The officials for the 57th Vanier Cup

Getting to the Vanier Cup is no easy task. You have to commit an exorbitant amount of time every week to being at the fields, study every intricacy of the rules, stay in shape, and always work towards the elusive ‘perfect game’… Maintaining this type of schedule for a season is no easy task. Maintaining it for years (decades, even) is even more impressive.

The same that can be said for the players can also be said for the officials. As you can see from the brief bios below, these officials have dedicated a large portion of their lives to the game of football. Getting to this moment for these officials may mean just as much to them as it does the players. Receiving this assignment is a result of years of hard work and dedication to an often thankless job.

Read about who these officials are below

• Referee – Al Gates – #30 – Hampton, N.B. (2nd Vanier Cup)
  • This is Al Gates’ second appearance at the Vanier Cup, having previously served as the Line Judge in 2003. Gates has been a football official for 37 years, including 31 at the university level. He has worked the Atlantic, Mitchell and Uteck Bowls in the past, as well as six Loney Bowls. He is the president of the New Brunswick Football Officials Association and is retired after spending 33 years as a schoolteacher.
• Umpire – Paul Duncan – #91 – Burlington, Ont. (1st Vanier Cup)
  • Paul Duncan is making his Vanier Cup debut, but this his third consecutive appearance in a national playdown game, as he worked the 2019 and 2021 Mitchell Bowls. (There was no play in 2020). Duncan has been an official with the Lakeshore Football Officials Association for 11 years, with seven on the OUA panel. He has been an investment advisor for 30 years.
• Side Judge – Ben Chapdelaine – #6 – Hamilton, Ont. (1st Vanier Cup)
  • While this is Ben Chapdelaine’s making his first appearance at the Vanier Cup, as an official, he is no stranger to the national stage, as he quarterbacked McMaster to appearances in the 2000 and 2001 Churchill Bowls. The 2001 Hec Crighton Trophy winner, he donned the stripes 10 years ago and has worked the last two Yates Cups. He is currently Vice-President of the Hamilton Football Officials’ Association and is the Director of Advancement and Communications for Hillfield-Strathallan College.
• Field Judge – Dan Fleischaker – #11 – Regina, Sask. (1st Vanier Cup)
  • This is Dan Fleischaker’s first Vanier Cup appearance. He worked the 2019 Mitchell Bowl in Calgary and both the 2019 and 2002 Hardy Cups. He started officiating in 2004, and has been at the university level since 2010. He has served in several executive positions at the Regina Football Officials Association and manages a data science team at a financial institution, where he has worked for nearly 15 years.
• Back Judge – Renald Dulac – #88 – Québec City, Que. (1st Vanier Cup)
  • Renald Dulac is making his first appearance at the Vanier Cup. He has previously worked the 2021 Uteck Bowl and the umpire 2017 Mitchell Bowl. He also officiated the Dunsmore Cup game this year. Dulac who has been officiating for 36 years – 20 at the university level – is currently the Vice-President of the Quebec Provincial Football Officials Association. He works as an inside sales representative at XYLEM.
• Down Judge – Tim Louman-Gardiner – #6 – Vancouver, B.C. (1st Vanier Cup)
  • Tim Louman-Gardiner is making his Vanier Cup debut, after having worked at the 2019 Mitchell Bowl. He has also officiated at the 2019 and 2022 Hardy Cups (CW Championship). Louman-Gardiner has been an official for 12 seasons, and is in his fifth season on the university panel. He is a lawyer at Farris LLP in Vancouver.
• Line Judge – Daniel Roy – #31 – Mercier, Que. (3rd Vanier Cup)
  • This is Daniel Roy’s third time at the Vanier Cup (HL 2016, LJ 2019) and his seventh overall in a national as he worked the Uteck Bowl in 2013, 2014, 2018 and 2021. He has also worked seven Dunsmore Cups (RSEQ championship). Roy started officiating at the age of 14, and has been on the APAFQ university panel for 14 years. He has worked as a production manager for 24 years.
• Alternate – James Beeler. – #12 – Halifax, N.S. (1st Vanier Cup)
  • This is James Beeler’s first trip to the Vanier Cup, after having worked the 2019 Uteck and 2021 Mitchell Bowls. Beeler, who is the president of the Nova Scotia Football Officials Association, has been officiating football for 12 years, including seven on the university panel. In that time, he has worked two Loney Bowls. Beeler works in sales for Wolseley Canada.