About Bernie

I am a life long Oliver Paipoonge resident and still live on the same farm where I grew up. Other than two years away for college, Murillo has always been home. Our farm is now on the fourth generation of my family to live and work in Oliver Paipoonge. I have had the opportunity to travel to many places across the globe but always felt there is no better place to live than right here. My wife, Kerri (Edwards) Kamphof grew up in the Rosslyn area and also has deep roots in our community. She works part-time for the Thunder Bay District Health Unit as a Dental Health Educator and also part time at a dental office in Thunder Bay.

Our children attended Crestview School in Murillo and youngest son Eric is currently enrolled at Lakehead University, our middle son Ethan has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lakehead University and is working in southern Ontario. Our daughter Emily graduated with a Psychology degree from Lakehead and now is a herdsperson on our farm, and is also a recent recruit on our volunteer Fire Department. Over the years we have been involved in local minor hockey, dance and skiing and our children have also been members of several community and church youth groups.

We try to get out and enjoy the outdoors as a family as much as we can, hiking and snowmobiling in winter or at camp in summer. We are very thankful to have been able to raise our children in a friendly community that shares our values and goals.

I have the experience and fiscal management skills to be a highly effective mayor. Through my work in municipal government and on provincial agency boards, I have a track record of running productive meetings where all sides receive a fair hearing. My time on council, as an employer, and community volunteer have taught me how to unite people and lead them to collaborative decisions. I hold strong convictions, and I recognize that steady, incremental solutions are more realistic than drastic changes. I pride myself on respecting different opinions and am committed to working with residents from all backgrounds.

As someone with a busy family and active business, my vision and goals for our Municipality are focused and dedicated to improvement. I am optimistic about the future of our community.

Thank you for your support these past terms of council.

Thank you for considering me to represent your interests on Oliver Paipoonge Council as your next mayor.