Ontario Parks staff tackle a huge array of tasks and challenges.
Our days are diverse. You might find us researching rare species, applying First Aid skills, maintaining safe and healthy water systems, building a boardwalk, or welcoming families to a busy campground.
We’re stewards of our province’s most treasured natural resources. We’re educators, instilling a love of nature in new generations of Ontarians.
Internationally, World Ranger Day celebrates the wonderful work that is protecting our parks, and commemorates park rangers killed or injured in the line of duty in park organizations with high-risk activities.
We’re proud to keep our parks safe and welcoming to visitors, while protecting our amazing natural world.
Kayl (she/her)
Kayl is Anishinaabe Marten Clan from Nipissing First Nation. She is new to Ontario Parks as a program intern and a recent graduate of the Indigenous Bachelor of Education Program.
Kayl spends time traveling to parks to deliver programs and educate guests on Anishinaabe fire teachings.
Jared (he/him)
This is Jared’s seventh season in Quetico Provincial Park, and as the park biologist, he is an absolute asset to the team both in the front country and in the field.
Staff are in awe that no matter the weather he always has a positive attitude. He is a meticulous researcher, a reliable canoe trip partner, and a patient and caring teacher.
His passion for forest fire ecology and protecting the Quetico landscape brings out the best in everyone he encounters.
Quetico staff look forward to many more canoe trips with him, and lunches with lots of spicy mustard.
Claire (she/her)
This is Claire’s fourth year with Murphys Point Provincial Park and her second as a senior member of our Discovery team.
She loves giving tours of the Silver Queen Mine, especially when the sun is in the right spot, it looks magical!
Taylor (he/him)
This is Taylor’s tenth year working for Ontario Parks and first year as an assistant park superintendent at Fitzroy Provincial Park!
Taylor is always happy to welcome visitors to the park and goes above and beyond in providing additional information about nature.
Taylor is the parks resident amphibian identifier and turtle whisperer. He recently designed a framework for the park to ensure ecological integrity is met in park planning decisions.
Tom (he/him)
Tom is the park ambassador for North Beach Provincial Park and an avid nature photographer.
He shares his passion for wildlife in the photos he contributes to Ontario Parks’ social media.
Carter (he/him) and Conrad (he/him)
Carter and Conrad are outreach ambassadors.
They offer free webinars to the public, introducing new visitors to everything Ontario Parks has to offer. They also provide support for park ambassadors working in parks across the province.
Carter is a talented and detail-oriented data manager, and Conrad is a fantastic writer. They’re both friendly, creative, and passionate about what they do.
If you are thinking of booking your first campsite or have questions about an upcoming visit, consider booking a webinar! They’d love to talk to you.
Killbear Provincial Park enforcement team
From left to right: Mitch (he/him), Leif (he/him), Sam (she/her), Hayden (he/him), and Justyn (he/him).
The role of a park warden is to protect the park resources and to ensure visitors have an enjoyable stay.
However, not many people know that wardens are also trained for and respond to injuries in parks, assisting Emergency Medical Services, and providing first aid until services arrive.
Killbear is particularly proud of the efforts their park wardens have made in their handling of several emergencies this season.
Jasmine (she/her)
Jasmine is a Discovery guide at Chutes Provincial Park.
She is in her third year with Ontario Parks, having started as a gate attendant in 2022 and moving into the role of Discovery guide for the 2024 season.
You can find Jasmine providing exciting and educational activities for visitors at the park!
Kelly (she/her)
Kelly is a lifelong Lake Superior Provincial Park camper turned employee who loves to share her passion for the bears, birds, and beauty of Lake Superior with visitors.
Jebediah (he/him)
This is Jeb’s first year as a gate attendant for McRae Point Provincial Park.
Jeb’s ambition and desire to help campers with inquiries has made him a valuable member of the team.
Jana (she/her)
Jana is the Discovery guide program coordinator for a dozen parks in northeastern Ontario this summer.
This is her fourth year with Ontario Parks, but her first season working in and exploring this part of northern Ontario.
Jana works with Discovery guides in parks across the northeast, training and mentoring them and helping them deliver great Discovery programs to park visitors!
Anabelle (she/her)
Anabelle is the indispensable resource warden for Sandbanks Provincial Park.
She is passionate about the preservation of Ontario’s provincial parks and is a leader of ecological integrity at Sandbanks and beyond!
If she’s not cataloguing trails or suited-up for enforcement, you’ll find her tackling invasive plant species alongside her team of students.
