I moved here in Feb 1991 from Kitchener, Ontario, with my wife of that time. We purchased a property in 1992 that was designated in the Official Community Plan (OCP), and confirmed by the SCRD Planing Department, to meet our plans for the future.
In 1994, when we applied for the zoning that conformed with the OCP, it was turned down, because 2 of the 13 neighbours didn’t like the proposal.
I became familiar with the Municipal Act, and did a delegation to the SCRD Board to explain why they couldn’t do what they did to our application. This is when I learned about the Boys Club at the SCRD Director level. The application was approved, but the main attraction of the rezoning was denied.
I was already the President of the West Howe Sound Electors Association, and I was asked to join the West Howe Sound Advisory Planning Commission. I served this Commission from 1994 - 1999.
I participated in the design and creation of the Hillside Industrial Park.
In 1996 I participated on the Ports Divestiture Committee. We investigated the condition, associated costs, and viability of the docks that we wanted to accept from the Federal Government
In 1996, I ran for Director of Area F, West Howe Sound. After 3 counts, it was confirmed that I lost by 20 votes. The incumbent Director had driven electors to the polls during a blizzard, and won. He asked me to be his Alternate, saying it should’ve been me to win. I attended most of the meetings into 1999.
Around 1996, some 30 acres became available adjacent to Soames Park, outside of Gibsons. The Community Association, the APC, and both reps lobbied the SCRD to buy that land, to build a community field that was intentionally for the Gibsons Pigs, a rugby team. I participated in the design group, that also included washrooms, a community garden, with a bio-reed bed filter system, that would educate people, while providing 99% clean water for the gardens. That became Shirley Macey Park.
In 1996, I also became a member of the Keats Island Water Committee, as we had purchased a property in the Eastbourne Community of Keats island.
Also in 1996, I became a member of the Recreation Committee. Our focus was to build recreation facilities throughout the Sunshine Coast that would allow multiple activities across all areas of the Sunshine Coast. This quality and capacity was never realized, but with significant investment, the Gibsons Recreation Centre may come close to reaching that level proposed, but at 3 times the cost.
In 1998, I took a Community Justice Forum Facilitator's training course, that was offered by the RCMP, as we considered going down a road, that in some cases had been shown to make a difference in recidivism.
In 1999, at community request, I entered the nomination race for the Liberal Party, to be the MLA for the Sunshine Coast Riding. My personal life at that time caused me to pull out of the election process.
I left the Sunshine Coast in November of 2000, to pursue an opportunity in Kamloops. Family health issues took me back to Ontario in 2003, but our medical system provided the wonderful care that it does, and I moved back to the Sunshine Coast in February 2009.
I was asked to run for Mayor of Gibsons, but one cannot pay a mortgage with a full-time job, and part-time pay.
I had no consideration of politics until 2024, when a Regional Director that I worked with in 1996 asked me to run for the 2024 election.
