Michael is an experienced campaigner with a background in policy research, advocacy, and community organizing.

Since arriving at Nature Canada in 2021, Michael has led research and advocacy to advance more transparent and accurate government reporting of logging-related greenhouse gas emissions, and advised on and advocated for the incorporation of nature in Canada’s Adaptation Strategy.

Before joining Nature Canada, Michael coordinated climate engagement and advocacy work at the Toronto Environmental Alliance. Prior to that, he was a social and environmental policy researcher at Queen’s Park, national anti-poverty program coordinator at KAIROS, and a community engagement worker with the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto.

He has led and supported numerous peace, justice, and environmental campaigns, from helping win a student referendum to boycott South African products at McMaster University in the mid-1980s, to securing the City of Toronto’s climate emergency declaration in 2019.

Michael received a doctorate in Environmental Studies from York University in 2000, where he explored the possibilities and limitations of multi-stakeholder change processes.