Manjot (she/her)
Manjot is a park ambassador at Killarney Provincial Park.
This is Manjot’s first year as a park ambassador. Her focus this year has been on teaching backcountry skill workshops like how to make a bear hang and how to properly pack an overnight backpack for a long hike.
She has a special interest in the restoration work that happens at Killarney, such as rehabilitating the aquatic ecosystems and re-naturalizing the pine plantations.
Katelynn (she/her)
Katelynn stepped into her role as head gate attendant with confidence and has been a great addition to the team at Halfway Lake Provincial Park!
As a first year Ontario Parks employee, she has excelled in her position as she demonstrated her dedication, initiative, and leadership qualities the entirety of the season.
Abbigail (she/her)
This is Abbi’s first year as a warden with Murphys Point Provincial Park.
She enjoys the sense of community that is found in Ontario Parks, and being able to help protect all the amazing species that call Murphys Point home.
Dave (he/him) and Ollie (he/him)
These two gentlemen are Ollie and Dave. They have over 60 years of experience with Ontario Parks combined!
They are crucial workers at Killbear Provincial Park, keeping roads maintained, water flowing, electricity on, and beaches safe. They have also led and trained hundreds of student workers at Killbear, many of whom have gone on to senior positions at Ontario Parks.
Laura (she/her)
It’s Laura’s first year working at the Emily Provincial Park Gatehouse.
She is super outgoing and always has a big smile on her face, making her the perfect person to greet visitors!
Laura works hard every day to make sure everyone has an enjoyable experience when they come to the park. Her favourite part of her job so far has been making lifelong friendships with her coworkers.
Chantal (she/her)
This is Chantal’s third season at Sturgeon Bay Provincial Park where she started as an administrative assistant, then worked as a park warden, and now a senior operations technician!
In this role, Chantal is the strong leader of all Sturgeon Bay’s dedicated staff.
Chantal is responsible for facilitating the parks maintenance, administration, store, and enforcement operations. Chantal is a positive force, jack of all trades and is passionate about ensuring Sturgeon Bay is well maintained, campers needs are meet, and the parks ecosystems are protected.
Erin (she/her)
Erin is dedicated to keeping the clean water running through Sandbanks Provincial Park.
She oversees regular beach and drinking samples, tracks sewage and pumphouse numbers, and happily lends a skillful hand to park maintenance work.
Lily (she/her)
Lily is a bird-loving, adventure-seeking first year Discovery ranger at Port Burwell Provincial Park.
She loves inspiring others to connect with nature, and is always looking for new ways to expand her knowledge. (No, not just birds!)
Brydon (he/him)
Brydon is an intelligent, diligent, humble, and polite student at Wakami Lake Provincial Park.
He enjoys his first year as a gate attendant at the gatehouse and as a maintenance worker outdoors.
Samantha (she/her)
This is Sam’s first year as a gate attendant for McRae Point Provincial Park.
Sam is catching on to the role very quickly and her enthusiasm and work ethic is infectious. Sam’s ability to problem solve and exceptional customer service skills has made her a wonderful addition to the team.
Kate (she/her)
Over the past six years, Kate has worked as a stewardship ranger, maintenance student, and in the Discovery program at Killbear Provincial Park as a student, park ambassador, and senior naturalist.
This fall, she will work as a snake researcher. She’s a recent graduate from the University of Guelph in Environmental Governance.
Her favourite part of the job is connecting with kids about their love of the environment.
Owen (he/him) and Lily (she/her)
Owen and Lily are both students at Charleston Lake Provincial Park!
Owen is in his second season working as an interior ranger, while this is Lily’s first season at Charleston Lake working as a maintenance student.
Owen and Lily are both very hard working, dedicated, reliable, and an asset to the maintenance team! They spend their days cleaning comfort stations, privies, campsites, painting, cutting grass, and everything in between!
Owen and Lily’s favourite part about working at Charleston Lake is being able to go out on the lake in the work boat to maintain the interior campsites, signage, and the rental cabin. They also enjoy their fellow co-workers at the park.
Corey (he/him)
This is Corey’s third season with Ontario Parks, and second as a park warden at Grundy Lake Provincial Park.
In this role, Corey is passionate about the safety of all visitors and the continued protection of the park’s species and ecosystems.
On top of Corey’s busy schedule, he is always eager to lend a hand to other departments. Corey drops into Discovery programs, helping inspire the next generation of park rangers.
Corey is always happy to assist the maintenance and administration teams when he has a spare moment, and is an essential and dedicated member of the Grundy Lake team!
