Fallis, Terry

Terrence Hugh Fallis was born in Toronto on 23 December 1959, the son of Dr. and Mrs. James Fallis (née Barbara Ham); he has a twin named Tim. In 1983 Fallis earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree from McMaster University. He also served as President of the McMaster Students Union. After graduation, he joined future Prime Minister Jean Chrétien's full time staff for the 1984 federal Liberal Leadership campaign. He has worked as a legislative assistant for the Honourable Jean Lapierre and the Honourable Robert Nixon. From 1988-95, he was a government affairs and communications consultant with the PR firm, Hill and Knowlton, including stints as Vice President running the Ontario government affairs group and finally President of Berger & Associates, a Hill and Knowlton subsidiary. In 1995, with Joe Thornley, he co-founded Thornley Fallis, a communications consulting agency with offices in Ottawa and Toronto. Fallis is also a novelist and political satirist. In 2007 he self-published The Best Laid Plans. It won the 2008 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, and then was published by McClelland & Stewart in September 2008.In 2010, the Waterloo Region chose The Best Laid Plans as the One Book, One Community selection. A sequel entitled The High Road was published by McClelland & Stewart in September 2010. Further information about Fallis, including podcasts from his novels, can be obtained at his website.