Doug was. born and raised in North York, Ontario. He grew up playing hockey, fishing and skateboarding. Following high school, he decided to pursue a career as a Chef. He graduated from Stratford Chefs School, and completed his apprenticeship at Langdon Hall in Cambridge, ON. After his apprenticeship, Doug travelled and worked in Australia (Melbourne & Port Douglas), San Francisco, Toronto, Muskoka & Tofino. His culinary career took a pause after becoming the Sous Chef at the Wickaninnish Inn in Tofino, BC.

Doug took some time off from cooking to sharpen hockey skates at the local rink in North York. Following the hockey season, a friend reached out and suggested he come serve with them for the summer. Doug was hesitant but gave it a shot and immediately fell in love with wine.

From there, he worked in Toronto, Victoria, BC and then back to Toronto. His last Sommelier position was Head Sommelier/Manager of Jacobs & Co. Steakhouse in Toronto. After managing for a few years, Doug decided that he wanted to dip deeper into the world of wine and focus less on running restaurants.

He joined Halpern Enterprises in 2018 and dove head first into the world of fine wine. He spent 3 years working with the rarest, most sought after wines on the planet. It was during his time at Halpern that he decided it was time to get out of the city.

Fortunately, Doug had two good friends that showed him Orillia and shared their respective projects. Geoff from the Matchedash Lofts, and Simon from the Common Stove. Once the lofts received occupancy, Doug rented a unit and worked remotely. After a few months, he was offered a promotion with the caveat of having to move back to Toronto. By that time he was already sold on life in Orillia and made the difficult decision to quit his job and pursue a crazy idea. The same day he quit his job- Max from the Lone Wolf Cafe called him to let him know that the space he liked on Peter Street just became available. A few weeks later, the lease was signed and construction began to open Provenance Wine Bar.

The first two and a half years of business were great. The bar had many regulars and the community was very supportive. After the first summer in business, Doug ran for the DOBIA, winning a spot on the board-and also joined the Downtown Orillia BIA parking advisory committee. While attending a training session at the City regarding committees, it came up that the Affordable Housing Committee had an open spot- so he added that on as well.

He saw change was needed- and has never hesitated to jump in with both feet to make it happen.

January 2025, the major structure fire in downtown Orillia.

The day of the fire is hard to put in words. Ironically- the board elected Doug to be Chair the same night. He wasn’t sure if he even had a business anymore but graciously accepted the position. Doug was re-elected to the Chair position in January 2026 and also took the chair position of the Transportation and Parking Working Group. He was also appointed to the Downtown Revitalization Working Group last October.

In 2024, he met his now Fiancé, he has two step daughters and a dog. Days off are typically spent outdoors, ideally near the lake.

One important thing to note- is that Doug lives in Cumberland Beach, which is Severn Township. His business is in Downtown Orillia- which is what qualifies him for candidacy. His explanation for running is:

“ I moved to Cumberland Beach last year with my fiancé and my two step daughters. Because she’s from there, and the girls go to school/daycare out there, it made sense. People have asked me why I don’t run in Severn, and a few people suggested I run in a different Ward with less competition. The answer is simple for me. I am not doing this just because I want to be a Councillor. I am doing this because I love this City and I want to continue to see it succeed. My heart is in Ward 4; my business is here, I’ve lived on Scott Street and the at the Matchedash lofts. I likely spend more time working down here then I do sleeping in Severn.”