Neil's Story | Neil Dunsmore for Mayor · Centre Wellington 2026

Community Roots

Home Since 1992

Neil Dunsmore has called Centre Wellington home since 1992. He and his wife Shawna have raised their three sons — Jeremy, Timothy, and Graham — in this community. Neil was a prominent figure around the soccer fields and arena of Centre Wellington, coaching many teams over the years and even stepping up to coach the Centre Wellington high school's senior men's soccer team when no teachers were available to fill the role.

That instinct — seeing a gap and filling it — is what drives this campaign.

At a Glance

Centre Wellington resident since 1992
Husband to Shawna · Father of Jeremy, Timothy & Graham
Former Corrections Officer & Hostage/Crisis Negotiator
Author, Reflections in the Ripple
CMHA Wellington Waterloo Award recipient
Two-time Paul Harris Fellow (Rotary's highest honour)
Citizen of the Year — Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce
Board Member — Groves Hospital
Board Member — CMHA Waterloo Wellington
Former Ward 4 Councillor & Deputy Mayor (2018–2022)

Professional Background

A Career Built Around Keeping People Safe

Neil is an award-winning speaker and a former Corrections Officer and Hostage/Crisis Negotiator with the Ministry of Correctional Services. He has also been a business owner and a Township of Centre Wellington Councillor.

That background isn't incidental to his candidacy — it's central to it. A hostage negotiator knows one thing above all else: when a situation is escalating and people are in need, you don't defer. You act.

Centre Wellington is at that point on housing. The situation has been escalating for four years. This council deferred. Neil won't.

"A crisis negotiator doesn't get to defer. I won't either."

— Neil Dunsmore

Neil's professional training in de-escalation, consensus-building under pressure, and decisive action in complex situations is exactly the toolkit a mayor needs to navigate a contentious council, a divided community, and a growth challenge that has no easy answers.

Mental Health Advocacy

531 Kilometres. One Conversation.

Since his days in corrections, Neil has been a mental health advocate. He is the author of Reflections in the Ripple, a book that chronicles his 531 km journey on foot to Ottawa — not as an athletic achievement, but as a statement: that we need to start an honest conversation about mental health and suicide, and erase the stigma that prevents so many people from reaching out for the help they desperately need.

The Canadian Mental Health Association Wellington Waterloo recognized Neil's efforts by creating an annual award in his honour. This award recognizes an individual in Wellington County whose actions have made a significant contribution to promoting life and preventing suicide.

Neil currently serves as an active board member of both Groves Hospital and the CMHA Waterloo Wellington Board of Directors — bringing that commitment to mental health directly into the institutions that serve our community.

The Connection to Housing

Neil's mental health work isn't separate from his housing platform — it's inseparable from it. Housing instability is one of the strongest drivers of mental health crisis. Neil has spent decades in that space: as a crisis negotiator, as a mental health author, as a CMHA board member. No other candidate in this race can make that connection credibly. Affordable housing isn't just a social services issue. It's a mental health issue.

Community Service

Recognized. Trusted. Present.

Paul Harris Fellow — Twice

Rotary International's highest honour, awarded twice in recognition of Neil's contributions to community service and humanitarian causes. Nominated by the Elora Fergus Rotary Club.

Citizen of the Year

Most recently awarded Citizen of the Year by the Centre Wellington Chamber of Commerce — recognition from the business community of sustained contribution to the township.

Hospital & Health Boards

Active board member of both Groves Hospital and CMHA Waterloo Wellington Board of Directors. Present in the rooms where health care decisions are made for this community.

Council Record

Ward 4 Councillor & Deputy Mayor, 2018–2022

Neil served as Ward 4 Councillor and Deputy Mayor during the 2018–2022 term. He championed the Township's award-winning Asset Management Plan — a long-term infrastructure funding framework recognized provincially. He served as Deputy Mayor following the removal of the previous deputy over conduct concerns, providing stable and trusted leadership during a contentious period.

Most importantly, Neil raised housing affordability, rental supply, and the "missing middle" as priority issues before any external consultant confirmed them. The 2025 Housing Needs Assessment validated what Neil was saying in 2022.

"In 2022, I was right about where this community was heading. Four years later, the problems are larger and better documented. The township's own consultants have now confirmed what residents have been living. I'm asking for the chance to finish the work."