Leslie Merrithew

2018 WIN Awards Emerging Leader shortlisted nominee

Born and raised in Yellowknife, NT, Canada, Leslie is a bilingual Civil Engineer (registered in NWT / NU / ON) with 7 years’ experience. Before graduating from the University of Waterloo, Leslie completed a year of engineering at the University of Alberta, and a year of studies in Montpellier, France. Upon graduating in 2011, she returned to her hometown to work for Stantec in the north.

Working up north is both challenging and rewarding. It’s fast-paced, and there’s always interesting work all over the Territories, especially in consideration of the short construction season. The logistics are at times convoluted, the money is tight, and the community’s expectations are high. An early highlight for her career is the Iqaluit International Airport Improvement project—Nunavut’s first P3 project and North America’s first airport P3 project. She was one of the main civil designers on this project, and her work included everything from runway and taxiway design, to landside road development, and bringing underground services to the new air terminal and combined services buildings.

Her interest in aviation infrastructure has led her to a position in Ottawa, ON, with Stantec. She has worked her way from east to west across the north improving northern airports from Anchorage Alaska, to Inuvik Northwest Territories, to Iqaluit Nunavut, and from north to south from Wabush Newfoundland to Bermuda and Barbados.

Outside of work, Leslie is passionate about teaching and helping others learn. She tutors math and sciences to high school students, and actively volunteers for her professional organizations at events such as Skills Canada NWT, and take your kid to work day, among many others. She often finds herself in leadership roles and is currently part of the coaching committee to the Ottawa Roller Derby league, and was the past president for Yellowknife’s roller derby league for two separate terms before moving to Ottawa.