Don is a 45 year old lawyer who has spent the last 25 years working to protect human rights and improve living conditions for working people and their families.
A long-time resident of Vancouver Kingsway, he wants to provide strong representation and restore respect for democracy in the Riding.
Don attended the University of Alberta from 1981 to 1988, earning two degrees in Political Science and Law.
While at university, Don was very active in student politics and social justice issues. A student leader, Don was twice elected as a representative in student government and was involved in the anti-apartheid, third world and peace movements.
After graduation, Don articled at a corporate commercial law firm and was admitted to the Alberta Bar in 1989. Don then went to work as a Researcher and then Executive Assistant to the Leader of the Official Opposition at the Legislative Assembly.
In these capacities, Don gained first-hand experience in the legal needs of the business community as well as in government, writing legislation, analyzing budgets and developing sound public policy.
In 1991, Don and his family moved to Vancouver. Since 1992, Don has been the Director of Legal Resources for Teamsters Canada (Local 31).
In this role, Don has worked to protect the human rights, safety and security of working people and their families. He has won hundreds of cases, protected thousands of jobs and returned millions of dollars to working people and their families
Don has also worked with many businesses to establish positive labour relations and served on many public bodies ranging from transportation policy to regulatory reform.
Always active in his community, Don has been a hockey coach, broadcaster at Co-op Radio and long-time volunteer for Variety, the Children's Charity.
Don is currently the Chair of the Parent Advisory Council at Mount Pleasant school and a Director of the Meridian Cultural Society, a non-profit group that provides community space for daycare, church and refugee respite services. He is also a member of the Dickens Community Group and participated in local community crime prevention programs.
Don has been married for 23 years to Sheryl Palm, a Speech Pathologist at Children's Hospital. They have three children, Jaime, Jordan and Cerys.
