According to the words of Linda Kivi, Jüri was born in 1952 in Guelph, Ontario, the youngest child of Alexander (Sass) and Leida Peepre and had a somewhat typical southern Ontario, Esto life. Estonian was the language of home, and he spent time at Seedrioru and in Estonian Boy Scouts. At university (Guelph) he studied Landscape Architecture. With all nicely in place to become an urban professional, Juri jumped the rails at graduation, heading west and north to fulfill his longing for wilder places. After a few years living in Calgary and Vancouver but canoe tripping extensively in the Northwest Territory, he and his partner, Sarah Locke, jumped on the opportunity to live and work in the Yukon.
It is in the Yukon and later in British Columbia that Jüri worked tirelessly to head and/or participate in a number of organizations to protect some of our most pristine and undeveloped areas from development including Wildsight, Yukon Conservation Society, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, TREC and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society – Yukon.
In his own words, Jüri has more than 30 years experience in conservation, park and protected area assessments, advocacy and planning, conservation communications; outdoor recreation and wilderness research and planning. Juri, an author and photographer, has also contributed to several books and conservation multi-media presentations. His specialties include conservation and protected area strategies and planning; conservation research, writing and communications; wilderness and outdoor recreation research and planning; conservation skills training and capacity building.
Estonians in Canada and abroad are very proud of Jüri's achievements and especially so in his latest appointment to the Order of Canada.
Enno Agur
