As a fifth-generation St. Catharines resident I am invested in the past, present, and future of our city.
MY MISSION is to make our community better.
There are so many amazing service clubs, neighbourhood groups, charities, and not-for-profits that do the heavy lifting of community building and that is where I will be devoting my time.
I challenge everyone to join me in giving your time, treasure, and talent to help make our community an incredible place to live, work, and play.
FAMILY LIFE
BORN AND RAISED IN THE NORTH END OF ST CATHARINES, I attended Carleton Public School and Laura Secord Secondary School where I participated in a variety of activities from baseball to school musicals and graduated as an Ontario Scholar.
My family has deep roots in the community, with over 5 generations living in the same two Carlton Street homes which are nestled in the heart of the ward.
My sister, Victoria, and I were raised by our single mother, Missy, who instilled in both of us the importance of family and sharing our talents and abilities with our community.
My grandparents, Ray and Maxine Attick, are both 'St. Catharines Volunteer of the Year' recipients for their tireless work as the Co-ordinators of the Out-of-the-Cold program at St. Paul Street United Church for over a decade. They contributed to teaching us the value of hard work, showing compassion to others, and a commitment to community service.
As a fifth-generation ‘St Cathariner’, I feel invested in the past, the present, and the future of our city.
HIGHER EDUCATION
AN ALUMNUS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WESTERN ONTARIO, I was the first of my family to graduate university, achieving an Honours Bachelor of Science with a Double Major in Medical Science and Classical Studies.
This combination of a Science and an Arts degree has developed my critical thinking, my analytical, and my problem solving skills by forcing me to see the world with two mindsets which now allows me to bring fresh ideas to the forefront.
It was also during this time that I discovered my passion for outreach and helping people. Throughout my university career, I actively engaged in many leadership and volunteer roles including helping our first year students transition into university life. One of my most heartfelt experiences was traveling to New Orleans with Habitat for Humanity to help build homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina. That showed me what people coming together can accomplish - helping one family at a time - and that lasting impression continues to resonate with me to this day.
POLITICS BEGINS
RETURNING HOME FROM UNIVERSITY IN 2013, I noticed most of my generation had left the city. I had friends move to Toronto, out West, down East, to the States – all fleeing Niagara to get work.
At one point, I had considered joining them – perhaps going out west to earn some money to pay off student loans. But instead, I decided I wanted to try to address the reason why our young people were leaving.
Reaching out to leaders throughout the community to discuss this issue, I began to realize that we needed to look for real solutions to this and other generational problems which we now face. After a short time, it became increasingly clear to me that my generation needed a voice in the public realm. With student debt still on the books, and a couple of friends and family as volunteers, I decided to launch my campaign for city council.
After many full days meeting the voters of my ward, on October 27th 2014, I was elected as the youngest City Councillor in St Catharines’ history.
My message of change had resonated with the voters of St George’s Ward and I am still humbled that I was entrusted with their support. I enjoyed engaging with so many people, hearing their concerns, and together building a plan to address them in order to help our ward and our city become a better place to live, work, and play.
ON COUNCIL
I WAS ELECTED ON A PLATFORM OF CHANGE. Change the wasteful spending at City Hall; change the way Council engages with the people; and change the distrust many people have around politicians by being a accessible politician that always fights for the people.
To accomplish these goals, I ‘dove in’ with both feet and sat on more committees than any other Councillor. I was the Chair of the Economic Sustainability Committee, Vice-Chair of the Budget Committee, and involved in many other citywide initiatives. Within my first year of being elected, I also fulfilled an election promise and began hosting monthly ward meetings to improve engagement with my residents.
As an ambassador of City Council and a young professional, I stayed involved in the activities of our city by attending as many charity fundraisers, business openings, and other events across the city. This helped me become aware of developing issues from citizen groups, the business community, and really get connected into the community.
COMMUNITY & BUSINESS
OUTSIDE OF POLITICS, I operated a Niagara property management business which oversaw buildings from Fort Erie to St Catharines. In 2020, I moved into the realm of digital media as an Associate Producer and Guest Relations Manager of a new national cable tv news show called ‘Canadian Justice’. With the responsibility of guiding the editorial content of the series, I used this media opportunity to highlight issues of injustice across Canada and help find solutions to fix them.
In the community, I serve on many local volunteer boards including Crime Stoppers of Niagara, Links for Greener Learning (LGL), The Facer District Merchants and Residents Association (FDMRA), the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 24, the Full Gospel Business Men Fellowship - Niagara Chapter, and the Royal Canadian Naval Association (RCNA) of Niagara. I am also a Government of Ontario appointee to the Ontario Trillium Foundation's Niagara Grant Review Team.
I am also a member of the St. Catharines Rotary Club, Junior Chamber International (JCI) St. Catharines, United Way Niagara’s GenNext Cabinet, Seymour Masonic Lodge, and a regular volunteer for Habitat for Humanity Niagara’s salvage team.
