Father of six children, Richard is happily married and resides with his wife Sherri in student family housing at UBC along with their two youngest children Kalib and Ciara. His mother is Scottish/Cree from the Poplar River Indian Band, MB; his father was English/Algonquin, from Wikwemikong Village on Manitoulin Island, Ontario.
Graduated from the RCMP Training Academy in 1995, Richard was posted to B.C. where he spent the next 14 years in First Nations Community Policing. Using Aboriginal policing techniques Richard focused on strong community-law enforcement relations, with seven years as a volunteer firefighter in both Fort St. James and Takla Landing.
For his work on the Organizing Committees for the 1997 APEC Conference and the 2001 Summit of the Americas Richard was awarded the Prime Minister’s Commendation for Service. He is a founding member of the Sacred Wolf Native Friendship Centre in Port Hardy, BC. The Centre provides child protection, healing, and mental health services for the community.
Shortly after his retirement from RCMP, Richard decided to return to school to finish his Bachelor of Education Degree. He applied to UBC in 2010 and was accepted into the B.Ed./NITEP (Native Indian Teachers Education Program) where he is currently in the 4th year of studies.