About John

Who I Am

I'm a husband and a father of three, a pilot, a business leader, and a volunteer — and, for the last number of years, a proud East Toronto resident. For more than twenty years I've worked in jobs where the responsibility is real. Flying and running aviation companies will do that to you: you make decisions under pressure, and safety and accountability aren't boxes you tick. They're the job. You also learn fast that nothing gets done well without the people around you. I am a strong advocate for childcare, public transit, our environment, universal public healthcare and accessible housing as they are central to ensuring a good quality of life for everyone.

What I've Done

After I graduated from high school here in Toronto I attended Queen's University and later earned an MBA from the Rotman School at the University of Toronto. I got my start in Toronto's business community, then earned my commercial pilot's licence and followed aviation wherever it led — which turned out to be most of Canada. A lot of that work was in the North: connecting communities, keeping essential services running, and shoring up the transportation links people there count on every day.

Along the way I helped grow Canadian businesses and led teams through plenty of change. I held executive roles at Air Canada Express and Air Canada, and spent time as a demonstration pilot for the Pilatus PC-12. Today I'm Chief Commercial Officer at Great North Airlines, helping steer a Canadian company that's betting on growth and doing the work to back it up.

Service Beyond Work

Service has always mattered to me outside of any job title — on corporate and community boards through some genuinely hard years, and with a handful of local organizations I care about. There's more on that further down. What ties it all together is simple enough: I think leadership means showing up, listening, fixing what's broken, and owning the result.

My Family

My wife Melanie and I were both born and raised in Toronto. We moved to East Toronto just north of Queen Street East in 2021, and we're raising our three kids here, where two go to our local schools. Like a lot of families, most of what we worry about comes back to the same question — whether the next generation will have it as good as we did, or better. We're especially proud that our oldest has chosen to serve, and is now with the Canadian Armed Forces.

I believe in strong community organizations, and have supported Michael Garron Hospital, Woodgreen, and I am a member of the Dawes Road Legion.

I'm proud to call East Toronto home. I speak English and French and I look forward to being a strong, bilingual voice for Beaches–East York. I will work hard for our community so that it continues to be a great place to live and to raise a family.

We are living in very challenging times and the Mark Carney Liberal Government is the right team to build a stronger Canada. It would be a great honour if you would bestow upon me the trust of being your Liberal candidate and MP for Beaches–East York.