MY AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH I currently co-teach Ethics and Leadership as an Adjunct Professor at the Graduate School of Journalism, Writing and Media at University of British Columbia. Until recently I held a few journalism roles but now am on a hiatus to examine next steps. I was the Publisher and Executive Editor of Business in Vancouver Media Group, which publishes the weekly BIV newspaper, biv.com, a portfolio of more than a dozen business magazines, stages about two dozen events each year, and produces a daily podcast that I co-hosted. I wrote twice-weekly columns. I was the Vice-President, Editorial, for Glacier Media, the parent company of BIV, and worked with editors to oversee standards and practices for the chain.
I am the former Executive Director of the Organization of News Ombudsmen. In 2014 I ran for Mayor of Vancouver under the banner of the Non-Partisan Association. Before my time at BIV, I was the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief at Self-Counsel Press. I was the former CBC Ombudsman of English Services and have held the senior editorial roles at CTV News (on 9/11), The Hamilton Spectator and Southam News. I was the founding Executive Editor of National Post, Managing Editor of The Vancouver Sun, Ottawa Bureau Chief and General News Editor at The Canadian Press, and a founding host on CBC Newsworld, among other media roles. As you can see, I've been terribly lucky. My social networking includes activity on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and Instagram. In the rear-view mirror digitally are themediamanager.com and rockzombies.us. I had to let go. I built kirklapointe.ca after someone grabbed my .com domain (circa 1993) while I wasn't automatically renewing it. I won't buy it back, sorry. New music remains a passion (I was Canadian editor of Billboard Magazine for nine years and Canadian editor of now-defunct CashBox Magazine for six years before that, two great side hustles), as are running, goaltending and golf. I was born in Toronto, raised by a heroic single mother, and discovered in 2019 through DNA testing a sister, who then found who was our father, then found a brother. I am married, with two children, one stepchild, and two grandchildren. I have a Bachelor of Journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University, the recently renamed Ryerson University. I have lived in Toronto, Ottawa, Hamilton, Port Perry and Vancouver. I live in the Caulfeild neighbourhood of West Vancouver.