Fred was born and raised in Northside-Westmount and currently resides in Sydney Mines with his wife, Jean. For the past 30 years, Fred has held various leadership positions in a variety of industries including retail, construction, fishing, and harvesting, as well as post-secondary education. For twenty years, he held senior management positions at Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) Marconi Campus and served as Principal for eight years.
Fred played a significant role in the development of the new NSCC campus on the waterfront in Sydney and is very active in the community. He was elected to the Cape Breton Victoria Regional School Board in 2004 and served until 2018, including two terms as Vice Chair. Fred sat on the Cape Breton Partnership Board, was Chair of the CBRM Regional Enterprise Networks, and has been involved in the Little League Canadian Championship and Canadian Cancer Relay for Life event.
Currently, Fred serves as Caucus Chair; Shadow Minister for Finance and Treasury Board; Regulatory Affairs.