ShawnGray – Northern Ontario Party

Shawn Gray (ShawnGray)

Gray was born in Thunder Bay and raised in Timmins. Two of the six main cities in Northern Ontario. Heavily involved with Scouts Canada in his youth, Gray was an active member in his community before leaving the North to pursue an education.

While in Ottawa, Gray earned a Bachelor degree in English Literature. He continued his education in North Bay at Nipissing University, where he pursued his Bachelor of Education. Once certified as a teacher, he returned to Timmins while pursuing opportunities to teach tomorrow’s youth. Unfortunately, with the declining population, teaching jobs were rare and he obtained a position in retail sales to make ends meet.

After a couple of years of sales, Gray accepted a promotion to a management position in Sudbury, where he met his wife. Gray was involved in kicking off National Novel Writing Month and actively encouraging increased literary pursuits in the city. His active connections and development of writing events led him back to Ottawa to obtain a Graduate Certificate in Event Management from Algonquin College. He enrolled for another round of education, seeking a Diploma in Business Administration, but when his wife was offered a position in Victoria, BC, his education was cut short.

Victoria was beautiful, but it was a very expensive journey, with no job prospects beyond minimum-wage tourism positions. With a young son born on Vancouver Island, providing stability and opportunities for his family was a priority. As a result, when a position opened up for his wife back in Sudbury, they returned to the North. Almost immediately upon return, Gray was able to obtain a professional position as an Administrative Assistant.

The continued imbalance between Northern Ontario and Southern Ontario was immediately apparent, and with an election approaching, Gray sought a party that actually could represent the North. The Northern Ontario Party, although a little more conservative in some of its views, offered one that was close to Gray’s own. Gray joined up and immediately went to work developing this website in the hopes of using it for a Sudbury Riding Association, while making it useful for the general party while in limbo.

Northern Ontario is a very different place than Southern Ontario, and Gray does his best with the resources available to help improve the conditions around him while raising his two young children.

Author: ShawnGray (Shawn Gray)

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