I grew up in rural Northwestern Ontario near Thunder Bay. The great outdoors and sports filled my free time. Since then I have welded at Copper and Uranium mines, high lead logged on the North Pacific Coast, built communications towers, installed reinforcing steel, erected structural iron and installed solar throughout western Canada.
1990 National Championships – Don Weixl
Teaching skiing at Canada Olympic Park from 1984 to 1988 led to volunteering at the 88 Olympics. My time at Canada Olympic Park was a valuable experience. It was key to my progress onto the National Freestyle Ski Team of which I was a member of for five years.
The cleaning business I developed and operated in Banff and Canmore employed ten full and part time people at its peak and while working for Telecom contractors, I occasionally assisted the Coast Guard. In 2001 I worked on Special Projects for NORAD under federal contract.
In 1999 I was installing concrete reinforcing steel at an Oil Sands refinery. The lessons learned from that experience, motivated me to think more progressively about alternatives to Oil & Gas and even moving me to install solar electric and hot water systems years later. That Oil Sands experience also prompted me to become politically involved during the 2008 Federal Election and I have remained active ever since.
As time goes by my interests have shifted from personal, to the service of others. This has often forced me to let go of my old beliefs and learn to accept and understand new insights. The world has changed and so must we. The time for Canada’s reliance on the good will of neighbours is over, we must grow stronger and more self reliant so that we may prosper in a sustainable peaceful and free manner.