Dan Meinen was born and raised in London, Ontario, where he lives today with his wife and their two daughters. His parents ran a small construction business building single-family homes across the London and Middlesex area, and he grew up on job sites learning what a poured foundation costs, what a permit is for, and what it takes to run a small business in a growing city.

After high school, Dan enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces as an infanteer. He served for just short of ten years, from 2004 to 2014, including a deployment to Afghanistan. His decorations include the Sacrifice Medal, the General Campaign Star (Southwest Asia), and a Commander-in-Chief Unit Commendation.

After his service, Dan returned to London and to the trades. He worked as a finish carpenter on high-end residential builds, then went on to higher education at Fanshawe College and received an Advanced Diploma in Architectural Technology.

Today, Dan is a Building Inspector with the City of London, inspecting every category of building from single-family homes to apartment buildings and post-disaster structures. In accordance with municipal policy, Dan is taking unpaid leave from his City role for the duration of the campaign.