From wilderness guide to guiding our operations: Charlie Porter

“Heritage places are the physical expression of the stories that build our history. When they are lost, we lose the touchpoints of our pasts.” Charlie Porter

In June, the National Trust welcomed Charlie Porter to our team as the Manager of Operations. A graduate of Queen’s University and Willowbank School of Restoration Arts, Charlie brings a robust knowledge base from career experience in several industries. Some of these include: the airline industry, non-profits, backcountry camping, the arts, and the heritage conservation industry, as well as a short stint in the service industry as a bar manager on Australia’s east coast.

While growing up in Toronto, Charlie spent summers throughout Canada’s backcountry as a canoe trip guide. In those times spent between Canada’s metropolis and wilderness he found his reverence toward our environmental, cultural, and built heritage. In 2020 he made the decision to redirect his career path to protecting and conserving built heritage and returned to school to complete his Diploma in Heritage Conservation at Willowbank School of Restoration Arts (Queenston, ON).

With a keen interest in the intersections between heritage policy and trades, Charlie has worked in both of these often disconnected, but deeply interwoven, streams of the heritage conservation world. Since entering the industry, he has worked as a heritage window carpenter, restoring the storm windows at National Historic Sites and provincially designated heritage buildings across Ontario.

Prior to joining the Trust, Charlie worked with Parks Canada’s Built Heritage team in Gatineau, Quebec. There, he assessed the condition of heritage buildings along the Rideau Canal National Historic Site. During this time, he also contributed to the creation of educational conservation briefs to help bridge the gap between heritage building material theory and the craftspeople and tradespeople who conserve Canada’s built heritage.

Drawing on his background in video production and photography, Charlie also worked with the National Historic Commemorations team at Parks Canada, where he produced social media, video, and web content that promoted the often underappreciated work that conservationists and craftspeople perform every day. Some of this work can be seen across Parks Canada’s social media platforms.

As Charlie steps into his role at the National Trust, he brings not only a wealth of diverse skills, but a vision for the future of heritage conservation in Canada. With his unique blend of operational insight, logistics knowhow, policy, and hands-on craftsmanship, Charlie is positioned to make an impact in helping to shape a collaborative approach to conserving Canada’s built heritage. His career continues to evolve at the intersection of policy, craft, and advocacy, where he aims to strengthen the connections between all streams of heritage professionals to protect stories of Canada’s past for future generations.

“One of the fulfilling things in my work at the National Trust was my role in planning and delivering the annual conference this fall. Creating an event that acts as a touch point for the national heritage community, where professionals and advocates from across the country have the opportunity to come together, was incredibly meaningful.”