Our Founders


Harold Marshall is the spiritual founder of our Institute. It was his idea to set out from the partisanship of electoral politics and try to promote change by inviting a movement among the public. Harold is a beef farmer living near Singhampton, Ontario, who has spent many years fighting for the protection of farmland and natural area. As a result, he saw the need for the renaissance of the democratic rights of citizens. Harold is the Institute's Vice-President.


Viola Poletes Montgomery is the founder most dedicated to the organization of the Institute. She is the brains behind our development, from fundraising to human resources. Maybe the smartest of us, it took her the least time in partisan politics to realize that change needed to come from outside. Viola is the Institute's Director of Development. She has a Bachelor's degree in urban geography and a Master's in Public Administration.

John Montgomery is the critical thinker of the Institute. His founding contribution is to watch over all aspects of the organization, from practical to theoretical, and make recommendations on adjusting our methods and message. As a longtime marketing specialist for a multinational corporation, now retired, he has an eye for improvement the rest of us lack. John acts as the Institute's Secretary and Acting Treasurer.  Born and raised in the area, he still lives near Creemore, Ontario.


Byron Montgomery is the founder who puts the pieces together into some sort of coherent message. With too many years in academia (B.A. & M.A. in Political Science and five years as a researcher) and partisan politics (a decade on federal and provincial riding executives), he understands the need for reforms to improve our system, and why this impetus must come from the public will. As a result, he is also the Institute's President. He lives in Creemore, Ontario.