Sara Westwood loves being outside in nature and has always aspired to become an arborist. As an Urban Forestry student at Fleming College, she wanted to gain on-the-job experience to further her goals – but struggled to find local employment where she could learn hands-on skills in her hometown of Guelph, Ontario.
It turns out, she found that opportunity in the City of Morden – a Manitoba community with a population of just under 10,000 people.
“Where I would have worked, I would have just been watering the entire summer. But (in the City of Morden), they let me use equipment and actually work in urban forestry,” says Westwood, who spent the summer of 2024 working as a parks and urban forestry worker for the municipality. “I would have never gained as much experience as I did working in the City of Morden.”
The youth had this opportunity thanks to the CPRA Green Jobs Initiative, which is funded by the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Skills Strategy program.
In her role, Westwood gained invaluable experience in both horticulture and forestry. She planted and removed trees, as well as performed Dutch elm disease injections. She also learned how to survey for Dutch elm disease in trees – an opportunity she wouldn’t have otherwise had in Ontario, since elm trees are rare in the province.
“I’ve never worked with elm trees before, and I likely wouldn’t have worked with them if I hadn’t gone to Morden,” she says.
Westwood also gained experience using a variety of tools and equipment, such as a brush chipper and hand saws, which are key skills she will need to build a career as an arborist.
“This opportunity made me realize I made the right choice for my career. It was a great opportunity,” she says.
Westwood adds that she also received great mentorship from her supervisor, Shawn Dias, who is the director of parks and forestry for the City of Morden.
Dias says the Green Jobs program greatly benefited the community, which values its trees and outdoor spaces, and connected the municipality with a young person who had the skills and knowledge to do the work.
“It was a huge benefit for us to have someone who has an interest in this work, has some education and training in the field of urban forestry, and also wants to pursue a career in this field,” Dias says.
He adds that the opportunity allowed Westwood to grow professionally – also teaching her valuable communication skills she will need as she embarks on her career.
“She gained the ability to reach out and communicate with others in the community – whether it be other staff or members of the public. I saw her comfort level grow, and her confidence in those interactions grew as well,” he says.
Dias also says that the municipality tries to set its young, seasonal staff on a path to success, and equip them with specific job skills they might not otherwise get in other municipalities.
“We always try and put our seasonal staff in a position where they can add to their resume – whether that be training in specialized equipment or just general experience overall, so when they go forward in their career, they have that advantage compared to others,” he says, adding that the Green Jobs funding helped give these opportunities to Westwood. “I think this experience had a very positive impact on Sara.”
Through the CPRA Green Jobs Initiative, young Canadians like Westwood are gaining valuable employment experiences that shape their careers and strengthen communities—one tree at a time.