Edmontonians are well aware of our expansive river valley – it’s the largest urban park in Canada – but they might not know as much about the park rangers who keep the land, users and wildlife safe. Zain Haji, Police and Investigations – Police Studies ’14, is growing his career in the nature found within the heart of the city.
Haji first came to MacEwan with the goal of becoming a police officer, but had to change course when some hearing loss made him ineligible. He started exploring other career options.
“I looked at becoming a peace officer within the City of Edmonton, and that kind of resonated with me. I decided if I couldn’t do one career because of hearing loss, I could definitely look at a different way to work in the same field.”
He started his peace officer career in animal control, but his passion for the outdoors led to Haji becoming a park ranger, a position he’s been in for the past six years.
“Our mandate is to protect the ‘Ribbon of Green,’ which is our river valley system. We patrol about 450 parks within the city, over 140 kilometres of trail and 80 kilometres of river.” The varied terrain of the trails, parks and even the river itself requires the park rangers to use a number of methods of transportation including quads, side-by-sides and a jet boat.
“We deal with everything from vehicles operating on park lands, to people cutting down trees, to people building unauthorized trails to picnic site disputes.”
Park rangers are the only peace officers with authority on the North Saskatchewan River within the city limits. They patrol the waters to ensure that those using the river are complying with the Canada Shipping Act and are engaging in safe boating practices.
“We make sure they have all the safety equipment – life jackets, whistles, throw line – and to ensure they’re licensed,” says Haji.
His time at MacEwan not only helped him learn about the Criminal Code and how to apply it, but also the communication and social skills that help him interact with river valley visitors.
“How I talk to citizens plays a big role in my job,” he says. “A lot of those classes – especially the law classes, leadership classes, interpersonal skills classes and my practicum – help me out quite a bit.”
During his time in the role, Haji has returned the favour, working with practicum students exploring their own career options. He gives each of them the same advice.
“Keep an open mind,” he says. “I wanted to be a police officer. We wear a different uniform, but we do a lot of the same work.”
Haji, who was born and raised in Tanzania, says that Edmontonians often fail to realize how lucky they are to have access to so much green space. But he sees that starting to change.
“The COVID pandemic helped to push people into the river valley. Our river usage has increased almost 50 per cent over the last three years,” says Haji. “Utilize that river valley system. It’s out there, we’re keeping it safe and we want you to enjoy it.”