Board and Regional Representatives
Our Board Members
Jon Radojkovic
President
Jon has owned and operated Skyhill Construction, a timber framing business, for over 30 years. For the last 16 years he has specialized in heritage barn repair (with his 3 sons). Jon and his wife operate an organic farm Freelance journalist, author of 2 books about barns, and photographer.
Krista Hulshof
Vice-President
Krista is an farm-raised architect and Owner of VELD architect who loves to re-purpose and bring life back into old barns. She practices just north of Stratford from her barn house and office.
Will Samis
Director
Will, with his wife Elaine, farm beef and sheep and make maple syrup near Iron Bridge.
An 8th generation Ontario farmer, he is active in local and provincial affairs. He organized and led several successful barn tours . He was the co-lead volunteer in moving, restoring and re-purposing the Cordukes/Weber 12 sided barn near Sowerby. He is the curator there.
Hugh Fraser
Director
Hugh is a semi-retired agricultural engineer. He grew up on a dairy farm and has been in well over a thousand barns. Hugh now owns the consulting business ‘OTB Farm Solutions’ and recently authored a book entitled ‘Swing Beam Barns of Niagara’.
Don Hilborn
Treasurer
Don Hilborn and his wife operate Red Barn Berries in Oxford County for the last 30 years. Over the years he have worked on maintaining the Red barn while keeping its original character. He also a former agricultural engineer with the Ontario government and a creator of the MDS program at OMAFRA.
Jim Campbell
Director
As the principal of Rockside Campbell near Duntroon, Jim and his team spend their days within a re-erected barn-studio designing projects which often incorporate the beautiful sculptural qualities of historic barn frames and materials.
Wes Wilson
Director
Wes is currently finishing his degree in Architectural Conservation and Sustainability Engineering at Carleton, which is the conservation of existing and historic structures. He is spearheading our planning policy and severance work as is relates to barns!
Claudia Smith
Secretary
Claudia is a rural historian and photographer. She has documented the colour of rural life in Lanark County in hundreds of articles for The Lanark Era newspaper and in 8 books that include: ‘Barns ~ A Reflection of Changing Times and Horses of the Country ~ An Homage’.
This could be you!!
Director
We are currently seeking new directors. Give us an email to let us know you are interested. Elections regularly take place in March during our AGM, but the board can bring on at anytime of the year. info@ontariobarnpreservation.com
Regional Reps
We have identified 12 major regions in Ontario where you may find your local representative. Contact us to get their information.
- Kenora, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay.
- Cochrane and Temiskaming.
- Algoma, Manitoulin, and Sudbury.
- Parry Sound and Muskoka.
- Renfrew and Nippising.
- Leeds, Grenville, Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry, Ottawa, Prescott, and Russell.
- Haliburton, Kawartha, Peterborough, and Northumberland.
- York, Peel, Halton, and Durham. (Includes Toronto).
- Grey and Bruce.
- Huron, Wellington, Perth, and Waterloo.
- Middlesex, Elgin, Chatham-Kent, and Lambton. (Includes London, Strathroy, and St. Thomas).
- Norfolk, Oxford, Brant, Haldimand, Hamilton, and Niagara.
- Lennox & Addington, Hastings, Prince Edward, Frontenac, and Kingston.
- Simcoe and Dufferin.
Bruce Godkin
Huron, Wellington, Perth, and Waterloo
Bruce is a trained civil engineer as well a Owner of Nostalgic wood near Walton, Ontario. They specialize is timber frame reclaim and rebuilds as well as providing architectural products from reclaim timbers. His extensive look at barns frames (over 100/year!) has given him a detailed knowledge and history of barn frames in Ontario. He has a passion to keeping our heritage frames stay in Ontario!
Dr. John Carter
York, Peel, Halton, and Durham
Dr. John C. Carter is a widely known Ontario museologist, author, and historian. Over the past 40 years, he has documented, researched, recorded, published articles about, and promoted the preservation of Ontario’s built rural heritage.
Eleanor McGrath
Lennox & Addington, Leeds & Grenville, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry
M. Eleanor McGrath is a fourth generation Canadian fascinated and drawing creatively from her Celtic heritage as a published author, documentary filmmaker and writer/photographer. Eleanor has worked as a professional fundraiser for over 20 years and was an Investment Advisor at RBC Dominion Securities. She and her husband raise their four children in Toronto, while being challenged by their organic farming life in Apple Hill, Ontario.
For the past seven years, they have worked hard to establish Springfield Farm in the growing Agri-tourism economy including restoration of their century-plus Drive Shed.
Randy Bagg
Kingston
Randy has spent most of his life working in barns. Grew up on a dairy farm north of Toronto. Graduated from the Ontario Veterinary College in 1979 and worked in bovine practice for 15 years in Peel and Halton Counties. Spent 24 years in the animal health industry doing research and regulatory management until he retired in 2018. Then went back to the University of Guelph to complete an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History degree in 2022. Randy believes the preservation and recording of barns in Ontario is a vital part of our agricultural history.
Heidi Strobl
Kenora, Rainy River, and Thunder Bay
Heidi has long been interested in history and heritage in the Thunder Bay region. She is a member of the Thunder Bay Heritage Advisory Committee and is interested in researching rural development. She is a volunteer at the Lakehead University Agricultural Research Station. There is a strong, active agricultural community, and her goal is to document Northwestern Ontario barns.
Gary Aikema
Norfolk, Oxford, Brant, Haldimand, Hamilton, and Niagara
I am a retired building contractor. I have built mostly the high-end homes, some commercial work and also a number of farm structures. My company is called Allandale Homes and is currently run by my grandson.
I’ve owned three different hobby farms in the Flamborough area. On each farm the barns were either moved or significantly repaired or disassembled and moved from offsite and rebuilt.
Rural Ontario farm clusters have always intrigued me. Ever since childhood I loved being in bank barns and would like to help see to it that these buildings are not lost.
This could be you!!
Regional Rep
We are always looking for more help. Many hands make light work and having local knowledge and connections is invaluable! Contact us today if you are interested.