John Reynard

Whitewater Paddling Instructor, Expedition Guide

Born and raised in the Greater Toronto Area, John was oblivious to all things whitewater until his early twenties when his partner invited him to live and work at a whitewater paddling school.  Taking a risk on a new experience, he began working in the kitchen at the Madawaska Kanu Centre, where he would later become the Centre’s Head Instructor, teaching whitewater kayak and canoe courses and guiding raft trips on the Madawaska and Ottawa Rivers.

John has spent the last 8 years leading river experiences through various organizations and has complemented his degree in education as a facilitator of Outdoor Experiential Education.

For John, the river is his ‘happy place’—a place to grow, a place to heal, a place to protect.  John believes that even a simple connection with a river can have vast positive effects on ourselves and the environment around us.  Now an elementary school teacher in the Ottawa region, John always looks forward to sharing what we can learn from the river.