Rebecca (she/her)
The self-proclaimed “cheerleader” of Sandbanks Provincial Park, Rebecca manages the park’s social media channels and loves talking to visitors in her weekly ambassador drop-in station.
Rebecca believes in the power of storytelling, and hopes that the content she creates invites even more people to enjoy Ontario Parks!
Paige (she/her)
Paige is wonderfully talented, showing up for work promptly and always willing to help.
She is very creative and her customer service is excellent! It is certainly a pleasure to have Paige on the Ivanhoe Provincial Park team.
Kaylyn (she/her)
Kaylyn has spent the past four seasons working at Six Mile Lake Provincial Park.
This is her second year as a student in the park’s Discovery program.
Kaylyn is currently enrolled in the Animal Biology program at the University of Guelph. She loves learning new things about plants and animals and sharing campers’ excitement in exploring the natural world.
John (he/him)
This is John’s third year at Ontario Parks and his first year as the Bass Lake Cluster’s (Bass Lake Provincial Park, Mara Provincial Park, and McRae Point Provincial Park) Discovery student.
Having previous experience as a gate attendant at Bass Lake and Mara, John is very knowledgeable about the parks in the cluster.
John also has a passion for teaching, which allows him to be an amazing guide for many visitors in the park.
Hugh (he/him)
Hugh is in his third season at Charleston Lake Provincial Park as a gatehouse attendant!
Hugh has excellent customer service skills, and from the beginning has been a great team player, hard working, reliable, and a pleasure to have on staff!
Hugh spends his days checking in reservations, issuing permits, giving directions, selling wood and merchandise, and answering customer questions!
Hugh’s favourite part about working at Charleston Lake is his fellow coworkers, they are around the same age as him, and has made many friends over the past few years!
Terra (she/her) and Xavier (he/him)
It is Terra’s third year working for Ontario Parks, but her first year working as a maintenance student at Ivanhoe Lake Provincial Park.
Xavier is in his second year working at Ivanhoe Lake as a manual worker.
Terra and Xavier are hard-working members of the Ivanhoe Lake team! Working to revamp the doggy beach, general maintenance, and keeping the park clean, both are always willing to lend a helping hand!
Eoin (he/him), Martie (she/her), and Keiran (he/him)
These maintenance students from McRae Point Provincial Park are the real deal!
This is Eoin’s first year and he is fitting in perfectly with his positive attitude and hard-working mentality.
This is Martie’s third year. She demonstrates her park knowledge daily and is a role model for the rest of the team. From her experience as a gate attendant, she carried over her high-quality customer service skills to help assist campers at their campsites.
This is Keiran’s second year and he is taking the next step of being an enthusiastic and diligent worker. He is a great asset to the maintenance team.
We truly appreciate all the work the maintenance team does to keep McRae Point so clean and safe!
Sarah (they/them)
This is Sarah’s first season at Charleston Lake Provincial Park, but it is not their first season with Ontario Parks.
Sarah joined Charleston Lake this year from Frontenac Provincial Park where they worked for two seasons.
Sarah brought with them their extensive knowledge to help enhance the Discovery program at Charleston.
Sarah is very reliable, friendly, and dedicated to the job, spending their days manning the desk at the Discovery Centre, answering nature questions, hosting interpretive programs, going on hikes, and photographing the local wildlife.
Sarah’s favourite part about working at Charleston Lake is the various butterflies that can be found in the park, as well as their fellow co-workers.
Steven (he/him)
This is Discovery Ranger Steven’s first season at Port Burwell Provincial Park!
Coming all the way from British Columbia, he is really excited to explore our parks and help other enjoy and learn about the natural beauty that Ontario Parks hold.
Sam (he/him)
This is Sam’s fourth year as an Ontario Parks employee and third year as a park warden for Fitzroy Provincial Park.
Sam enjoys helping protect Fitzroy’s ecosystem and has gone above and beyond this year in his efforts.
Ty (he/him)
Ty Budreau is the Discovery leader for Arrowhead Provincial Park, recently switching over this past April from the park store/gate.
He is an undergraduate student at the University of Guelph majoring in Microbiology, with goals of pursuing a Master’s degree in the same field post-grad.
Ty is fascinated with the natural world around us – especially spiders!
A huge thank you to all the amazing staff at Ontario Parks!
Don’t forget to thank our awesome staff when visiting your favourite provincial park.
Already home again? Brighten their day by posting or messaging a thank you to the park’s social media accounts.
