This year again, local leaders gathered their neighbours, built connections, and restored nature in projects big and small. The movement continues to expand, and we're pleased to share just some of these impacts in our 2025 Impact Report.
Ready to rally your crew and make a visible difference in your local park? This guide walks you through everything you need to host a successful community clean-up in Toronto
Discover ways to help you host events in your local parks during extreme heat events.
Explore key findings from five years of the Canadian City Parks Report, highlighting significant trends, issues, and practices shaping urban parks across the country.
A guidance and resources to measure the impact of your park work on community health and wellbeing, integrating a social equity lens.
The 6th Montreal Park People Forum is back on September 17 under the theme “Remembering, Looking Forward, and Taking Action for Urban Parks".
By donating to Park People, you’ll support vibrant parks for everyone.
She/her/he/him
Executive Director, Wildlands League
Janet Sumner is a seasoned environmentalist with over 30 years of experience. Since 2003, she has served as the Executive Director of Wildlands League, a prominent Canadian conservation organization. In 2017, she co-chaired the National Advisory Panel (NAP), tasked with recommending how to protect 17% of Canada’s terrestrial lands and inland waters by 2020. Her expertise led to her appointment as the Special Representative on Nature for Canada in 2019. Under Janet’s leadership, Wildlands League aims to safeguard 50% of Canada’s precious natural landscapes, including the western hemisphere’s bird nursery and the world’s richest carbon reserve. Her work has tangible results, many that redefine space at the scale of Google Maps.
Janet is not only an environmental advocate but also a skilled negotiator, known for resolving complex environmental challenges through understanding and respectful relationships. Her personal experiences include close encounters with polar bears, caribou herds, and aerial explorations of Canada’s Boreal Forests.
Janet’s leadership has driven significant legislative reforms in Ontario and at the federal level, including the Provincial Protected Areas and Conservation Reserves Act (2007), Mining Act Reform (2009) in Ontario, and federal amendments to the Rouge National Urban Park Act (2017). A sought-after speaker, she has presented at various forums, such as the Federal Standing Committee on the Environment and Sustainable Development, many Universities, and the United Nations Forum on Forestry in Rome, Italy.
Janet Sumner’s unwavering commitment to wilderness protection and ecosystem certainty has made her a leading figure in Canada’s environmental conservation efforts.