Robert was raised in Port Arthur, (now Thunder Bay) Ontario, where he attended York University on a hockey scholarship and earned a Diploma in International Business.
Robert first became a member of the IUPAT in April 1985, painting as a summer student at the Port Arthur Ship Building Company in Thunder Bay.
It was not until after graduation that Robert became the Business Manager of Local 1671 in Thunder Bay. During this time, he was elected Secretary to the local building trades. He was also a Director with the Superior North Apprenticeship Board.
In 2000, Robert and his family located to Caledonia, Ontario where he accepted an Organizer position with Local 205 in Hamilton. In the Fall of 2000, Robert was appointed General President’s Representative (GPR), and attended the Harvard University Trade Union Program in 2001.
In 2005, he was appointed General Vice President and in 2009, was elected to that position. Active in many aspects of the industry, Robert serves as a board member of BuildForce Canada (formerly, the Construction Sector Council), as well as an alternate delegate for the General President’s Maintenance Committee. He is a trustee to the Finishing Trades Institute (FTI), the Labor Management Cooperation Initiative (LMCI), the IUPAT Industry Pension Fund, and the IUPAT Industry Pension Fund Canada.
In 2012, Robert was elected as the Chairman of the Executive Board for the Canadian Building Trades.
Robert is an active member in his community as a Knight of Columbus. He and his wife Suzanne have been married for 32 years and have two sons.