Welcome folks! You’re listening to the first episode of the Canadian Outdoor Adventure Podcast.
In this podcast we chat about all things outdoors which includes hearing stories from rad professionals in the outdoor industry, discussing issues like employment standards, wages, diversity, sustainability and representation and how we can change the outdoor profession for the better and so much more!
This podcast is brought to you by CANOPA the Canadian Outdoor Professionals Association. CANOPA is a national not-for-profit community-driven association for outdoor professionals stemming from a collective need for better employment standards, sustainable wages, increased diversity and a unified voice in the outdoor adventure industry in Canada.
We have some exciting news for you all – our membership is now LIVE. Which means you can join us and support the movement. Check it all out www.canopa.org and select the best membership type for you.
We are using a sliding scale membership fee which allows you to select the annual membership fee that best suits your needs (as low as $5 per year, up to 50$ per year for individuals and 200$ for institutions) because reducing barriers for outdoor professionals starts with us.
With a membership you get:
- Access to online resources, interviews, community support,and updates on what CANOPA is working on
- Attendance and voting in the AGM
- Rad CANOPA Stickers
- Best certification/ recertifications at the best prices
- Symposiums and continuing education
- Advocacy for outdoor professionals
- Promotion of the outdoor profession
- More inclusive, sustainable and professional future for everyone
- Commitment to provide quality education, mentorship, support and services to members without sacrificing quality or ethos
Together we can work towards providing
- Group benefits and Personal Insurance/WSIB coverage
Head over to www.canopa.org and select one of the membership levels below to find out more specifics about each one!
This is the first episode of the podcast, and the second episode of our new series – Rad Women in the Outdoors. To check out our first interview for the series search @canopa_org on IGVT to watch our chat with outdoor adventure business owner and professor Kate Ming-Sun. I’m your host for this episode, Klara Angela @klara.outside , and today we’ll be chatting with Fiona Hough @fiona.hough who is an awesome woman in the outdoor profession.
Fiona wears many hats in the outdoor profession. When she’s not out paddling, she’s writing for about it for Paddling Magazine @paddlingmagazine . She is also a volunteer on the board of directors in BC for Paddle Canada @paddlecanadaand a Program Developer and Manager for mental health, outdoor education and nature-based programming at the YMCA/YWCA of Vancouver Island.
Fiona grew up around nature - at only 5 years old she was already chopping wood and by 6 her father had taught her how to paddle a canoe.
She always felt connected to the outdoors and first got into the industry in her late teens, around that same time she also got into paddling more seriously. Today, Fiona is a whitewater paddling, sea kayaking and coastal canoeing enthusiast. She can even make her own fresh sushi on sea kayaking expeditions!
We got to chat with Fiona about how she made it in the outdoor industry, what she’s seen change over the years and her best advice for those of us new to the profession.
Thanks for listening! See you in the next episode.