Louis-Edmond Hamelin

Louis-Edmond Hamelin, (March 21, 1923 – February 11, 2020) was a Canadian geographer, professor, and author born in Saint-Didace, Quebec, Canada, best known for his studies of Northern Canada.

Hamelin created the Centre for Northern Studies at the Université Laval in Québec and was rector of the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières from 1978 to 1983. He was also a member of the Northwest Territories Legislative Council.

Hamelin specialized in Northern and Aboriginal peoples studies. He coined several words concerning the North, some of which (such as Nordicity) came to enter the English vocabulary. His seminal work was the 1958 Nordicité Canadienne (translated 1979 as Canadian Nordicity: It's Your North, Too). He was an influence on proposals initiated in the 1960s for a massive development in Northern Canada called the Mid-Canada Corridor.

Honours 1962 – Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada 1972 – Léo-Pariseau Prize 1972 – Pierre Chauveau Medal 1974 – Officer of the Order of Canada 1975 – Governor General's Award 1976 – Royal Canadian Geographical Society's Massey Medal 1982 – Gloire de l'Escolle Medal 1982 – Molson Prize 1987 – Léon-Gérin Prize 1989 – Correspondent of Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques (France) 1994 – Ordre des francophones d'Amérique 1998 – Grand officer of the National Order of Quebec 2014 – Hubert Reeves Award