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Park Warden

Park wardens are responsible for law enforcement in Canada's national parks, national marine conservation areas, historic sites and national urban parks.

Also Known As

Law Enforcement Officer, Ranger

NOC Codes

In Canada, the federal government groups and organizes occupations based on a National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. This alis occupation may not reflect the entire NOC group it is part of. Data for the NOC group can apply across multiple occupations.

The NOC system is updated every 5 years to reflect changes in the labour market. Government forms and labour market data may group and refer to an occupation differently, depending on the system used.

Here is how this occupation has been classified over time.

2006 NOC

  • 2224: Conservation and Fishery Officers

2006 NOC-S

  • C124: Conservation and Fishery Officers

2011 NOC

  • 2224: Conservation and fishery officers

2016 NOC

  • 2224: Conservation and fishery officers

2021 NOC

  • 22113: Conservation and fishery officers

2023 OaSIS

  • 22113.00: Conservation and fishery officers
Duties
Updated Mar 31, 2017

Park wardens are peace officers as defined in the Criminal Code of Canada. The key role of park wardens is to:

  • enforce laws that protect natural and cultural resources
  • provide public education
  • ensure quality visitor experiences.

Park wardens’ primary law enforcement responsibilities are:

  • enforce legislation related to Parks Canada’s mandate
  • patrol campgrounds
  • conduct investigations
  • take statements
  • complete search-and-seizure operations and make arrests, as required
  • prepare court briefs and give evidence during trials.
Working Conditions
Updated Mar 31, 2017
  • Strength Required Lift up to 20 kg

Park wardens work both indoors and outdoors in all types of weather conditions and terrain. The work may be seasonal or year round.

Park wardens work irregular hours, including weekends and statutory holidays. Overtime and travel, at times on short notice and to remote locations requiring periods of isolation, may be required.

Lifting up to 20 kilograms is routinely required. Some circumstances may demand heavier lifting.

To reduce the risk of injury, park wardens wear personal protective equipment, such as a defensive baton and pepper spray. They also carry a sidearm.

Interests & Abilities

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2006 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.

Conservation and Fishery Officers

2006 NOC: 2224

Interest Codes

Interest Codes for This NOC Group
DIRECTIVE

Interest in driving - operating to conduct patrols by truck, aircraft, boat or on foot to ensure compliance with provincial and federal statutes relating to fish, wildlife and the environment; and in implementing and supervising approved techniques in preventing and overcoming damage caused by wildlife

METHODICAL

Interest in compiling information when investigating complaints and arresting violators; and in gathering resource data by making inventories of fish, collecting water samples and assisting biologists in scientific research

SOCIAL

Interest in speaking with the public to generate awareness of fish and wildlife conservation and regulations; and in supervising or providing firearms safety training courses and trapper education courses

Your Interest Codes

To identify or change your interest codes, complete the Interests Exercise in CAREERinsite.

Reading Interest Codes
A Quick Guide

The interest code helps you figure out if you’d like to work in a particular occupation. 

It’s based on the Canadian Work Preference Inventory (CWPI), which measures 5 occupational interests: Directive, Innovative, Methodical, Objective, and Social.

Each set of 3 interest codes for this NOC group is listed in order of importance.

A code in capital letters means it’s a strong fit for the occupation.

A code in all lowercase letters means the fit is weaker.

Learn About Interests

Abilities

Typical ability expectations for this NOC group
Your abilities

To fill in or change the values for your abilities, complete the Abilities Exercise in CAREERinsite.

Mental Abilities

General Learning Ability

Verbal Ability

Numerical Ability

Visual Abilities

Spatial Perception

Form Perception

Clerical Perception

Physical Abilities

Motor Coordination

Finger Dexterity

Manual Dexterity

Understanding Abilities

A Quick Guide

You are born with abilities that help you process certain types of information and turn it into action. These abilities influence which skills you can learn more easily.

The abilities or aptitudes shown for this NOC group come from the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB). The GATB measures 9 aptitudes. It groups them into 3 categories: mental, visual, and physical.

The abilities scores range from 1 to 5, with 5 being stronger.

Learn About Abilities

Traits & Skills
Updated Mar 31, 2017

Park wardens need to possess:

  • a keen interest in all aspects of nature and a serious concern for the environment
  • integrity and a strong sense of ethical conduct
  • good judgment and self-confidence
  • good health and physical conditioning
  • an aptitude for outdoor travel, such as driving, hiking and riding
  • tact, diplomacy and an ability to deal effectively with difficult people and situations
  • good oral and written communication skills
  • an ability to prioritize
  • an ability to connect with people
  • an ability to take on a leadership role
  • an ability to remain calm in stressful situations.

They should enjoy working outdoors in various geographic and weather conditions, and working individually or as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Educational Requirements
Updated Mar 31, 2017
  • Minimum Education 4 years post-secondary

The minimum education requirement for park wardens is a degree in natural resource management, environmental sciences or a field related to conservation or natural resource law enforcement.

Candidates for park warden positions also need working experience:

  • in the natural environment in a job related to resource conservation, law enforcement or education (law enforcement experience is preferred)
  • on projects with tangible results, in collaboration with the public or partners outside their work unit or organization.

Conditions of employment include:

  • a valid driver's license (emergency vehicle class may be required)
  • a valid standard first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification (wilderness first aid certification may be required)
  • successful completion of a pre-employment medical exam and periodic medical checks
  • successful completion of psychological evaluation and a fitness test
  • an ability to obtain and maintain secret security clearance, which means no criminal record
  • a Possession and Acquisition Licence (PAL)
  • a Pleasure Craft Operator’s Card
  • completion of the Canadian Restricted Firearm Safety Course
  • Parks Canada law enforcement certification and ongoing professional development training.

