Chris Higgins was born in Montreal. He has lived in Oakville, Winnipeg, Halifax and Toronto, which has been home since the 1980s. In 1982, he helped establish Higgins Event Rentals (now Element), which his family operated until 2024. Following a different career path, Chris studied English Literature, graduating from McGill University in 1986, going to work as an advertising copywriter in the late 1980s. This is where he developed as a writer and began his journey with technology, two major themes in his career.
In 1991, Chris completed a B. Ed. and launched a 29-year career in teaching, adding a Masters in English in 1995. Moving to Swansea Public School in 2003, Chris was drawn to the history of the building, and felt right at home in the community. Teaching there for 17 years, he also coached teams, hosted poetry slams, ran a media club, led middle schoolers to produce award-winning films, and created one of the first elementary school podcasts in Toronto.
When he retired in 2020, Chris wrote two books – BRICK by BRICK, a history of Swansea Public School, and RIVERSTORYZ: Conversations on the Humber River. He is currently writing a true crime novel set in nineteenth century Toronto called “The Gaol Carpenter’s Diary.”
Chris volunteered with Heritage York, a historic group in his neighbourhood that is based at Lambton House, and more recently with Mapping Our Memories, a program that teaches seniors to tell their life stories through video.
Chris is part of a close family – which includes his mother Peggy, his four siblings, his beautiful wife Sue and four amazing kids.