Originally from Nipigon, Ontario, Heather moved to Thunder Bay in middle school (which seemed like a big jump at the time). Now, after traveling around the world, visiting four continents and 20+ countries, she still considers herself a bit of a homebody. “Traveling gets me out of my comfort zone… sometimes it’s not too far out of my comfort zone but it’s out nonetheless.” She considers traveling an addition to her always present quest for knowledge - a history major in university, a reader of memoirs, and a self proclaimed Jeopardy champion, traveling is another way to get hands on knowledge of the people, culture, and geography of a country.

Heather’s favourite thing about living in Thunder Bay is the variety it has to offer. “I like that we experience the four seasons here. I love snow, I love our normal temperature summers. I love the fiery oranges of autumn and that one spring day where the sun gets warm.” She also loves how easily accessible nature is - whether it’s the deer walking through her backyard, stumbling upon a walking trail in the forest, or a short trip to camp for the weekend.

Lake Superior is the place to be for Heather. She loves to be by the water, going out on the lake with her father in the summers and taking trips down the Kam. “I grew up going to camp on weekends and for long periods of time in the summer and there is something incredibly calming about being by the water.”

She loves to dine locally, trying out the new restaurants that pop up across the city. “We have such incredibly talented chefs here and the diversity of cuisines has helped me branch out a lot.” She is making a concerted effort to shop locally more often for other goods, after seeing the strong community of small business owners and the hard work they do.

The one item Heather can’t live without is her phone - but not for phone purposes. “I always have music playing while working, driving, exercising, writing...I was incredibly upset when I lost my old iPod Classic on a trip 6 years ago which held thousands songs and personal playlists. I still wonder where it ended up. I hope they are enjoying it.”

What she has learned during the last year of COVID is the importance of a check-in with the people she loves. “Just because you're doing okay in the ‘new normal’ doesn't mean everyone is.” She has adjusted to life working at home but she knows friends and family have different experiences and sometimes being a listening ear for a rant is all you need to do.

She has also learned that her cat is not a productive coworker.