Andrea Reimer - Background

Background

Reimer grew up with adversity, a background she shares openly to inspire others, and prompt concern about homeless people.

Reimer was born in Saskatoon and put into foster care. When she was 8 months old she was adopted by a couple from Vancouver who subsequently relocated to Calgary prior to her starting school. Reimer's adoptive parents divorced when she was a pre-teen.

Reimer smoked her first cigarette and took her first alcoholic drink at the age of 10, and started to experiment with illicit drugs at the age of 11, and LSD at the age of 12. She drifted into a life on the streets from the ages of 14-19 which included extensive worldwide travel to places throughout Canada, the United States, Asia, Central America, Europe and North Africa. During this period she dumpster-dived, got arrested several times, got involved in hard drugs and developed addictions. When she was 18, Reimer worked in El Salvador at a low income housing project, which she later cited as the catalyst for her environmental awareness.

Although an atheist, at 19 Reimer enrolled at Concordia University to major in religious studies. She subsequently dropped out during her first year, after six weeks of classes, and moved to Vancouver with her boyfriend at the time, who was a cocaine addict. He kicked the habit after arriving in Vancouver. In Vancouver Reimer joined a government sponsored job training program and started working with Gordon Neighbourhood House Youth Works. She was then sent for a practicum to the Western Canada Wilderness Committee. After Reimer started working her boyfriend fell back into the cocaine addiction and they broke up.

Reimer eventually worked her way up to become the executive director of the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, where she was paid approximately $2000 a month. While executive director of the Wilderness Committee, Reimer supported the creation of a carbon tax by the BC Provincial Government. It was subsequently passed. In 2007, she was chosen by Al Gore to deliver the Inconvenient Truth presentation to local audiences, which she delivered to over 10,000 people.

Reimer has volunteered with many community organizations including serving as:

• Past President of the CCEC Credit Union
• Past President Canadian Women’s Voters Congress
• former Vice-Chair of Your Local Farmer’s Market Society
• former Co-Chair of the City of Vancouver’s Food Policy Council
• Director of Toxic Free Canada

She serves as a Director of Environmental Education Action Project, and sits on the Vancouver Foundation’s Health and Social Development Advisory Committee.