Experience and expertise in hiking, skiing, boating, mountain climbing, wilderness camping, horseback riding and using a firearm are definite assets.


Required Education

The following schools offer programs and courses that meet this occupation’s educational requirements. Other eligible programs and courses may be available.


Related Education

The following schools offer programs or courses that are related to this occupation but are not required to enter the field.

To expand or narrow your search for programs related to this occupation, visit Post-Secondary Programs.

Completing a program does not guarantee entrance into an occupation. Before enrolling in an education program, prospective students should look into various sources for education options and employment possibilities. For example, contact associations and employers in this field.

Certification Requirements
Updated Mar 31, 2017
  • Certification Not Regulated

There is currently no provincial legislation regulating this occupation in Alberta.

Employment & Advancement
Updated Mar 31, 2017

Park wardens are employed by the federal government. While they are located at specific sites, they support other locations at times of need and may be temporarily reassigned, allowing then to broaden their experience. Park wardens looking to advance to the supervisory level may pursue specialized skills related to law enforcement though training and in-service experience.

Industry Concentration

This section shows the industries where the majority of people in this occupation work. The data is based on the 2016 Census.

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups.

In the 2224: Conservation and fishery officers occupational group, 85.3% of people work in:

Employment Outlook

Employment outlook is influenced by a wide variety of factors including:

  • Time of year (for seasonal jobs)
  • Location in Alberta
  • Employment turnover (when people leave existing positions)
  • Occupational growth (when new positions are created)
  • Size of the occupation
  • Trends and events that affect overall employment, especially in the industry or industries from the previous list

In Alberta, the 2224: Conservation and fishery officers occupational group is expected to have a below-average annual growth of 0% from 2019 to 2023. In addition to job openings created by employment turnover, 0 new positions are forecasted to be created within this occupational group each year.

Note
NOC groups often include several related occupations. Although there is labour market data for the larger NOC group, this occupation makes up only a part of that group. It means data for this occupation may be different than the data shown. For example, only some of the new positions to be created will be for this occupation. It also applies to other data for the NOC group such as number of people employed.

Source: 2019-2023 Alberta Regional Occupational Demand Outlook

Employment turnover is expected to increase as members of the baby boom generation retire over the next few years.

Wage & Salary
Updated Mar 31, 2017

Park warden positions are part of a group represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada and therefore are subject to the applicable collective agreement. The salary for park wardens ranges from $59,402.00 to $67,544.00 per year, while the salary for park warden – supervisor ranges from $66,676.00 to $75,810.00 per year (2016 estimate).

In Alberta, this occupation is part of 1 or more 2016 National Occupational Classification (NOC) groups. If there are multiple related NOC groups, select a NOC heading to learn about each one.

Conservation and fishery officers

2016 NOC: 2224
Average Wage
$39.56
Per Hour
Average Salary
$74,795.00
Per Year
Average Hours
36.3
Per Week
Average Months on Payroll
12
Survey Methodology Survey Analysis

Source
2021 Alberta Wage and Salary Survey

NOC 2224 Wage Profile

Unless otherwise noted, the data shown here is for all industries and all regions in Alberta.

All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production), and other forms of compensation.

To see the full survey data for this NOC group, visit the wage profile.

Other wage sources
To make an informed wage and salary decision, research other wage sources [pdf] to supplement this data.

B: Good Reliability
Data Reliability Code Definition

Good Reliability, represents a CV of between 6.01% and 15.00% and/or fewer than 30 survey observations and/or if survey observations represent less than 50% of all estimated employment for the occupation.


Hourly Wage

For full-time and part-time employees
  • Low
  • High
  • Average
  • Median
Starting
Overall
Top

Hourly Wage

For full-time and part-time employees
Wages* Low (5th percentile) High (95th percentile) Average Median
Starting $29.96 $38.34 $32.67 $29.96
Overall $33.58 $45.02 $39.56 $38.09
Top $38.09 $45.57 $41.28 $38.09

Swipe left and right to view all data. Scroll left and right to view all data.

* All wage estimates are hourly except where otherwise indicated. Wages and salaries do not include overtime hours, tips, benefits, profit shares, bonuses (unrelated to production) and other forms of compensation.

Pay brackets for hourly wages

  • Starting pay: average pay offered for entry-level positions
  • Overall pay: average pay across all employees in this occupation
  • Top pay: average pay offered to top-paid employees

Industry Information

ALL INDUSTRIES
Public Administration

Skills Shortage

Employers that Recruited in the Last 2 Years
51%
51%)
Recruiting Employers that Experienced Hiring Difficulties
N/A
Employers with Unfilled Vacancies of over 4 Months
0%
0%
Vacancy Rate
N/A
Related Post-Secondary Field of Study
  • Environment, Forestry and Related Studies
  • Sciences
Other Sources of Information
Updated Mar 31, 2017

ECO Canada website: www.eco.ca

Parks Canada website: www.pc.gc.ca

Public Service Alliance of Canada website: psacunion.ca

Get information and referrals about career, education, and employment options from Alberta Supports.

Updated Mar 31, 2017. The information contained in this profile is current as of the dates shown. Salary, employment outlook, and educational program information may change without notice. It is advised that you confirm this information before making any career decisions.

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