamentals - A Games Approach. Towards the end of his career, he was able to work at the elementary school level while teaching and sharing his knowledge with pre-service physical education teachers at McGill.

One reference wrote about Gordon: “He encouraged students to have high expectations for themselves and for their future students and to be advocates for the importance of quality physical education. I, along with countless others, gained the foundation of my teaching career and philosophy from Gordon, a true master teacher.”

Health Promoting Schools Champion Award

This award recognizes an individual, group or organization for their exemplary contribution to the development, promotion and/or implementation of Health Promoting Schools.

Kim Hordal-Hlewka

Michael Phair Junior High School, Edmonton, Alberta

National Award for Teaching Excellence in Health Education

This award honours Canadian teachers for their work in furthering health education in Canada and who provide outstanding teaching at the elementary, middle or secondary levels, and who have an exceptional ability to motivate students to participate in a healthy, active lifestyle.

Sonya Cook

South Queens Middle School, Liverpool, Nova Scotia

Cindy Mitterndorfer

École Secondaire Kelvin High School, Winnipeg, Manitoba

National Award for Teaching Excellence in Physical Education

This award honours Canadian teachers who provide outstanding teaching performance at the elementary, middle or secondary levels, who have an exceptional ability to motivate students to participate in a lifetime of physical activity, and who further physical education in Canada.

Selena Davidson Eno

Bayview Community School, Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

Rupal Malik

École St. Avila, Winnipeg, Manitoba

Christopher John Wilson

Clemens Mill Public School, Cambridge, Ontario

Research Council Emerging Scholar

The PHE Canada Research Council Emerging Scholar Award recognizes graduate students’ commitment to the Research Council, as evidenced through experiences and potential in scholarly teaching, research and leadership. It serves as an opportunity to acknowledge the potential of individual student members as future scholars and promoters of physical and health education within Canada.

Jenna R. Lorusso, Ph.D. Candidate

Department of Physical Education and Kinesiology, University of Western Ontario

Hayley Morrison, PhD

Department of Elementary Education, University of Alberta