Recent Employment History
- Health Canada, Ottawa, Ontario (07/07–present)
- Senior Editor, Executive Correspondence Division (AS-04)
Editing and reviewing drafts of ministerial correspondence.
- Pontiac Printshop, Ltd., Shawville, Quebec (08/03–01/04)
- Reporter, The Equity
Journalism, photography and page layout for a weekly community newspaper.
- Department of Justice, Ottawa, Ontario (05/00–02/03)
- Legislative Revisor, Transport Regulations Unit (SI-03)
Editing and proofreading drafts of laws, regulations and statutory instruments.
- Human Resources Development Canada, Vanier, Ontario (09/99–04/00)
- Planning and Analysis Officer, Income Security Programs Branch (AS-03/04)
Writing briefing notes and other documents for senior managers and the Minister.
Government Ratings
- Bilingual (E/C/C).
- Security clearance: Level II (Secret).
Education
- Ph.D. student, History (Alberta, 1996–1999). Withdrew from program.
- M.A., History (Waterloo, 1996).
- B.A. (Hons.), History (Winnipeg, 1994).
Skills
- Editing and writing: briefing notes, copyediting and proofreading, fact-checking, journalism, ministerial correspondence, plain language.
- Internet: blogging, digital photography, web content management systems, web design (HTML 4.01/XHTML 1.0, CSS 1 & 2, PHP 4).
- Other: herpetoculture, historical research, paralegal, public speaking.
Selected Online Publications
- Ankylose This! (09/04–present)
- A group blog about living with ankylosing spondylitis.
- DFL (08/04, 02/06)
- A blog about last-place finishes at the Olympics that garnered significant media coverage.
- FRN (10/06–07/07)
- A blog about trains and train fanatics.
- The Map Room (03/03–present)
- A popular blog about maps and cartography with a daily audience of several thousand.
- The McWetlog (07/01–present)
- My personal blog.
- Snakes on Film (09/06–present)
- A blog about snakes in the movies and on TV.
Summary of Print Publications
Media
- For DFL:
Television: Appeared live on CBC Newsworld and CTV NewsNet. Radio: Appeared live on the BBC (World Service ×2, Radio Ulster) and talk radio stations in Toronto, Montreal, Kitchener and Regina. Print: Featured in the National Post, Sports Illustrated, Toronto Star, Folha de São Paulo and, through Reuters and Agence France-Presse wire stories, dozens of newspapers worldwide.
- For The Map Room:
- Quoted in the Boston Globe; interviewed by Dailysonic.
- Other:
- Quoted in stories about cameraphones (2003) and folksonomies (2005) in the Ottawa Citizen’s “Tech Weekly” section. Profiled in the West Quebec Post’s “Faces of West Quebec” feature in May 2005.
Talks and Presentations
- “The Seven Rules of Raising Baby Garters,” Ottawa Amphibian and Reptile Association, March 14, 2006.
- “Snakes: Sex, Violence and Food,” 2nd Gatineau Venturers, April 7, 2003.
- Presentation to the Emergency and Protective Services Committee (PDF), City of Ottawa, September 22, 2002.
- Plus a number of improvised talks about snakes for children at schools and day camps.
Selected Volunteer History
- Pontiac Archives (2005–present)
- Volunteer
- Ottawa Amphibian and Reptile Association (11/01–04/03)
- President
- Ontario Herpetological Society (09/99–11/01)
- Editor/Publisher, The Ontario Herpetological Society News
