The Volunteer Award was introduced to honour the life and legacy of Charles William Labatiuk and his boundless contributions to sharing his passion for nature with others.

Charles Labatiuk was born to Bill and Natalia Labatiuk on September 23, 1956 in Wainwright, and later moved to their current home in Sherwood Park. From early days Charles shared his love of nature with his sisters Patricia and Lorraine, brother David and neighborhood friends.

As a youth he led siblings and friends on bike hikes to back fields, exploring ponds and lakes.

As Charles grew, so did his love of the outdoors. His deeply rooted love of nature was evident throughout his lifetime in so many different ways. From his cherished family time, his prize winning photography, his writings, his world travels, his numerous awards and accolades to his career as a Senior Environmental Engineer for the City of Edmonton, his love and passion for nature and the outdoors were part of the very essence of his being.

His inexhaustible thirst for learning and life, his passion for nature and the outdoors and his commitment to sharing his life learnings, passion and excitement with others are on their own a great legacy.

A certificate of recognition and a camera.

A resident of Canada, under the age of 18, who has demonstrated an outstanding commitment to volunteerism or mentorship, in an individual role, working toward the promotion or protection of Canadian natural spaces and the species that live within these natural spaces.

All applications must include a completed application form which will be evaluated on the basis of an essay submission. A Selection Committee will score the essays based on the following criteria.

500 – 1000 word essay outlining your contribution

• intellectual content (original, thought-provoking) - 75%
• practical value - 15%
• presentation and style - 10%

1. The essay must be word processed in a 12-point font, double-spaced.
2. Pages must be numbered.
3. Applicant's name must not appear on any page of the essay.
4. Only one essay submission per applicant.

All essays submitted become the property of Nature Canada. Successful essays may be published by Nature Canada and may be, along with information about the winners, shared widely through our web site, and other forms of media.

The application form and essay must be submitted together, either electronically by e-mail to volunteeraward@naturecanada.ca or by mail to:

Charles Labatiuk Volunteer Award
c/o Nature Canada Awards Committee
Nature Canada
75 Albert Street, Suite 300
Ottawa, ON K1P 5E7

Essays are to be received no later than 5:00 pm on March 31st of each year. Submissions received after the deadline will not be considered.

All applicants will be notified of the Selection Committee's decision by May 1st.

The Charles Labatiuk Volunteer Award program is administered by Nature Canada. Nature Canada employees, children or relatives of employees are not eligible for this award.