Employees find every day is unique at TRCA

Brynn Coey never imagined she would stay at her very first job out of university, but with so many opportunities for growth in her seven and a half years with Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA), she has had no reason to look elsewhere.

“Every single day is different,” says Coey, supervisor, aquatic monitoring and management. “It keeps things exciting and engaging!”

Coey started in a 12-month internship position. She had recently moved to Toronto from Muskoka and was unsure what work in a conservation authority in such an urban setting would be like. “I was amazed at the natural areas found within TRCA’s jurisdiction and the wide variety of projects I was able to be part of,” she says.

TRCA owns and manages thousands of hectares of greenspace. While one of its main roles is protecting communities from the effects of natural hazards and flooding, the organization also collects scientific data to understand the changes affecting natural areas and watercourses, and to assess the ecological health of specific regions or environmental features. Its mission is to protect, conserve and restore natural resources, and develop resilient communities through education, the application of science, community engagement, service excellence and collaboration with its partners.

CEO John MacKenzie spends time in the field appreciating the greenspace, shorelines and watercourses in the conservation authority portfolio, but it’s the people who make his day. “We deeply believe our employees are our most valuable asset,” he says. “We look for ways to reward our people.”

In 2020, TRCA began an employee engagement journey to really listen to what employees want and need. The result has been a total rewards approach that optimizes opportunities for staff.

One thing the conservation authority has implemented is a robust learning and development program. There is career development training and, in addition, TRCA offers an annual day of learning. Teams from various divisions are given an opportunity to come together for a day of team-building, development and learning. MacKenzie sees employees learning something new about TRCA and meeting new people on this day.

Engagement surveys show that employees feel passionate about the work of TRCA, so the conservation authority has also implemented a paid volunteer day. It supports staff being involved in work underway in other parts of the organization with such diverse volunteer opportunities as banding birds in Tommy Thompson Park, or working with Indigenous partners in the medicine garden at Heart Lake Conservation Park in Brampton.

“It’s wonderful to see people who work in the office doing something as different as electrofishing, where fish communities are surveyed to help track aquatic health and the success of restoration projects,” says MacKenzie.

Coey was studying environmental management when she started her internship with TRCA. She worked in the field collecting aquatic habitat data, and when a field staff position became available, she knew she was interested.

“While part of a field crew, I never felt there was a hierarchy,” says Coey. “Everyone received mentorship and we all worked together as a team.” Coey took fish identification courses, safety training and the small vessel operator proficiency-training course. When a position as crew leader came up, she was ready.

In Coey’s current position she manages the aquatic monitoring of special projects, and her manager offered her project management training. She now has one course left to earn a project management certificate.

Coey finds that TRCA is so much more than she first expected. “The support I’ve received has been amazing. It has been great to find an organization that supports me to learn and grow.”

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Greater Toronto’s Top Employers winners, published December 3, 2024 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.

At TRCA, employee passion fuels sustainability

When Max Smith graduated with a PhD in history five years ago, he saw a posting for a funding and grants position at Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) that he thought could make use of his experience with grant applications. Smith applied, conducted a research project as part of the hiring process, and got the job.

“Immediately, I was struck by how vast and impressive the work of TRCA is and how much of it I had experienced in my life already,” says Smith, now supervisor, strategic business planning and performance.

TRCA owns and manages over 16,000 hectares of green space in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). Its mission is to protect, conserve and restore natural resources, and develop resilient communities through education, the application of science, community engagement, service excellence and collaboration with its partners.

“TRCA employees are motivated to make positive environmental changes,” says CEO John MacKenzie. “Often we take the work we’ve developed for our own offices, fleet or projects and scale it up to export it, working with our partners in the GTA and beyond.”

One example of this is TRCA’s electric vehicle charging (EVC) infrastructure, installed at TRCA facilities over 10 years ago. The conservation authority has since worked with Toronto Pearson airport, all levels of government and private sector employers to extend its expertise with EVC through Partners in Project Green, a community of businesses, government, institutions and utilities leaders advancing best practices for environmental action and economic prosperity across the GTA.

Many TRCA employees have strong technical and scientific backgrounds and are recognized as leaders in their field. Employee innovation and more has been brought to bear on a new administrative office building. The building, which just recently opened, is LEED Platinum 4.1 certified for new construction.

Sustainable aspects of the building include an open loop geo-exchange system that meets 100 per cent of cooling and 89 per cent of heating needs with geothermal energy. And half of the roof surface is a green roof where plants grow, with the rest made up of solar thermal panels, a terrace and a white roof that aids cooling.

TRCA also leads community projects. The conservation authority partners with Hydro One, the City of Toronto and Parks Canada on The Meadoway Project, transforming a hydro corridor in Scarborough into a 16-kilometre stretch of urban green space and meadowland connecting downtown Toronto to Rouge National Urban Park.

When a new project like this begins, or when a major donor, in this case the Weston Family Foundation, commits to a project, Smith and his team look for government or other funding programs to which they might apply to support the work. The funding they bring — sometimes doubling the initial budget — is used to expand and amplify the reach of the project.

This fundraising success, as well as Smith’s willingness to take on new roles, led to his promotion to supervisor of a team of two. “I can see a long-term future for myself here,” says Smith. “I have learning and volunteer opportunities to help fight climate change and a supportive and collegial environment.”

Smith has also been a driver for funding to introduce the next generation to TRCA through the Canada Summer Jobs program. He simplified the application process for his colleagues, who hire just over 500 seasonal employees each year. This work helps TRCA develop a pipeline of future long-term employees from some of the people who start in seasonal positions.

“Our employees are passionate about the environment, and we’ve been able to harness their energy to advance sustainability measures at TRCA and beyond,” says MacKenzie.

This article appeared in the magazine announcing this year's Canada's Greenest Employers winners, published April 22, 2025 in The Globe and Mail. This article was prepared with the financial support of the employer, which reviewed but did not write its contents.