New Blog New Purpose

Welcome to my new Blog! Hopefully you've found your way here via Twitter or Facebook or perhaps even through a random search of Blogs related to London Ontario.

Let me introduce myself and explain what the Blog's purpose will be.

My parents:

My parents immigrated to Canada from England in 1966. While others turned back after a short time, Harold and Janet Peters made a home in London Ontario, living for a time on Stanley Street where my older brother Adrian was born in 1967. My maternal grandparents eventually followed their only daughter and came to London in 1969.

My mother worked at the Toronto Dominion Bank at the corner of Dundas and Wellington Streets in the early years. She later became a Tupperware dealer and manager until the late 80's when she 'went back to school' and entered the world of Life Insurance and Investments eventually becoming a Certified Financial Planner. I'm very proud of my mother's commitment to lifelong learning.

Soon after arriving and working on various large commercial framing jobs, my father and grandfather formed the Home Doctor Inc.. The Home Doctor has an outstanding reputation in London Ontario and is now frequently referred to by the City of London's Heritage Preservation staff for heritage restoration work. My Dad is an outstanding craftsman and artisan and I've got a few pieces of furniture as evidence.

The Home Doctor worked predominantly in aluminum siding installation; in 1975 my grandfather founded the London Area Siding Contractors Association to combat what he saw as undue regulation by the City of London. So I come by it honestly. The Home Doctor continued to thrive, working on homes throughout the City and surrounding areas and in particular in the downtown, Old North and Old South areas of London. The progress of my Dad's work has been impressive; from aluminum siding to custom storm doors and windows to full additions and now as my father continues to learn and hone his craft, he's done a built-in Wine Cellars (for my former Economics Prof Dr. Parkin), to built-in Bookcases and Custom Kitchens. My Dad's truly is a find for owners of London's finer homes and someone homeowners can trust with their largest investment.

Me:

Born: St. Joseph’s Hospital, London Ontario,
October 1, 1971

Schools Attended:
Woodland Heights Public School, k-8
Westminster Secondary School, 1985-1991
University of Western Ontario, 1991-1993, 1997-1998

I was born and raised in London. I lived in Berkshire Village until early in Grade 9 when we moved to Rington Crescent, just behind the London Gospel Temple (no relation, just so you know where). I did an extra year of High School as I did not feel prepared to go to University, nor did I want to start at the age of 18. I also had dedicated a significant amount of time and energy to basketball and wanted to be a 'starter', which would only occur the year after our City Championship. I stayed and we performed beyond expectations, went 9 and 6, made the playoffs and I had a pretty good year personally. I also managed grades high enough to get into Western, which was the school of my choice for financial reasons as well as academic.

I enjoyed the first two years of University but took a fairly light course load. Unsure of what I wanted to ultimately pursue in life, I took 2 years off and moved into downtown London. I scraped by until in 1996, I returned to school with OSAP loans for the first time and had my best year. I finished my course work in May 1998. During that time I enjoyed some great relationships, made new friends and tried to become part of the London hipster/music scene (it exists.)

In September 1998, I was married to a woman I'd dated on-and-off since High School and that same month we moved to Toronto to pursue better career options. While we had a great friendship and generated lots of good memories, we separated in March 2005 and divorced one year later due to irreconcilable differences. After a great deal of introspection, counseling and the advice of others, I have accepted our failings and simply wish that we had waited longer before making such a substantial decision as marriage. We were 27 and 25 respectively and I now believe most people should wait until they are at least 30, particularly men. The man should always ask the woman to marry him too!

Career:

I have worked many jobs in my life. I began working at age 13, delivering Pennysavers and Seasonal Catalogues to residents in Berkshire Village. I was the student caretaker/groundskeeper at St. Michael’s And All Angel’s Anglican Church on Springbank Drive. At age 17, I worked as a Sailing Instructor at Boy Scouts London’s Lean-to-Sail Program at Lake Fanshawe, contributing back to a program that had given me many years of enjoyment. I worked for the London Tigers for 4 summers, both managing vehicle access and parking and selling tickets to the public. I started working in London’s Restaurants at Age 18 until I left in 1997.

