I feel truly fortunate because I grew up with the best of worlds: city and country! My dad and grandparents were from Caledon, Ontario and so I spent my weekdays in Toronto going to school and my weekends and summer holidays visiting my grandparents in Caledon. They often had a cow or a horse in their pasture, a rooster in their yard and a garden replete with all the vegetables a kid could love (and love to hate). My grandparents’ place is where I first fell in love with the outdoors: the farms and the forest, the Credit river, the Oak Ridges Moraine and the Niagara Escarpment. My dad kept bees on my grandparents’ property and now I keep bees as well.
I followed in my dad’s (and mom’s) footsteps in other ways, too, when I became a teacher and later a high school principal in the Toronto District School Board. During my time in education, I was an ardent advocate for outdoor education programs and environmental education. I have continued to pursue this passion with the OCC, my work with school boards and through work in mental health.
I love to hike with my pup, Henry, my husband, David, my son, Tomas, and anyone else who wants to join! I also snowshoe, paddle, play tennis, cycle and swim.