---
title: Tour Conductors and Guides
description: Meet the Aspire Canada Tours conductors and guides leading our departures, including Ellie Lamb, Graham Martin and Vesti Nielsen.
---

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[2-Day Churchill Polar Bear Tour](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/churchill-polar-bear-tours?hsLang=en-ca) [4-Day Yukon Northern Lights Tour](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/yukon-northern-lights-tour?hsLang=en-ca)

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[2-Day Churchill Polar Bear Tour](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/churchill-polar-bear-tours?hsLang=en-ca) [4-Day Yukon Northern Lights Tour](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/yukon-northern-lights-tour?hsLang=en-ca)

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    - [Churchill Polar Bear Tour - 2 Days](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/churchill-polar-bear-tours)
    - [Grizzly Bear Tour - 1 Day](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/grizzly-bear-tour) 
          - [Photo Gallery](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/grizzly-bear-tour-photos)
    - [Yukon Tour - 7 Days](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/yukon-tour)
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- [Blog](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en/blog)
- About

    - [Guide to the Real Canada](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/about)
    - [Conductors & Guides](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/tour-conductors-and-guides)
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![Aspire Canada Tours Conductors grizzly bear tour](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/hubfs/Aspire%20Canada%20Tours%20Conductors%20grizzly%20bear%20tour.jpeg "Aspire Canada Tours Conductors grizzly bear tour")

**Headline image:** Aspire Canada Tours (ACT) tour conductors Ellie Lamb, Vesti Nielsen, ACT’s co-founder, Director of Operations and lead tour conductor, and Graham Martin aboard the *MV Inside Passage* catamaran on the North Coast of British Columbia during the July 4, 2026 Grizzly Bear Tour. Ellie also served as the tour’s guest naturalist.

![Ellie aboard the MV Inside Passage during Aspire Canada Tours’ Grizzly Bear Tour on July 4, 2026.](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Ellie_ACT_portrait.jpg?width=180&height=225&name=Ellie_ACT_portrait.jpg)

# Ellie Lamb

#### Tour Conductor, Naturalist

CBVA Level 3 Bear Viewing Guide and former instructor with more than 27 years of hands-on experience working with grizzly and black bears throughout British Columbia.

Ellie Lamb brings more than 27 years of hands-on experience working with grizzly and black bears throughout British Columbia. A CBVA Level 3 Bear Viewing Guide and former instructor, she has spent decades guiding guests in bear country and observing bears in their natural habitat with patience, respect, and a deep understanding of their behaviour.

Known for her intuitive connection with bears and her ability to interpret their subtle communications, Ellie helps guests experience grizzlies in a way that is both meaningful and responsible. Her approach is grounded in decades of behavioural observation and extensive experience teaching bear behaviour and communication to guides, park staff, search-and-rescue teams, and conservation partners across British Columbia.

For guests, that means time in the field with a guide who combines exceptional experience, calm leadership, and genuine respect for both the bears and the landscapes they inhabit. Ellie’s goal is for every visitor to leave with a deeper understanding of grizzlies, a greater appreciation for wild places, and memories of an authentic and respectful wildlife-viewing experience.

> “Bears speak through honesty, not words,” says Ellie. “When they trust you, they show you who they are, and in that quiet, they help you remember who you are.”

![Jenn Taggart, Aspire Canada Tours conductor and wildlife photographer, seated in a forest holding her camera, with sunlight filtering through the trees behind her.](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Jenn_Taggart_Portrait_4x5.jpg?width=960&height=1200&name=Jenn_Taggart_Portrait_4x5.jpg)

# Jenn Taggart

#### Tour Conductor

Growing up near the Rocky Mountains, Jenn developed a lifelong fascination with wildlife and Canada's natural landscapes. She is a Certified Bear Viewing Guide with the Canadian Bear Viewing Association and is committed to responsible, ethical wildlife viewing.

With 20 years of experience teaching and raising her family, Jenn enjoys sharing her knowledge of wildlife conservation and helping others appreciate the natural world. She also volunteers with a local wildlife rescue, where releasing rehabilitated owls back into the wild is a particular highlight.

An avid horsewoman, hiker and photographer, Jenn has travelled extensively throughout North and Central America. Her first visit to Churchill, Manitoba, sparked a special interest in the region, turning what she expected to be a single visit into an annual tradition.

