Raised in the small town of Shelburne, Ont., Erich Jacoby-Hawkins learned early on that a community can be modest and walkable while still being liveable and complete. His support of activist and social justice causes began as a teenager, when he became a foster parent (and has been ever since). Erich has also been a long-time member and/or contributor to Environmental Defense Canada, the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, and Amnesty International.

Erich studied Mathematics and Computer Science, then Anthropology, at the University of Waterloo in the cooperative learning program, working for corporations and government between school terms. He served as the editor of the faculty student paper and as a student representative on several governing bodies, then spent three years teaching English in South Korea.

Upon returning to Canada, Erich and his wife Teresa settled in Barrie, where they both teach. Over the past eight years, he has been involved with various activist and community groups addressing the environment (Environmental Action Barrie / Living Green), homelessness (Mayor's Task Force and Barrie Out of the Cold), and the arts (Barrie Film Festival). He also ran respectable campaigns in the 2004 and 2006 federal elections.