Personal Information

I live in Goderich, Ontario with my wife Beth, our cat Nelson, and our dog Molly. I was born in Sarnia, and am pleased to be living on the shores of Lake Huron again. I am semi-retired. I have been an active volunteer in community organizations all my life. Since moving to Goderich, I have served on the Board of the Maitland Trail Assocation and the Goderich Little Theatre. I also served as a community representative on the Finance Committee of our local hospital foundation and on the fund-raising committee of the Lake Huron Centre for Coastal Conservation. In 2024, I joined the Board of the Maitland Conservation Foundation. In 2022, my community service career took a big step forward when I was elected to Goderich Town Council. In addition to my regular Council duties, I am a member of the Board of Management of our local Business Improvement Association, and a municipal representative on our local Drinking Water Source Protection Committee. I like to joke that it took me sixty years to discover what my career had been. That's when I realized that, despite have worked in wide variety of public and private workplaces, I had been working steadily all along as a researcher and educator. For most of my career, I was self-employed. I also worked as a carpenter, bicycle mechanic, bookseller, and sales clerk in my father's store. I have been a blood donor since high school, and in 2021, I made my 125th donation. In 2011, our home was hit by the F3 tornado that hit Goderich on 21 August. Our house was severely damaged. We were home at the time, but we were not injured. We built a new house, in the same traditional style, on the same lot. We very much enjoy spending time on our large front veranda.

My wife Beth and I are avid hikers. In fact, we met in 2002 while attending a Map and Compass workshop. Since then, we have walked a long way together. We particularly like doing what the English call "long walks". Over the past 15 years, we have completed end to end hikes of ... The Bruce Trail (800 kms through southern Ontario) The Maitland Trail (45 kms through Huron County in southern Ontario) The Cumbria Way (70 miles through the Lake District of England) The West Highland Way (100 miles through southwestern Scotland) Four day hike along the GR4 in France from St. Andre-Des-Alpes to Entreveaux. The Limestone Way (50 miles through the Peak District in the Midlands of England) In 2017, we spent three weeks walking in the fields, forests, towns, and mountains of Switzerland.