As a tour conductor with Aspire Canada Tours, Jenn brings a keen eye for spotting wildlife, a thoughtful approach to conservation and a genuine enjoyment of sharing Canada's wild places with guests.

![Graham Martin aboard the MV Inside Passage during Aspire Canada Tours’ Grizzly Bear Tour on July 4, 2026.](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Graham_Martin_ACT_portrait.jpg?width=220&height=275&name=Graham_Martin_ACT_portrait.jpg)

# Graham Martin

#### Tour Conductor

Graham has spent much of his life exploring British Columbia’s outdoors. Raised on a farm, he went on to spend many years horseback guiding wilderness trips throughout the province, ranging from weekend outings to ten-day expeditions. An avid outdoorsman, Graham enjoys discovering new places and sharing the landscapes and natural surroundings that make British Columbia distinctive.

![Hakon Nielsen, Aspire Canada Tours conductor, smiling outdoors in an Aspire Canada Tours jacket and cap, with colourful autumn trees in the background.](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Hakon%20Nielsen%201.jpeg?width=1500&height=2000&name=Hakon%20Nielsen%201.jpeg)

# Hakon Nielsen

#### Tour Conductor

**Hakon Nielsen | Tour Conductor**

Hakon brings decades of experience working and travelling throughout Western Canada. A professional forester, he spent 30 years in British Columbia’s forest industry, specializing in engineering, logging layout and management.

He later spent six years as a tour bus driver throughout Western Canada and the United States, working with leisure travellers, senior tour groups and sports teams. His background combines practical knowledge of the Canadian landscape with extensive experience looking after travellers.

Hakon is also the father of Aspire Canada Tours co-founder and lead tour conductor Vesti Nielsen. Outside of touring, he enjoys hiking, biking, hunting and travelling.

![Vesti Nielsen, Aspire Canada Tours co-founder, at Guisachan Heritage Park in Kelowna, British Columbia, May 2026.](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/hs-fs/hubfs/vesti-nielsen-tour-conductor-grizzly-bear-tour-aspire-canada-tours.jpg?width=1200&height=1600&name=vesti-nielsen-tour-conductor-grizzly-bear-tour-aspire-canada-tours.jpg)

# Vesti Nielsen

#### Co-founder, Director of Operations and Lead Tour Conductor

Vesti oversees tour operations for Aspire Canada Tours, bringing more than 15 years of logistics and business experience to the planning and delivery of each departure.

Vesti Nielsen is co-founder of Aspire Canada Tours and leads the company’s tour operations. Based in Kelowna and originally from Rock Creek, Vesti has a practical background in planning, budgeting, supplier coordination, and guest service.

For Aspire Canada Tours, Vesti focuses on the details that help each tour run smoothly, including transportation, timing, meals, accommodations, local partners, and on-the-ground execution.

In 2026, Vesti will serve as lead tour conductor for Aspire Canada Tours’ inaugural departures, including the July 4, 2026 Grizzly Bear Tour, the Yukon Klondike Tour, the Yukon Northern Lights Tour, and the Churchill Polar Bear Tour.

His approach is calm, organized, and hands-on. Guests can expect clear communication, careful coordination, and steady support throughout each tour, especially when the itinerary involves flights, transfers, remote destinations, and multiple suppliers.

Plan Your Trip

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Tours

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- [Churchill Polar Bear Tour](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/churchill-polar-bear-tours)
- [Grizzly Bear Tour](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/grizzly-bear-tour) 
    - [Photo Gallery](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/grizzly-bear-tour-photos)
- [Yukon Tour](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/yukon-tour)
- [Yukon Northern Lights Tour](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/yukon-northern-lights-tour)

Company

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- About 
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    - [Guest Testimonials](https://www.aspirecanadatours.com/en-ca/guest-testimonials)
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**Land acknowledgement:** Our journeys take place on the traditional territories of many **First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples** across Canada. We travel with respect for the land, cultures, and communities, and we follow local guidance wherever we go.

Licensed in British Columbia as a travel agent and travel wholesaler, licence no. 89327. | City of Kelowna business licence: 4099311 | Goods and Services Tax (GST) registration no. 728430760RT0001.

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