What do you want to be when you grow up?

Today’s blog comes from Hope Freeman, Discovery leader at Grundy Lake Provincial Park

Maybe it sounds cliché, but I truly love my job.

Ontario Parks has provided me with the opportunity to help protect our province’s unique biodiversity while learning and growing as a professional.

One of the best parts? Working in an inclusive environment that focuses on maintaining a good work-life balance.

Wondering how I got here?

Continue reading What do you want to be when you grow up?

How to become a park ranger at Ontario Parks

Applications for the 2024 season are open! Read on to learn about how you can spend your summer with Ontario Parks.

Calling all Ontario students!

Do you enjoy the outdoors and have an appreciation for Ontario’s natural and cultural resources?

Are you self-motivated, with a positive attitude and a desire to learn?

Do you enjoy working and interacting with the public?

Then this is the job for you!

Don’t miss the opportunity to apply for a position as a student park ranger with Ontario Parks this summer.

Continue reading How to become a park ranger at Ontario Parks

A Sandbanks summer: the life of a maintenance student at Ontario Parks

Last summer while other people my age worked in customer service or were out on placement, I chose a job with the beautiful Sandbanks Provincial Park as a maintenance student.

Hi, my name is Hunter, I am a post-secondary student studying photojournalism and am into the second year of my program. This past summer was my second season working at Sandbanks. While I might seem like an odd fit compared to many of my co-workers whose backgrounds or area of study relate to natural sciences or the outdoors, working at Ontario Parks has been one of the greatest summer jobs, full of adventures and lots of learning.

Continue reading A Sandbanks summer: the life of a maintenance student at Ontario Parks

Off-hours road tripping with Zuzanna and Alysa

Today’s story comes from Park Staff Besties: Zuzanna and Alysa, summer staff working at Killbear Provincial Park who spent their season visiting over 30 provincial parks! Are you interested in joining us for the 2024 summer season? Applications are now open!

“You work and live in a provincial park? What do you do on your days off?”

“Camp at other provincial parks!”

If you asked staff at Killbear what they thought of the two of us, they would say we are “attached at the hip.” We met last year working as gate attendants in Algonquin Provincial Park and moved to Killbear this season.

Not knowing anyone else at this park, we requested to be roommates at our new staff house and have been going almost everywhere together ever since!

Working and living at Killbear this past summer has been an absolute dream. With the pristine sand beaches, rocky shorelines and picturesque sunsets, we were curious to see what other provincial parks had to offer and decided to make the most of our summer season living up here!

Continue reading Off-hours road tripping with Zuzanna and Alysa

Students: join our Discovery team this summer

Applications are for our 2024 season are now open! Read on to learn more about spending the summer with us.

Discovery rangers are the storytellers of Ontario Parks.

Roughly 300 Discovery staff work in over 60 parks across the province engaging visitors with stories of Ontario’s natural and cultural heritage.

Discovery rangers help our visitors experience the best of what Ontario Parks has to offer by facilitating experiences through educational and interpretive programming.

Piqued your interest? Learn more about how you can join our Discovery team. Continue reading Students: join our Discovery team this summer

Students: find your summer job at Ontario Parks!

“Working up north was the most empowering experience of my life.”

Nineteen-year-old Katie Baillie-David left the comforts of home to drive 10 hours north to the wilds of Nagagamisis Provincial Park, northwest of Timmins. Visitors enjoy the remoteness of the park – the fishing, swimming, northern lights and the quiet, unspoiled landscape – and so did Katie.

What she came away with was a life-changing experience.

Continue reading Students: find your summer job at Ontario Parks!

Congratulations to our 2019 Ontario Parks Partners Bursary recipients!

The summer student workforce is the life-blood of the Ontario Parks summer operating season. Our provincial parks simply could not operate without our student workers.

This week, we gathered in Peterborough to award the 2019 Ontario Parks Partners Bursaries.

Continue reading Congratulations to our 2019 Ontario Parks Partners Bursary recipients!

Nominate a student

Has one of our park staff ever made your day? You know: gone that extra yard to make your vacation that much more enjoyable?

If this has happened to you, it has most likely involved one of the 1,500+ student staff we hire each summer.

And we’d love your help in giving them some well-deserved recognition and support.

Continue reading Nominate a student