GILLES GAGNIER (1969-2021)

AA STRONG TEAM AND A SHARED SPIRIT of collaboration are everything. You can’t publish a magazine, or create a thriving multimedia brand that also produces websites, social media content, books, documentaries, podcasts and more, without a group of amazing people working together toward a common goal. But beyond vision, you need the resources to ensure that your message flourishes. Sadly, as this issue was going to press, Canadian Geographic lost one of our all-stars, our publisher and chief operating officer Gilles Gagnier. Gilles died of a heart attack on Sept. 10, 2021, at the age of 51. He leaves a gaping hole at the very core of this organization. Gilles was ultra-passionate about Canadian Geographic and our publishing organization the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, of which he was chief operating officer. We had worked very closely together since I joined him here in 2013. I could fill a magazine issue — probably a few — with all I learned from Gilles. And I believe we made a pretty good duo. Indeed, in 2019, Gilles and I were nominated for the Publisher Grand Prix and Editor Grand Prix, respectively, by the National Magazine Awards Foundation. It felt good to be nominated together — a shared recognition of our common goals. Gilles’ legacy will live on in the many valuable contributions he made to the Can Geo team’s shared vision of making Canada better known to Canadians and to the world. I will cherish the projects we created together, the landmark Indigenous Peoples Atlas of Canada; the campaign to have Canada recognize a national bird; and our recent slew of documentary films and short-form videos, to name just a very few. (Read more about Gilles on page 91.) Gilles always promised that no matter what the future might hold, Canadian Geographic would be the last magazine standing. Now I promise not to let you down, sir. Rest in peace.