John Wilson moved from Aurora to Briar Hill three years ago, shortly after retiring from York University.

Over his 32-year career, John was entrusted with a variety of Managerial duties within the Campus Services and Business Operations Department on the Keele campus. John has formal education from Lakehead University and the University of Guelph, in Forestry, Horticulture and Arboriculture.

Beyond his commitment to York, John is and continues to be a strong advocate for Arboriculture and the need for a greater appreciation of our urban forests. He is the former Chair of a non-for-profit organization called the Canadian TREE Fund that provides funding for research and education projects that relate to urban forest issues and challenges. He is a former Director on the Board of the Aurora Community Arboretum, a 20-year-old organization that has established and maintains an arboretum with over five hundred trees in Aurora.

John believes that Global Warming is a real, current, and man-made crisis that threatens the sustainability of our planet and will result in direr consequences for our children and their children. He also hopeful that if we act quickly, and collaboratively to reduce our carbon footprint and adapt a more sustainable lifestyle, we can minimize those consequences and set a path toward a way of life that reflects a greater respect for and understanding of nature.