Constitution of the Prairie Division,

Canadian Association of Geographers

1. NAME

This association will be called the PRAIRIE DIVISION OF THE CANADIAN ASSOCIATION OF GEOGRAPHERS.

2. MEMBERSHIP

All members in good standing of The Canadian Association of Geographers residing in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, and the American State of North Dakota, or affiliated with Lakehead University, shall be members of the Division. Membership may also be accorded to other members of the Canadian Association of Geographers upon request to the Secretary/Treasurer.

3. PURPOSE

To support the objectives of The Canadian Association of Geographers in the encouragement of geographical study, teaching, research and application in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nunavut, Northern Ontario, and North Dakota.

4. THE EXECUTIVE

• The elected Executive shall consist of a President, a Past President, a Secretary/Treasurer, six Executive Members-At-Large, and a Student Member. The President, Secretary/Treasurer, and six Members-At-Large shall together include representation from all seven member institutions. The Student Member shall be a student of the institution hosting the meeting during his/her term of office. From time to time, a seventh Member-At-Large, not affiliated with a member institution, may join the Executive. The seventh Member-At-Large shall represent members not affiliated with a member institution.
• The major duties of the President are to convene and chair an annual meeting, to represent the Division as part of the National Executive at the Annual Meeting of The Canadian Association of Geographers, and to convene such other activities as the Executive deems appropriate.
• The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for notifying all members of details of the annual meeting at least one month in advance of that meeting. He/She shall have charge of the finances of the Division, shall be responsible for producing an Annual Financial Statement for presentation at the Annual General Meeting of the Division, and shall keep the files of the Division. The Secretary/Treasurer shall also provide liaison between members.
• The six Executive Members-At-Large will be responsible for assisting the Secretary/Treasurer with liaison between the Executive and the general membership. They shall also assist in conducting the business of the Division.
• The Student Member shall be responsible for assisting the Secretary/Treasurer with liaison between the Executive and the general membership. The Student Member shall also assist in conducting the business of the Division.

5. TERMS OF OFFICE

The terms of office of The Executive shall be:

• The President shall have a three-year term. The President-elect’s term shall begin at the Division’s annual meeting following his/her election.
• The Secretary/Treasurer shall have a three-year term. The Secretary/Treasurer-elect’s term shall begin at the Division’s annual meeting following his/her election.
• The Members-At-Large shall have two-year terms. The terms of the newly elected Members-At-Large shall begin at the Division’s annual meeting following their election.
• The Student Member shall have a one-year term. The Student Member’s term shall begin upon his/her appointment, and continue until the appointment of his/her successor.

6. VOTING AND ELECTIONS

• Only members of the Division may hold Executive office and vote in elections.
• For President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Members-At-Large, nominations shall be communicated to the Secretary/Treasurer either by post or electronically. Nominations by post must include the signatures of two nominators and the nominee. Electronic nominations must consist of separate e-mail messages from two nominators as well as one from the nominee accepting the nomination. Nominations shall be solicited by February 28. Nominations shall be submitted by April 30. Elections, if necessary, shall take place by postal or electronic ballot, and be completed by August 31.
• The Secretary/Treasurer shall act as Nominating Committee and shall, in the event that nominations for a position are not forthcoming, solicit further nominations from the general membership.
• The Student Member shall be selected, prior to the upcoming meeting, by the member institution hosting that meeting.

7. CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES

• Any proposed change in the Constitution may be submitted in writing to the Secretary/Treasurer by a Member in good standing accompanied by the signatures of at least five other members in good standing. The proposed change must be submitted at least forty-five days prior to the Division’s annual meeting.
• Any proposed change will be circulated to the general membership by the Secretary/Treasurer, in writing, at least thirty days prior to the annual meeting.
• Ratification of the proposed change requires the approval of two-thirds of the members present at the Annual Business Meeting, using a show of hands, and the approval of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Association of Geographers.

8. BY-LAWS

Annual meetings of the Division may enact such by-laws as they see fit to carry out the objectives of the Division.

A PDF version of the Constitution is available here.

PCAG Executive Committee

Prairie Perspectives: Geographical Essays is an open-access, peer-reviewed publication of the Prairie Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers (PCAG).

