About Us
Stemming from a collective need for better employment standards, sustainable wages & a unified voice, we created CANOPA, a Nonprofit, community-driven association for outdoor professionals.
As a grassroots volunteer organization, our goal is to reduce barriers outdoor professionals face, and in so doing, make the industry more equitable, diverse, and sustainable for everyone.
How was CANOPA formed
The conversation started as a post on the Canadian Freelance Instructors facebook group as a response to job postings that did not include pay. The goal of the post was to support instructors in their attempts to make a sustainable living in the industry, push employers to be transparent about pay, and move the conversation beyond the rhetoric of “we do it for the love of the work, not for the pay”. Low wages in the industry represents a systemic problem that has historically been left to outdoor professionals to navigate and negotiate on an individual basis for decades. As the post gained traction, 200 outdoor professionals came together to discuss issues of low wages, transparency, and the overall sustainability of the outdoor industry. Based on a high engagement, the post revealed the timeliness of the conversation, the need to gather more information, and move the conversation from words to more concrete action. And so the survey was born.
More than love
Outdoor Professionals are highly skilled individuals who dedicate their lives to educate and empower others.
We keep people safe in remote wilderness settings and our career path demands a lot – it should pay in more than high fives.
Everyone is affected by unsustainable working conditions
Including managers & owners, roughly half of the survey respondents stated that they left the field due to low wages, while one-third stated that they were no longer able to survive contract to contract.
Everyone loses when experienced professionals leave the industry. Employers lose qualified & valuable staff. Our community loses leaders & mentors. And Outdoor Professionals lose the ability to practice their craft.
Educate
Around Employment standards,
Health and Safety
Diversity and inclusion
Advocate
There is strength in numbers
Together we can call for transparency and
wages that reflect experience & certification
Reduce Barriers
The outdoors are for everyone
The Outdoor Profession should reflect that diversity
Hannah Altimas
FOUNDER
Hannah and Kristen are current and former Outdoor Professionals who connected with one another through work and the facebook thread and have continued to meet to share new learning, brainstorm about our next steps based on information being gathered (from the survey, meetings, and resources). Let us know if you want to hear more about us – we are happy to share but do not want to center ourselves in a conversation that extends far beyond our own experiences.
Kristen Montgomery
FOUNDER