Our Staff
Each summer, we hire about 80 staff to serve the needs of upwards of 210 campers at any one time. Maintaining a staff-to-camper ratio of 1:3 is extremely important for the success of our program. About 85% of our staff has either been a camper or a staff member during a previous summer at Nominingue. These staff members are valued for their Nominingue experience. They ensure that our traditions remain strong, they share our philosophy, and they ensure that our program runs smoothly. We are always seeking to hire staff who bring fresh skills and unique life experiences, ensuring the ongoing growth and enrichment of our camp and summer programs. Each year, we welcome new team members from around the globe. In recent summers, our team has included staff from the United States, Mexico, Spain, Scotland, England, Ireland, France, New Zealand, and Australia, with international staff making up 20-30% of our team.
Owner – Erik Blachford
In April 2015, Erik Blachford and his wife Maryam purchased Camp Nominingue from Peter Van Wagner. Erik and his brother were campers and counsellors in the 1970s and 1980s, following a tradition established by their father and uncle in the 1940s and 1950s. Continuing in the family tradition, Erik’s children attended as campers and worked as staff. Erik’s goal for camp is to ensure that Nominingue continue to provide young people and families with the special experience, the unique values and traditions upon which it was built, as it has since it was founded by FM Van Wagner and Hay Finlay in 1925.
Camp Director – Matt Cromey
Matt Cromey started as a camper in Lower Camp in 1990. After his first summer, he knew that Camp Nominingue was going to be a major part of his life. Matt was at camp every summer from 1990 to 2014. In that time he was involved in everything at camp, from waterfront – teaching sailing, swimming and diving; to canoe tripping; in the craftshop; as director of junior counsellors and LITs; as driver; in property maintenance; and as director of program and personnel from 2010-2014.
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Business Director – Nicole Larin
Nicole is the Business Director at Camp Nominingue, where she brings over 20 years of involvement and a passion for the camp’s community. She first worked at Nominingue in 2001 and later returned as family camp staff for several summers. With two sons, now 12 and 14, who have been campers since age 7, Nicole understands the impact of camp experiences firsthand. She is dedicated to enhancing camp operations and supporting memorable, growth-filled summers for all campers.
Former Director – Grant McKenna
Grant began working for Camp Nominingue in 1975 as a 16 year-old junior counsellor after attending as a camper for three years. Over the next forty-five years, he has spent 32 summers at Camp, filling a variety of positions including Trip Director, Section Director, Business Manager and Program Director. From 2001 to 2004, Grant was the Camp’s Executive Director.
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Former Business Manager – Elisa van Wagner
Elisa grew up spending summers at Camp Nominingue with her family. During the late 70s and early 80s, she worked in the camp’s infirmary alongside the nurse and doctor, and began working full time as the camp’s business manager in the fall of 2002. Having spent all or part of every summer at Nominingue, she knows all about the camp and its day-to-day operations.
Learn moreOur Facilities
Clean Laurentian water laps at the sandy beach…Towering white birches stand sentinel… Loon calls echo through the star filled night. Nestled on the shore of Petit Lac Nominingue, far from the reach of urban sprawl, our 400+ acre property is fronted by a sandy beach, making our waterfront an ideal spot for swimming, sailing or paddling. Our tentline winds its way through a grove of white birch trees, where the sound of a tetherball game is muffled only by the laughter from a nearby tent-group. Set on raised wooden platforms, all our canvas tents are equipped with a rain fly and roll-up sidewalls, making it an ideal summer home for a small group of boys and their counsellor.
Other facilities include: a 300 seat Dining Hall, where our chef prepares a well-balanced menu of family style meals; our Craftshop, where boys can choose from a wide variety of projects; a camp infirmary, where our resident doctor and first-aiders ensure that the boys stay healthy and safe; and so much more. Despite our rustic setting, Camp Nominingue is an easy drive from Montreal or Ottawa, and convenient transportation is offered from both these cities and from the Montreal-Trudeau airport.
Camp Map
