Hi, I’m Josh.
I'm a 2nd-class Power Engineer, proud graduate of NAIT. I've worked for fifteen years in private industry, organizing and managing the work done in large petrochemical and food-production facilities. In all my work, my priorities have always been on safety, efficiency, and making sure that projects come in on time and under budget. After my experience in private industry, I realized that I wanted to use my skill-set to give back to the community that's given me so much.
I grew up in Camrose, but Edmonton is my home.
1992, I am 5 years old. My Grandfather tells my parents it’s time I start playing a sport. He’s a boisterous man with a booming voice. I’m fascinated by a ring on one of his fingers. It’s as large as his personality, green and gold with two E’s. A trophy of his sons, a Grey Cup champion. They decide I’ll play hockey. He calls me “Man-Mountain”.
And I do. I begin to love it. I watch my favourite team, the Edmonton Oilers, on CBC hockey night in Canada. I’m taught the fundamentals, I make lifelong friendships, and I learn the importance of structure, teamwork, and community. The parents do their part. Taking turns driving kids to practice, volunteering for team fundraisers, helping each other in times of need. All the work done by the families and the coaches isn’t lost on me. I appreciate the arenas where the game is played. I see the support structure. I see what’s important to people.
At the top, The City. It provides the services, facilities, and the jobs to make it run. Then the communities within. They organize our associations, build our social frameworks and safety nets. To us, the people. The families that nurture and grow and share and love. Just like we always have. Just like we always will.
My journey may be different from yours. Maybe your story starts at the family business, or at the community church, or in the classroom. But we all learn the same values and principles, just through a different lens. A city is built bottom up, on the foundations of human decency and a vision of the future. Recently, I’ve seen some cracks starting to form. Your city councillor should be of service to you and listen to you. Not disregard your concerns. I want to be that advocate, to restore the trust that has been broken. To be your voice and do so with a focus on what’s important - our friends, our families, and our communities. When we focus on those things, everything else falls into place.