Jon Fear grew up in Niagara Falls, Ontario, and studied journalism at Carleton University. He worked as a reporter for two years at the Globe and Mail in Toronto, then travelled for a year before coming to Kitchener in 1978. He was a reporter and copy editor at the Waterloo Region Record until 2013. He now does volunteer work for the Kitchener Public Library’s local history room, the Waterloo Historical Society, and Habitat for Humanity Waterloo Region. He also plays tennis and kayaks.