Owen Sound deserves a well-informed Mayor whose experience matches the job. I have prepared through local government participation, practical business and farming, information technology, volunteer service, and documented work with County, provincial and federal decision-makers. That preparation gives me a useful combination of public-service knowledge, technical ability, financial responsibility and experience turning a resident concern into a concrete next step.

Family, farming and practical work

My family and working life are rooted in Owen Sound. I run two profitable local businesses: Lyis Forestry, a plant-nursery farm, and LiberIT, an information-technology business. Farming requires long-term care, seasonal planning, land stewardship and attention to the conditions that make a household and local economy viable. Running businesses requires listening to customers, managing suppliers, pricing work and products, balancing cash flow, purchasing carefully, planning taxes, controlling risk and deciding which investments earn their cost.

Earlier work and community settings have taught me to communicate with people from many walks of life and to focus on the practical question in front of us. As Treasurer of Grey Bruce Makerspace, I work with budgets, financial records, reporting, cost controls and organizational sustainability. I previously served as treasurer for a federal campaign and worked within formal financial and reporting requirements.

IT, computers and finding information

Through LiberIT, HelpOS and programming, I can work quickly through large amounts of information, locate the relevant record or rule, connect evidence across sources and turn complicated material into something people can use. I built HelpOS so residents can follow Owen Sound and Grey County agendas, transcripts, decisions and follow-through in one place.

I use databases, automation, search, document analysis and public-source research to compare costs, identify gaps, trace responsibility, test budget scenarios and explain decisions clearly. These skills support practical review of software, vendor dependence, data ownership, privacy, security, accessibility, backups, maintenance and recurring cost. They also help me find the specific legislation that governs a question, as I did when researching the rules for police-directed informants and agents.

This is useful preparation for the information demands of municipal leadership: understand the record, ask a precise question, identify what remains unknown and present residents and Council with a clear basis for a decision.

Government proposals, legislation and civic advocacy

I have attended and participated in Owen Sound Council meetings and spent several years following Grey County meetings, planning and services while communicating with mayors, deputy mayors, councillors and staff. I write proposals and letters, read legislation and policy, identify which level of government has the authority to act, bring a resident concern to the right decision-maker and follow the public record for a result. I have worked with residents, business owners, volunteers, municipal leaders and staff, provincial and federal representatives, ministries, ministers, premiers and public agencies.

Several advocacy efforts produced documented results:

  • Before Grey Bruce Makerspace existed, I advocated for shared “co-creation centres” where residents could learn, make and repair. The federal government later funded equipment for what became the local Makerspace.
  • I advocated to Ontario for vacant-home-tax authority to address housing pressure. Ontario later extended that authority to Owen Sound.
  • After Grey County mayors described difficulty obtaining financial information from staff, I advocated for stronger mayoral budget powers. Ontario later extended those powers to Owen Sound.
  • I have prepared proposals for Owen Sound and Grey County on housing, food security, local production, community resilience, public safety and municipal administration, with costs, responsible decision-makers and measurable follow-through.
  • I drafted the proposed House of Commons e-petition on time limits and oversight for police-directed drug trafficking and built a process for residents to express support, receive updates and participate in communication with Parliament.

When a resident brings forward a concern, I work to clarify the problem, locate the responsible authority, find the governing rule or evidence, prepare a useful request and keep the issue moving through the proper public channel. That approach combines advocacy with respect for the limits of municipal, County, provincial and federal authority.

Continuous learning and open input

Good public work requires curiosity, humility and follow-through. I invite new information, listen to people with direct experience and adjust my view when stronger evidence changes the picture. A proposal can improve through resident questions, staff knowledge, professional advice, public records and results from an initial implementation. I aim to explain what I know, identify what I am still learning and update the plan when the evidence warrants it.

Residents can examine the work directly: