Renato Gandia, born and raised in the Philippines, emigrated to Canada in 1997 when he was twenty-seven years old. He studied theology and holds a Master of Divinity degree. He worked as a journalist for daily newspapers in Alberta for several years. He became a Canadian citizen in 2007. He currently works as a communications advisor in the oil and gas industry. He lives in Calgary with his husband and their fourteen-year-old dog.