Welcome to our “5 Questions” series! We chat with park staff around the province to give you an inside look at what it’s like to work at Ontario Parks.
After hearing from other staff members how much they like working for Ontario Parks, Joel Weaver jumped at the chance to join the maintenance team at Selkirk Provincial Park this season as a manual worker.
Using his prior experience in maintenance, Joel has embraced his new daily routine of duties like loading firewood, picking up trash, and cleaning bathrooms and campsites, followed by working on special projects.
While Joel likes the routine, he also enjoys how each day is different.
In his first year working for Ontario Parks, Joel has experienced the beauty of Selkirk’s natural surroundings and the camaraderie of the park’s maintenance team.
1. What is your favourite part of your job?
Without a doubt, it’s meeting the campers! Everyone I’ve had a chance to speak to while cleaning have been wonderful people. It’s nice to get to know campers by waving at them and seeing them throughout the day. And I like making sure everything is clean and in working order while they’re here.
2. What DON’T people know about your job?
What surprised me most is that you have to be a jack and jill of all trades in this field. No job is ever the same. You have to be part-carpenter, part-plumber, and part-electrician. It’s a very good job to have if you don’t like doing the same thing. Every day is a little bit different.
3. What has been the most exciting day on the job so far?
Not so much one day in particular but little moments you find during the week. Meeting people and spending time and sharing their lives over the course of their visit to the park.
One nice moment was when I was driving around the campground with maintenance staff and heard soft bagpipe music. We drove past a site and saw someone playing the bagpipes in a lawn chair. It’s all the little moments like that that add up.
4. Which park do you think deserves more love?
I might be biased, as I haven’t yet been to many parks, but I really do love Selkirk. It’s a community park and is smaller and quieter. There’s wonderful wildlife, like the doe and two fawns I’ve seen around.
5. What’s your favourite way to enjoy nature?
Some people like to lay on the beach, some people love to fish, but for me there’s nothing better than getting lost in the woods and communing with nature.
I usually snap a photo whenever I see beautiful scenery, cool bugs, or deer. Walking trails and exploring nature are my favourite ways to pass the time.
Get the inside scoop on being an Ontario Parks staff member by checking out our staff stories!
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