The opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not represent my official capacity as Mayor of View Royal or Council.  This medium's sole purpose is to provide information and engagement opportunities with residents of View Royal so that we can benefit from respectful discourse on issues of relevance.

Bio

I was born in Victoria and raised in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia.  I grew up on a horse farm in a very small town called Paradise.  My earliest recollections were of the importance of community and long discussions about how to use the land and the impacts of decisions that would last generations.  I remember listening a lot to the mothers of small farmers who survived the depression, the wars and despite tremendous hardship raised families.  They are my heroes… and always will be.

​

I have called Victoria home for most of my adult life with the exception of several years at sea with the Royal Canadian Navy, a posting to Ottawa and many operations in support of National Security.  I have lived in View Royal for 12 years with my wife Jocelyn in an incredible neighbourhood surrounded by honest, hardworking folks that I consider my friends.  I spend my spare time gardening and lovingly restoring a 60 year old house, walking my black Labrador, Hunter and cooking gourmet food for my friends when my wife allows it.

​

I currently work as the Director of Digital Services for the Environmental Assessment Office in Victoria.  It is an incredible organization of folks passionate about mitigating the effects of development on our environment.  I build teams that build software to try to make the best decisions on large developments in British Columbia.  Much of my work is spent improving the access of information for the public to help them inform government of the issues surrounding proposed development.  I work with teams scattered across Canada and the rest of the world.  I learn from my teams every day and very much appreciate it when they challenge my perspective.  I try my hardest to prepare them to take my place one day and improve what I could not.

​​

Prior to my work with the Environmental Assessment Office I was Director of Digital Standards at Advanced Education and Skills Training where I coordinated Security, Privacy, Service Desk, Architecture and Digital Transformation.   Prior to that I was with Information, Innovation and Technology Division for the Natural Resource Ministries where I lead some of the first Agile Software Development Teams for BC Wildfire Predictive Services and Range BC that controls the use of crown land for grazing.  I worked out of the Lab that was experimenting with new ways of developing software where I also coached Product Owners across government.  I have created and delivered Digital Leadership and instructed several hundred provincial, municipal and federal employees how to lead teams at times of uncertainty.

​​

I transitioned from the Canadian Armed Forces to the Provincial Public Service in 2015.  It was one of the hardest challenges I have ever faced and admittedly it sometimes still is difficult.  I worked initially as transformation expert, business architect and business analyst.  I focused on developing people and training new skill sets to allow them to think differently about challenges and to work together as a team to solve them.  I encourage folks to reach out to the public for real input and build services that will add value to their lives.

​

I completed my Masters in Learning and Technology and Royal Roads University with Knowledge Management.  I am also certified as Project Manager and Product Owner.