Biography

I was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1968, the middle of three girls. I spent my childhood in Winnipeg and after graduating high school I moved to New York to study fashion merchandising. That was a great experience but I soon discovered that what I was really interested in was philosophy, so after a couple of years I moved back to Winnipeg and enrolled at the University of Manitoba to study philosophy. It was around that time, following my first year at the University of Manitoba, that I spent the summer backpacking through Europe, eventually arriving in Paris on the night of August 1, 1990. You can read all about that fateful night and its aftermath in my book, One Hour in Paris.

I remained in Winnipeg for the next few years, completing my BA and then doing an MA in philosophy before moving to Toronto in 1996 to do doctoral work in philosophy at the University of Toronto. In 2002, just after I received my PhD, I got a job in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Guelph. As an academic philosopher my time is divided primarily between teaching and research (you can read more about my research here). I truly enjoy teaching philosophy and over the years I have had the distinct pleasure of working with some remarkable students. I also have a great group of colleagues at Guelph, with interesting and diverse research interests (you can find out more about where I work here).

I have been living in Toronto for almost twenty years now and I love the city – I love its neighborhoods, its people, and its culture. My partner Bruce and I bought a house in the downtown west end in 2007. I’ve got great friends here and when I am not spending time with them I am playing left wing in a couple of women’s recreational hockey leagues, which is probably the most fun that I have ever had. I am very happy in Toronto, although in some respects Winnipeg still feels like home to me. My family is there and I visit a lot. And my favourite hockey team, the Winnipeg Jets, is finally back in town.