Professional Summary

Suzanne de la Barre, PhD, works with community-based creative and cultural organizations, and her research focusses on the circumpolar world and economic diversification through community development. She holds a Master’s in Environmental Studies (York University), and a Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography (University of Ottawa). Upon completion of her PhD (University of Alberta), she held a postdoctoral research position with Umeå University (Sweden). She has achieved certificates in Aboriginal and Community Economic Development (ICA; PAED/CANDO), Heritage Interpretation (Interpretation Canada), and has completed numerous trainings in teaching and learning.

Since 2012, Suzanne has been a faculty member with the Department of Recreation and Tourism Management, the Master of Arts in Sustainable Leisure Management Program, and the Aboriginal Ecotourism Training Program at Vancouver Island University (Canada). Working within a circumpolar universities consortium, she is a founding program developer and faculty member with the University of the Arctic’s Graduate Certificate in Northern Tourism. As part of pan-circumpolar collaboration, she has led VIU’s involvement in a Nordic Council of Ministers project on change in Arctic tourism (with University of Lapland, Oulu University, Umeå University, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, University of Iceland, and Nipissing University). Suzanne has been part of the leadership team of the International Polar Tourism Research Network for most of its 10 year existence (www.iptrn.org), and has held a leadership position as Co-Director with the World Leisure Centre of Excellence at VIU.  Suzanne has held board of director positions with several territorial and national organizations: the Arctic Institute for Community-Based Research (AICBR) (2018-2020); Katimavik Youth Services (2009-2010); Yukon Development Education Council (YDEC) (2006-2009); and, WUSC (2002-2006). Originally from Montreal, Suzanne has called Yukon home since 1991. She lives in Whitehorse (Yukon) and Nanaimo (British Columbia).