In 1997 I became Manager of Promotions at CHRW Radio Western, eventually also taking over as Music Director. In September of 1998, at age 27, I moved to Toronto working first at Sam the Record Man’s on Yonge Street, then as a Camera Operator for an Animation studio.

In the spring of 1999 I followed my passion for politics and took a job at Toronto City Hall, where I began my work for Councillor Michael Walker. I progressed from entry-level Administrative Assistant to Constituency Assistant and eventually served as Executive Assistant between 2002 and 2005. Councillor Walker served as Chair of Administration Committee, Tenant Defence Sub-Committee and initiated a review of Campaign Finances based on a report that I authored on his behalf.

In early 2005 I left Councillor Walker’s office to take a position as Executive Assistant to first term Councillor Shelley Carroll. Soon after, Councillor Carroll was chosen to lead the City’s Works Committee, one of the most complex and demanding Committees of City Council. In 2006, I realized it was time for a bigger change and that I was ready to broaden my experience and perspective. In my time at City Hall developed a lasting impression and built many new friendships on all sides of the political spectrum. I believe I had a reputation as a straight shooter and someone with a high degree of integrity who served his bosses well (though I stand to be corrected!)

From late 2006 until August 2008, I served as Manager of Business Development for Skymeter Corporation. Skymeter’s GPS-based system provides a new way to finance roads and manage capacity, employing basic economic theory to transportation systems. My responsibilities included building a brand, a personal reputation, a network of industry contacts, assisting in the selection of a VP Business Development and providing strategic advice about the politics of road finance and approaches to government sales. Unfortunately due to lack of investment, time-to-market of such a ground-breaking, paradigm-shifting technology, I was laid off. I remained a consultant to Skymeter, attending the World Congress of the Intelligent Transportation Systems Association in New York City in November.

In early 2009, I worked on various short-term contracts as a Marketing consultant, including one for a Maryland company who made me an offer of employment as VP Marketing/Sales. Unfortunately, I could not accept due to US Visa rules and the uncertainty of getting a Visa. That has lead to a pursuit of freelance writing opportunities. In July 2009, I made a decision to return to London from Toronto. I am now hoping for a position with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Goals:

I am moving back to London after nearly 11 years in Toronto. I've had a great time here, made great friendships, enjoyed Toronto's great multi-cultural neighbourhoods, it's various attractions and the other benefits of living in a large City. Through my work I gained invaluable experiences and learned a great deal about Local Government as well as more about how the private sector operates. More specifically I understand the many challenges facing business, particularly those businesses that interact with government and new companies.

As much as I love it, Toronto has also run me down. I find it less hospitable than London, with vastly more distractions there seem to be less personal relationships. People are always on the go, always in a rush and overly scheduled. While I have found that great at the times that I was also in that mode, I have found it difficult to be single and meet the demands of Toronto living. My health is not good. I have lost about 20 pounds since my divorce 4 years ago, including significant muscle loss. I've let myself go. So a new fitness regime is definitely part of my plan. I may return to Toronto but I have many other options that I am going to pursue.

London offers so many recreational opportunities as well as a fairly tight-knit community, at least that's how I remember it. It's always possible to go out and see people you know or make time to go visit them. Unfortunately, I may need a car soon to get around from my parents house in Westmount where I'm landing for a short time until I am earning some money.

Career wise, I believe it is now time for me to return to London to see what kind of a difference I can make on my hometown. I want to engage Londoners in a new kind of local politics. I want to create linkages between the University of Western Ontario Local Government and Urban Development programs to re-imagine our City and create a medium-sized City of the future. If London acts boldly now, in partnership with the private sector, London can enjoy the kind of economic development advantages that it currently does in the years to come.

More political platform to follow. Please sign up, add as a favourite and I look forward to starting full bore on this Blog on Tuesday - my first full day back in London.