Arlene Phillips enjoyed growing up in North Bay, and went to Laurentian University (North Bay and Sudbury). She completed her B.A. at the University of Toronto on a part-time basis while working full-time, so that she could have working experience for when she graduated. She has been with the Ontario Government for a precarious twenty-eight years, working in many cities and in many positions, often as a business analyst. She is a single parent of one amazing human being who has left the nest. With her union, she has developed an activist's voice, working towards things like living minimum wage, fairness and helping others up. Arlene is running for council in North Bay.