When his family sold its share of The Record John returned to his studies at the University of Waterloo, achieving Master of Science and PhD degrees in Earth Sciences. He then worked as a Post Doctoral Fellow at the University of Waterloo. After John and his business partners sold a precision-manufacturing firm they owned in Guelph, John decided to pursue interests in volunteering and travel.
John volunteers at the University of Waterloo Earth Sciences Museum and the Ken Seiling Waterloo Region Museum. His hobbies include watch and clock repair, camera collecting and photography. John and his wife Heather travel extensively and consider New Zealand their favourite place in the world, outside of Canada.