Here's a little about myself, my family, and my community
My wife, Claudia Stanic, is a remarkable woman and I am the self-proclaimed president of her fan club. She has a degree in biology from Lakehead University, an MBA from Queen’s University and she holds a CPA designation. She’s the senior financial executive with Sandvik, a Swedish multi-national and global leader in heavy underground mining equipment. But most importantly is who she is as a person; ethical to the core, generous in mind and spirit, compassionate with the innate sense of knowing what to say and how to say it in the most difficult moments and loving, guiding mother to our young daughter Elisabeth, named after a very dear friend of Claudia.
In addition to our young daughter who joyously came into my life almost 3 years ago I also have 3 adult daughters.
My oldest daughter, Lisa, knew from the age of 16 that she wanted to be a dentist. She worked hard to achieve her goal, memorably reading her university study notes in the shower suitably encased in plastic zip bags. She graduated from dentistry at the University of Toronto and today has her own practice in Sudbury.
Cody is my second daughter, and she too knew her life goal at an early age: be an astronaut. She’s not there yet but she’s pursuing her quest with full intent having recently been considered by the European Space Agency for astronaut status. Out of an initial field of 23,000 applicants, she made it to the last 300. She’s currently completing simultaneous PhD’s at Dalhousie (Geology) and MIT (Astronautics and Aeronautics).
Kelsa is number 3. After completing undergraduate degrees at York University in Business and the University of Toronto in Zoology, she also ultimately turned to fulfill her real passion and completed her degree in Veterinary Medicine from the University of Glasgow and is now practicing as an emergency vet in Newmarket.
Elisabeth is the late comer to the group. She’s bilingual in Spanish and English, an enthusiastic miniature gymnast, swimmer and dancer and performs the most heart tugging rendition of O Canada imaginable.
Please allow me to share some insight on my husband
How do I describe the man I married while maintaining objectivity? This is simple – during our wedding ceremony my pledge was a series of commitments one of which was “I promise to never mince words and to utter exactly what’s on my mind”. This simply means that what I am about to share with all of you will be the truth, as Kenny has heard it before and is familiar with my directness.
Let me begin by telling you why you should put your faith in my husband, Kenneth Paige.
Firstly, Ken is human, and like most of us he has his share of flaws but let’s begin with the upside of your candidate. He is a patient person, a devoted father, and a loving husband whose commitment to his guiding principles and his family never waver. He is a seasoned businessman, a proven leader and a consummate and polished professional.
Ken enjoys being with people and is an intent listener. Unlike most leaders at his level, he does not enjoy “hearing the sound of his own voice”. Instead, he prefers to contribute to a discussion only when his comments or inputs add value.
He has an innate ability to always do right by people. This uncanny ability to do right is second nature for him and is borne by the fact that he always puts himself in the other person’s shoes. He never makes impromptu decisions and always considers the facts before reaching a decision.
My husband is also a champion of teamwork. When considering alternatives, he lives by his own father’s words “understand that people will always ask, what does this mean to me”? In other words, while he can’t possibly address everyone’s concerns or viewpoints you can be certain that he will listen intently and consider all viewpoints before weighing in or pursuing a given direction.
Ken is also steadfast in his commitment to improve himself and anything that he tackles. He often tells me that he is “a work in progress”. He is loyal and when he believes in something you can be certain that he is relentless in his pursuit of the task at hand.
Lastly and speaking on a more personal level, my husband will never win an award for being neat and tidy, much to my chagrin, but he certainly will for his timeliness, his integrity, his passion for politics, his accountability and for his love of family.
I am extremely proud to be on this journey with Kenny and I hope that we can count on your support.
- Claudia Stanic
