Mike was born in London and has lived in the Forest City most of his life. After graduating from London South Collegiate Institute, he earned a computer science degree from the University of Waterloo before returning to his hometown.
Enterpreneur & Employer
As a founder of his local business, Mike knows the challenges and rewards of launching and sustaining a business. At SunTap Technologies, he works with a team of other renewable energy professionals to assess buildings and determine which technology to integrate for long-term energy savings.
Recently celebrating his company’s fourteen-year anniversary, Mike has gained experience in responsibly managing both finances and time, as well as in building and maintaining relationships with clients. He has mentored five students at SunTap during their co-op placements, which convinced him further of the need to create opportunities for young people in our city.
Food Banker
Mike’s commitment to his community really took hold in 1999, when he began volunteering on Saturday mornings at the London Food Bank. Within a few years, he was co-ordinating volunteers and, in 2016, joined the staff to run the Community Harvest program. In these 24 years of service, he’s seen how many of our neighbours struggle to make ends meet has motivated Mike to push for more supports for people experiencing poverty, something that has been systematically ignored by all levels of government.
Environmental Advocate
Mike served as an industry representative on London’s Advisory Committee on the Environment (ACE) for ten years, and served three terms as chair. The committee provides input, advice, and makes recommendations to City Council on environmental matters affecting the City of London. He led the charge at ACE to recommend City Council decommission the failed Springbank Dam in order to save public money and preserve a healthier environment for the river.
Mike also worked for eight years on the board of directors for ReForest London, the city’s largest environmental non-profit organization. He has been a volunteer there since 2010, starting in tree planting and later joining working groups for the Million Tree Challenge before joining the board in 2015, and later served as Chair of the Trees Committee and Board Secretary.
Heritage Conservationist
Mike is a past-president, after serving for seven years, of the London Region branch of Architectural Conservancy Ontario (ACO). His passion for conserving our built heritage stems from a desire to ensure London has streetscapes that reflect the culture of our city and tells the tale of our shared history. Heritage buildings can and must be considered serious assets to a city, and also must be allowed to grow over time with sympathetic additions.