Neil is a 48 year old Canadian, born in the UK and graduate of Salford University.
With his wife and 2 children he has resided in Richmond for the last 15 years.
Working as a technician for a small Richmond company involved in recycling electronics.
Most of his work experience is technically related and has included working as a teacher and technical school
principal while volunteering in the Philippines .
He has been following politics at a global, national and local level since his days as a student.
Getting involved through volunteering has been the expression of his politics. He worked in the Philippines for 4 years
through the British charity Voluntary Service Overseas, helping to set up technical schooling for underprivileged
communities.
Locally he is on the board of Richmond Addiction Services and spent some time as a crisis line volunteer and is a member of Richmond Poverty Response Committee.
He is a keen soccer dad and has either coached or assisted on his son's team for many years. He can be seen in the cycling lanes of Richmond throughout the year as he tries to minimize his footprint on the earth.
The cynicism people express
about politics and politicians has been both a driving force and brake on Neil putting his name forward at this time.
The risk of being labeled as just another politician, has been offset by his recognition that they have the ability to
affect change that can make significant improvements in our community, but need to remember their primary duty as the
representative of their community.