GET TO KNOW US.
Our Story
YES Canada is made up of a group of people who love to travel, explore and discover new things. We’re a company that is built on family – from our hosts across the world to our team here in Canada, family is at the core of our values and our family grows with every student that travels with us.
We welcomed our first students to the family and officially sent them abroad when YES Canada came together in 2008 but our roots in international experiences for teens stretch much further back.
20 years ago our founders welcomed a small group of Japanese students to experience high school and family life in Huntsville, Ontario and today thousands of students journey to Canada every year to take part in Muskoka Language International programs. This first company, MLI brought the world to Canada and now we want to take Canada to the world.
Today YES Canada operates in over 20 countries worldwide with programs ranging from 2 week language and culture trips to year-long high school exchange & immersion experiences.
We love what we do and we know you will too!
Our People
The Founders
As the founders of YES Canada, Mike Ruby and Bev MacWilliams created the culture of “YES” that instills an excitement and a genuine pride in what we do.
As two friends from small town Canada they set out to combine their love of education and travel, to showcase and share their town and country with students from around the globe. Now, 20 years on and thousands of successful experiences later, Mike and Bev run a network of Canadian organizations that provide unique opportunities for students across the world.
Their latest venture, YES Canada allows us to offer these awesome experiences and expand the tradition of travel to our Canadian students.
The Bairds
Scott and Alissa Baird are the husband and wife team at the helm of YES Canada today. Taking over the company in 2012, Scott and Alissa took their love for discovering new places, sparked by a childhood of travel, and today focus every energy into generating new ideas that foster opportunities for high school students across the country.
As part owners of YES Canada they work closely with Bev, Mike and the team to ensure that the strong quality and roots of the company continue to thrive and reach every student that travels with us.
Our People
The Founders
As the founders of YES Canada, Mike Ruby and Bev MacWilliams created the culture of “YES” that instills an excitement and a genuine pride in what we do.
As two friends from small town Canada they set out to combine their love of education and travel, to showcase and share their town and country with students from around the globe. Now, 20 years on and thousands of successful experiences later, Mike and Bev run a network of Canadian organizations that provide unique opportunities for students across the world.
Their latest venture, YES Canada allows us to offer these awesome experiences and expand the tradition of travel to our Canadian students.
The Bairds
Scott and Alissa Baird are the husband and wife team at the helm of YES Canada today. Taking over the company in 2012, Scott and Alissa took their love for discovering new places, sparked by a childhood of travel, and today focus every energy into generating new ideas that foster opportunities for high school students across the country.
As part owners of YES Canada they work closely with Bev, Mike and the team to ensure that the strong quality and roots of the company continue to thrive and reach every student that travels with us.
Alissa Baird
Operations Manager
She started by volunteering in MLI’s early Japanese group programs and then as a teen she experienced her own student exchange program in the vibrant city of Seville, Spain. After teaching English in Japan for three summers, Alissa travelled to Scotland to complete her university education and lived and worked there before making the move back to her homeland with Scott. But not before making a few trips to Paris of course! Alissa is serious about Paris, from the culture to the fashion to the sweet delight that is the macaroon, she fell in love with this city and so it’s no surprise that we have a program today that showcases the French capital.
Alissa is the Operations Manager at YES Canada, which means that she is the captain of our ship! Alissa makes sure that we have the best possible program offerings at YES Canada and works with our management team, our partner agencies abroad and school boards across the country to ensure that we are providing the best possible service and experiences. Alissa is from small town Canada but has a world-class approach to what she does and we hope you will see this in the quality and range of our programs.
Scott Baird
National Student Recruitment Manager
Scott is YES Canada’s Student Recruitment Manager, which means that he and his team of recruiters get to speak to all of the interested students and families across the country about what we do. Scott’s travels in Canada have taken him from coast to coast and he loves working with students to find the country and program that fits best.
Graham Vogt
National Homestay Recruitment Manager
Emily Snider
Inbound and Homestay Program Manager
Julia Saunders
Inbound Program Coordinator
Coming to the Great White North to start your YES Canada study abroad program? Julia is our Inbound Program Coordinator and she is here to guide you through your adventure in Canada.
Whether you are a budding host family ready to welcome your first international explorer or an international student navigating your way through the excitement of exchange in Canada, Julia is there to make your journey a success.
Julia is proud of her own German family roots and has always had an international outlook having grown up travelling the world with her family. Julia also learned the value of study abroad programs early on, travelling on a social justice trip to Nicaragua during high school and later in university for a semester abroad in Shanghai as part of her degree in Global Development Studies at Queen’s University.
Julia also has a wealth of experience in welcoming newcomers to Canada and before her time with YES worked for over 4 years with Settlement Services in Banff, ensuring that immigrants to Canada of all ages were set up with the best possible start. During her time in Banff, Julia also developed a real passion for connecting with nature and the great range of outdoor and adventure opportunities Canada has to offer – feel free to ask her about some of exciting things you can take advantage of in the great Canadian wilderness!
Andrea Corbeil
Inbound Admissions Coordinator

COORDINATORS AND RECRUITERS
YES Canada couldn’t exist without our fantastic, enthusiastic and devoted homestay coordinators and outbound student recruiters. We think of them as our extended family and they are out there taking care of our international students and spreading the word in their local communities about our awesome outbound high school student exchange experiences.
Our endless appreciation goes out to our team across Canada!