Meet our newest Park People person in Montreal

I first discovered  Park People’s work and the Park People Network in March 2017, in Calgary, in the middle of winter. It was like meeting a distant cousin for the first time. To be honest, this kind of professional love at first sight does not happen often. But, I fell in love when I attended the organization’s first National Conference, which was also my first Canadian conference. I had attended many local, provincial and international conventions, but never had met my fellow Canadians. In Quebec, contact with the rest of Canada is not necessarily natural, and yet, here I was. And, the fit felt right.

When I applied to be a delegate at Park People’s Heart of the City Conference in Calgary. I never dreamed I’d be that I’d have the chance to share the story of my work with Les Amis du Champ des Possibles. The conference seemed too good to be true: Be part of an amazing Canadian city park network, tell the story of my group, and have my travel and accommodation costs covered? Nah, not going to happen. To my great I was selected. Being at the conference felt like being at home. I was so happy to be among my city park peers, sharing ideas and plans.

And then, the following year, Park People invited me to present at their annual Park Summit in Toronto on Play, with a focus on Montreal’s city parks. Two weeks after the Summit, Park People offered me the position of Development lead for Montreal.

Since last May, I have officially been part of the Park People team. Based in Montreal, my role is to help Park People understand the city park landscape in Montreal and to help Park People discover how it can best work in our cityl. This is not a simple task, but Park People is committed to take the time to listen and learn what’s unique about Montreal’s parks and where it can best make a valuable contribution.

I am passionate Montreal, and  am convinced that our city still has a lot to do for its parks and public spaces. So much is already happening! In this new role, I’m committed to helping to elevate the importance of Montreal’s city parks and to help people better understand how they connect us, and  how they can be more animated and inclusive across the island.

I look forward to connecting with you soon,

Caroline Magar