Leah Levac

My research uses a critical community engaged approach and an intersectional lens to ask: “what are the politics of engagement in northern Canada, especially related to resource extraction?”, “what are the barriers to, and facilitators of, public participation in policy development for often-invisible and hyper visible community members?”, and “what are the impacts of public policies – including COVID-related social and public health policies – on often-invisible and hyper visible community members?” Within and beyond these areas, my research also contributes to student training and methodological development in critical community engaged scholarship (CCES). CCES emphasizes reciprocal relationships or partnerships that identify community needs, the co-production of knowledge, and a commitment to anti-oppression and anti-colonialism in collaboration with various community partners beyond academic institutions.

I completed my PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of New Brunswick, and am the author of several articles, book chapters, research reports and clear language summaries, and the edited collection, with Dr. Sarah Marie Wiebe, Creating Spaces of Engagement: Policy Justice and the Practical Craft of Deliberative Democracy (University of Toronto Press, 2020).

Beyond my work in academia, I have worked for non-profit education and outdoor recreation programs and organizations, and served as a City Councillor in Fredericton, NB from 2012 - 2013, before I relocated for my current position at the University of Guelph.