Doug McKown A native of southern Ontario, Doug McKown became involved in canoeing through Scouting as a boy. In the early 1970s he became a serious competitor in whitewater slalom racing, earning many top finishes in the C-1 and C-2 classes, and began instrcting canoeists for various organizations including the Scouts, school programs, and the Outdoor Club at the University of Guelph. He also developed canoe courses and wilderness paddling programs as a canoe instructor for Seneca College in Ontario. Later he developed adult education canoeing programs in Banff, Alberta, which are now in their twenty-seventh year of operation. For ten years he was director of the canoeing and kayaking program at the Banff National Army Cadet Camp, one of the largest such programs in western Canada, and was instrumental in developing and implementing their canoe safety and rescue programs. He went on to develop and teach river rescue courses for the Canadian Department of National Defense, for Parks Canada, and for clubs and public programs. Since 1987 he has been full-time paramedic in Banff, and was a director of Banff Emergency Medical Services for eight years, with coverage responsibility for Banff National Park. McKown has been certified as an advanced lake and river canoe instructor, examiner, and instructor trainer with the Canadian Recreation Canoe Association, and has been publishing articles about canoeing in numerous magazines since the early 1980s. Since 1994 he has written a regular instructional column for Kanawa Magazine, Canada’s national canoeing magazine. HOMETOWN: Banff, Alberta CANADA Read More Read Less