Keeping McMurrich-Monteith on Track

Thank you for visiting my page!  

On October 26th, we will be selecting our community's leadership team for the next four years. I live in this community so, like you, I want us to choose the best possible candidates.  Although I am seeking election as mayor, I am not running because of a single issue or personal agenda. I am not running because there is any one thing that I want to fix.   I see the role of mayor as one of leadership, collaboration and consensus-building rather than pursuing a personal agenda.   I want to be involved in our community and to serve it in the best way possible. Should you grant me the privilege of being your mayor, my commitment to you would be to perform the duties of mayor to the absolute best of my abilities.  Having said that, I do have a number of things I consider important as we move into the next 4 years.  Of course, every decision must be guided by responsible fiscal management, both in the short and long term, and by the Township's strategic plan .

Roads and Township Assets : One of the things I have learned during my time on council is that the quality of our roads is important to everyone. Regular review of these, and all of the township assets, should be part of any council's mandate. 

Economic Development: Our township faces significant ongoing challenges when it comes to our economy. Without a significant commercial, agricultural or industrial base,  it is critical that we support the businesses we already have and foster an environment that makes McMurrich-Monteith an attractive place to live and do business. In addition,   developing tourism and working with neighbouring townships and communities  is vital to our future outlook.

Emerging Technology -  Artificial intelligence is rapidly becoming part of everyday life, but its potential—and its implications for municipalities—are only beginning to be understood . I believe this administration will have to consider the ramifications of this revolution and figure out the best ways to utilize it. Council took the first step earlier in 2026 by implementing an AI usage policy for the Township - but there is a lot more to explore here. 

Recreation and Community Building - As a member of the Recreation Committee and a volunteer at various events on a monthly basis, I have seen firsthand the need for recreation in the community. I think our Recreation Committee has made great strides and I'd like to see that continue. 

Youth - While we have a vibrant seniors' club and a number of events that attract adults, there seems to me to be a lack of youth participation.  I have spoken with staff and committee members about finding new ways to engage young people in Township activities—perhaps through a youth ambassador program . We need to be building our leaders for the 2030s and beyond and one way to do that is to give them real responsibility. 

Communication - The dissemination of information is one of the key challenges facing almost every organization, and our township is no different. Communications channels are fragmented. While the Web, Facebook, Instagram, X and countless other platforms have made transmission instantaneous, they have divided people. The algorithms encourage click-bait headlines and argumentative back-and-forth, but very little in the way of respectful debate. Left out entirely are those who are not tech-savvy or choose to keep their activity largely offline. When residents are left to fill in the "information gaps", assumptions and misinformation become a spiral that benefits no one. I would like to see two or three town hall meetings per year (including one in the July-August time frame)  so that residents and council remain mutually well informed. 

In summary, the goal of this page is not to haul out a list of promises that may or may not be possible, but rather to tell you about who I am and the values I have. Once you know more about me and other candidates, together we can all make the best choice on October 26th. I am willing to take on the roles and responsibilities of mayor if you feel that my qualifications and experience warrant it. So if what follows looks like a resume, I suppose it is.  I'll be posting some additional thoughts on my blog between now and Election Day, expanding on some of the above items. I hope you'll return to read about it. You can read the first entry here.

Education, Professional Designations

• University of Waterloo, BMath 1984 (Computer Science)
• Fellow, Life Office Management Institute (FLMI)
• Master Fellow, Life Office Management Institute (FLMI/M)
• Associate - Customer Service, Life Office Management Association
• Associate - Life and Health Claims, International Claims Association
• TICO (Travel Industry Council of Ontario) Certified Professional (Travel Counsellor and Supervisor/Manager)

Career Experience

Union Gas, 1984-85 

• Computer Programmer 

Manulife Financial, 1985 - 2005, 2009

• Programmer, Analyst
• Database Administrator
• Manager, Consultant

CottageLINK/CottageLINK Rental Management, 1996-2022 

• Owner/Operator
• Founding Chair, OCRMA (Ontario Cottage Rental Management Association), 2019-2022

CottageLINK Rental Management, 2022 - Present

• Consultant, Photographer

Township of McMurrich-Monteith, 2020 - Present

• Recreation Committee Member
• Strategic Planning Committee Member
• Councillor (2022 - Present)

A little more about me...I've been happily married for more than 40 years, and have been blessed with three children and four grandchildren. 

I've been volunteering my entire adult life - as a Sunday School teacher and committee member, Juvenile Diabetes Foundation charity work, Beaver leader, coach/manager for countless soccer teams and web designer for non-profit organizations to name a few.

Following the sale of my business in 2022, my wife and I decided to make the cottage we had purchased in 2018 in this community our permanent home. Wanting some involvement in the community, I submitted my name as a volunteer for the township's Recreation Committee. That has led to serving on other committees as well, including Strategic Planning. In 2024, I was given the privilege of filling the vacated council role. The opportunity to serve the community in this capacity has been hugely rewarding. I have had the chance to speak with a number of you on township-related concerns. Hopefully, I've run into you in the context of volunteering in McMurrich-Monteith. If you've ever bought a drink or asked someone a question at a Family Fun Night or other Rec event, there's a good chance we've spoken. If you drive by the Rec Committee's bottle return trailer at the landfill, give a wave if you see me in there sorting. I know that many of you volunteer as well (thank you!!) and understand the satisfaction of community participation. 

My days are never without something to do. I enjoy what I do in the context of the community and part-time employment, so I am fortunate not to truly refer to anything in my life as "work". When not involved in the aforementioned, however, I enjoy photography (the photos on this page were taken by me in our township), cycling (518 is scenic on every single ride), pickleball (activity at the new courts at the community centre continues to increase) and curling. Our dark skies feed my love of astronomy and I enjoy tinkering with computer tech. Sure, I also swing a golf club now and then as well, but selling myself as a golfer might be an insult to those who play the game well ;)