A small park along the Ganaraska River in downtown Port Hope now carries the name of a man who spent decades making sure his community was a better place.
On Sunday, October 4, family, friends, municipal officials and members of the community gathered at the park just north of Walton Street for the official dedication of the Jeff Lees Memorial Kinsmen Park.
For those who knew Lees, the location could hardly be more fitting.
The Ganaraska River was something he loved, as was the community that grew around it.
Lees served 25 years on Port Hope Municipal Council, including as deputy mayor, and was a longtime member of the Port Hope Kinsmen. His involvement in the community extended far beyond politics, however, with decades of volunteer work, fundraising and participation in events and organizations throughout Port Hope.
Director of Parks, Recreation and Culture Julia Snoek opened Sunday’s ceremony by describing Lees as a devoted public servant, tireless volunteer and proud champion of community life.
“This park is an especially fitting place to honor Jeff,” Snoek said. “He believed in welcoming, accessible places, spaces that were safe for families, neighbours and friends that could gather, connect and build community.”
She said Lees’ commitment to bringing people together would continue to be reflected in the park for generations.
Mayor Olena Hankivsky said Lees’ commitment to Port Hope was unmistakable.
“Jeff gave 25 years of service to municipal council,” Hankivsky said. “As councillor, as deputy mayor, he was thoughtful. He was practical. He was dedicated.”
She said Lees always kept the well-being of Port Hope at the centre of his work and helped shape the community residents know today.
But his contributions went well beyond the council chamber.
Lees was heavily involved with the Port Hope Kinsmen and countless community initiatives and events. His service to the community was recognized when he was named Port Hope’s Outstanding Citizen in 2022.
“Jeff believed in showing up,” Hankivsky said. “He believed in helping whenever help was needed, and he believed deeply in the value of community.”
She said the park will now serve as a lasting reminder of Lees’ volunteerism, leadership, kindness and love for Port Hope.
Deputy Mayor Adam Pearson spoke about the many years he spent working alongside Lees and the countless community events where Lees could be found.
And, Pearson noted, the park itself already had a connection to Lees.
The site was originally named Port Hope Kinsmen Park, with the gazebo behind the speakers standing as one of the projects Lees was particularly proud of.
“He worked so hard to make sure that this could come in at the end of the Port Hope Kinsmen term,” Pearson said.
The Ganaraska River behind the park also provided a reminder of another major part of Lees’ community involvement.
For years, Lees and the Port Hope Kinsmen helped organize Float Your Fanny Down the Ganny, one of Port Hope’s most recognizable traditions.
When the Kinsmen eventually passed leadership of the event to another group, Lees could have stepped away.
He didn’t.
Instead, he joined the new committee and continued volunteering because he wanted to make sure the event survived and continued benefiting Port Hope.
“That wasn’t Jeff,” Pearson said of the idea of simply walking away.
The same commitment was evident during Port Hope’s Canada Day celebrations.
For decades, the Port Hope Kinsmen played a major role in organizing and fundraising for the celebrations, including the fireworks.
Lees wasn’t content to simply watch the fireworks from the crowd.
He helped build them and, as a licensed pyrotechnician, helped put them into the sky.
“He was not just the spectator,” Pearson said. “Year after year, he got right into the middle of it.”
Pearson also recalled spending more than 15 years working alongside Lees at the Port Hope Fair.
Every Sunday of the fair, the two worked together at the gate, greeting people and sharing plenty of laughs.
This year, Pearson said, standing at the gate without Lees made his absence particularly noticeable.
“That’s when you start to really realize the impact that somebody had on your life and on this entire community,” he said.
Pearson listed just some of the organizations and events where Lees had left his mark — municipal council, the Kinsmen, Float Your Fanny, Canada Day, the Port Hope Fair, fundraising and countless community projects.
“If you look at the history over the last several decades, you’re going to find Jeff Lees everywhere,” Pearson said.
He then offered perhaps the strongest description of Lees’ commitment to Port Hope.
“I said if you think about the last three decades Jeff has done more than 99% of all the people who have lived here, and then I realized I think I’m wrong because Jeff didn’t do more than 99% of the other people in Port Hope. Jeff did more than 100% of the other people here in Port Hope.”
Pearson said he couldn’t think of anyone who had committed more time and energy to the community over the past three decades.
“Jeff loved the Port Hope Kinsmen. Jeff loved the Ganaraska River. Jeff loved this park. Jeff loved this gazebo. Jeff loved Port Hope.”
He said the park will now provide a place where families can gather, children can play and future generations can create their own memories.
“Every time that somebody sees the Jeff Lees Memorial Kinsman Park, they’ll have a chance to remember a man who spent his life making sure that this community was left better than how he found it,” Pearson said.
Lees’ longtime friend Don McNeil said he had known Jeff for more than 40 years.
McNeil recalled Lees’ involvement with the Kinsmen, Lions Club, Big Brothers, municipal council and his years as deputy mayor.
“I know Jeff would have been thrilled with this honor,” McNeil said.
He thanked the Municipality of Port Hope on behalf of Lees’ wife Laurie, son Garnett, daughter-in-law Maddie and himself for the tribute.
Snoek also reflected on her own relationship with Lees, describing him as a former municipal colleague and, most importantly, a friend.
She said parks are much more than green spaces, pathways and amenities.
“They are places where children play, families spend time together,” she said. “Most of all, they are places that help a community feel connected.”
Snoek said that spirit of connection was exactly what Lees represented.
“He was a strong advocate for public spaces and here we are enjoying that today,” she said.
She also recalled Lees’ ability to remember small details about the people he met, including tidbits about individuals and the nicknames he used.
His connection with people, she said, was personal and enduring.
“Naming this park in Jeff’s honor is a meaningful way to recognize those values and the values that he lived — service, inclusion, civic pride, and most of all, a willingness to bring people together.”
For Lees’ wife Laurie, Sunday’s ceremony was emotional and deeply meaningful.
Speaking with Today’s Northumberland following the dedication, she said she believed Jeff was watching.
“He would be so proud and so honored,” she said.
Lees was born and raised in Port Hope, and Laurie said there was never any question that the community was where he wanted to be.
“He just loved it and he wasn’t going anywhere but Port Hope.”
She said Jeff was someone who always showed up.
“He was always there,” Laurie said. “Sometimes Port Hope overrode other things, but that was Jeff. That was him.”
Seeing the park officially named in his honour was, she said, well deserved.
“I love it. I think it’s well deserved and I’m very proud.”
And what would Jeff have thought of having a park named after him?
Laurie smiled.
“He would love it. And he would be a little bit embarrassed, I think. But deep down, I think he would love it. And I think he’d be very proud.”
On Sunday, the community he devoted so much of his life to made sure his name — and his legacy — will remain along the Ganaraska River for generations to come.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
