Mike’s love for nature was instilled while roaming the woods on the family farm that borders the Hall’s Pond wetland complex, formerly in Puslinch Township, Wellington County. His first campaign was at the age of 14, when he was the sole delegate at a Guelph City Council meeting pushing for a hunting ban within the city limits. Early in his career, Mike worked for several environmental organizations including the Ontario Environment Network and Evergreen. He then joined the Province of Ontario, where he worked for three separate Ministries over almost 20 years. Mike never left environmental advocacy, having started organizations such as Protect Our Moraine in Guelph and the Greenbelt West Coalition in the Grand River Watershed. After he left the Ontario Public Service, following the Premier Ford government’s announcement that it was going to carve up the Greenbelt, Mike started a grassroots campaign called “Keep the Greenbelt Promise” with the Guelph-based Water Watchers. Mike loves to read, travel, cycle, ski and swing a hammer.