Scholarly Manuscripts

The scholarly manuscripts included in each volume are a selection of those presented at the PCAG annual meetings, as well as contributions pertaining to the geography of the Western Interior. In preparing manuscripts authors should adopt the style guidelines of The Canadian Geographer available here.

Occasional Reviews

In addition to scholarly articles, Prairie Perspectives welcomes reviews, research updates, photo essays, field trip guides, and other occasional notes of interest or relevance to Prairie geography and geographers.​

All publications of Prairie Perspectives: Geographical Essays are available as PDFs by Volume (linked below). Please send all submissions to the Editor, Bernard Thraves: 

Bernard.Thraves@uregina.ca

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Awards

PCAG Outstanding Undergraduate Coursework Prize

This award is made by the Prairie Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers to acknowledge an outstanding senior undergraduate major project, paper, or assignment that was a significant component of the coursework in a third or fourth-year course taught in the member departments. Nominations can be from any term (Fall, Winter, Spring/Summer); however, only one award per member institution/department will be made each year. For more details, consult the Terms of Reference.

Terms of Reference

Nomination Form

PCAG Award for Excellence in Teaching Geography

This award is made by the Prairie Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers to recognize outstanding excellence in the teaching of geography at the post-secondary level. The award honours a PCAG member who has demonstrated sustained excellence in teaching across a range of courses and levels, including innovative, inclusive, and equity-, diversity-, and inclusion-aware pedagogical practices. Nominees may include full-time, part-time, or contract/sessionally appointed faculty with primary responsibility for course design and delivery. One award is normally made each year. For more details, consult the Terms of Reference.

Terms of Reference

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John Welsted Award for Service to Geography in the Western Interior

This award is made by the Prairie Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers to individuals who have played leading roles in the advancement of geographical study, teaching, research, and application in the western interior. Normally one service award is made each year by the Executive Committee following a call for nominations among the members at large. Nominators will be requested to provide outlines of the nominee’s service to geography and secure a seconder for the nomination. The Secretary-Treasurer will circulate the call for nominations. The Executive Committee will meet to make its selection at the Fall Meeting of the Prairie Division. The award will be announced during the banquet at the conference.
Past award winners

John H. Warkentin Award for Scholarly Contributions to the Geography of the Western Interior

This award is made by the Prairie Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers to individuals who have made outstanding scholarly contributions to the geography of the western interior. Normally one scholarly award is made each year by the Executive Committee following a call for nominations among the members at large. Nominators will be requested to provide a list of the nominee’s publications, an outline of his/her scholarly contributions, and to secure a seconder for the nomination. The Secretary-Treasurer will circulate the call for nominations. The Executive Committee will meet to make its selection at the Fall Meeting of the Prairie Division. The award will be announced during the banquet at the conference.
Past award winners

Prairie CAG Early Career Award

The award is made by the Prairie Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) to early career appointees, normally within five years of graduation from a PhD, who have made significant scholarly contributions to the discipline and/or demonstrated exceptional achievement in teaching. Normally one award is made each year by the Executive Committee following a call for nominations among the membership. Nominators will be requested to provide a statement of the nominee’s achievements and career potential, and to secure a seconder for the nomination. Nominees should be members of the Prairie Division of the CAG prior to the time of nomination. The Secretary/Treasurer will circulate the call for nominations. The Executive Committee will meet to make its selection at the Meeting of the Prairie Division. The award will be announced during the annual meeting. Past award winners

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Paul Simpson-Housley Award

The award is made by the Prairie Division of the Canadian Association of Geographers (CAG) to top students that give a presentation at PCAG Annual Conference. The Paul Simpson-Housley Award is awarded by the PCAG Executive and approved at the AGM. Past award winners

Around the Division

The 47th PCAG Conference

The 47th annual PCAG conference was hosted by The University of North Dakota from September 27-29, 2024. This event marked the return to in conference meetings for the Division!​

The 46th PCAG Conference

PCAG hosted their Annual General Meeting for all PCAG members over Zoom, September 2023.

The 45th PCAG Conference

PCAG hosted their Annual General Meeting for all PCAG members on Friday, September 23, 2022. The meeting was hosted over Zoom.

The 44th PCAG Conference

The 44th annual PCAG conference was hosted by the Department of Geography and Environment at Brandon University. The event took place virtually from September 24-25, 2021. Registration was FREE.

For more information, visit the website.

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