Joel Kowalski grew up watching rafts go down the Ottawa River, and by the time he was old enough to teach kayaking, he’d spent years getting to know the river and the paddlers it drew to the Ottawa Valley.

His father, Joe Kowalski, was 25 when he founded Wilderness Tours in 1975. A farmer gave him permission to reach the river from the edge of a field, and Joe built the business from there. Wilderness Tours celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025, the same year Joel was named an Ottawa Forty Under 40 recipient. 

Today, as president of the family business, he brings years of experience on the river to the Board of Directors of Ontario’s Highlands Tourism Organization (OHTO).

Joel likens learning to paddle on the Ottawa River to growing up skiing on a major mountain. There was always someone to learn from, and the people he met close to home were part of a paddling community that would take him around the world. 

He went on to represent Canada at world championships and placed third at the invitational Whitewater Grand Prix. He still makes time to kayak, though running Wilderness Tours leaves fewer opportunities to compete.

Making Room for More People on the River

Joel started out as an assistant kayak instructor in his teens. In his twenties, he taught kayaking full time, led rafting trips and spent winters teaching skiing and snowboarding at Mount Pakenham.

Over the years, he’s guided everyone from schoolchildren and campers to military and corporate groups. Whatever brought them to the river, Joel enjoyed seeing people take on a challenge together and getting to show them a part of the Ottawa Valley he’d known since childhood.

As he took on more responsibility at Wilderness Tours, Joel began overseeing guide training, equipment and river operations. The company’s move in 2020 to the former River Run Rafting property, at the end of the rafting run, gave him a chance to think about what else families might do with a day by the river.

Wilderness Tours added lazy river tubing, a mountain bike park and a floating water park. Families could spend the day at the same spot and choose activities that suited everyone’s appetite for adventure.

Joel has helped bring the experience closer to people visiting Ottawa. Ottawa City Rafting takes guests from Britannia Beach through the rapids to the Canadian War Museum on a trip geared to families and first-time rafters. In 2025, Wilderness Tours opened Westboro Beach Club on the redeveloped waterfront, where visitors can rent kayaks and paddleboards, go tubing or rafting, or stop for something to eat by the beach. 

A kiosk in Confederation Square gives visitors a place to learn about Wilderness Tours and catch a bus directly to the resort from downtown Ottawa.

For Joel, the appeal of working in tourism is much the same as it was when he first started guiding. He gets to see people try something new and have fun doing it.

“We’re selling smiles,” said Joel. “If people are having a good time, then we’re doing the right thing.”

Called to the Board

Joining the OHTO board felt like a natural next step for Joel, who also serves on the Ottawa Valley Tourist Association board. That experience gave him a chance to share what he sees as an operator and hear how other businesses and public sector partners approach tourism in their communities. 

He liked having a place to talk about the industry with people whose day-to-day work was different from his own.

“I get to help, I get to learn,” said Joel.

At OHTO, Joel hopes to help more people discover what the region has to offer. He’s interested in working with regional partners to make outdoor experiences easier to try and in supporting tourism that benefits local communities and protects the landscapes and waterways visitors come to enjoy. 

After years of introducing people to the Ottawa River, he’s looking forward to bringing that enthusiasm to conversations about tourism across Ontario’s Highlands.

“I believe in the potential of our area,” said Joel.

Interested in joining OHTO’s Board of Directors?

OHTO brings tourism professionals together to help guide the organization’s work and strengthen communities across Ontario’s Highlands through responsible tourism. Learn more about serving as a director and how the nomination process works on the OHTO Board of Directors page. 

Board of Directors