Peter Irving was born and raised in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia and received Bachelor of Arts at the University of Victoria in 1985. He began working in banking before starting a career in the Federal Government in 1989. In 2002, he has accepted a position as a public service manager in Ottawa. He has been living well with a substance use disorder since 2010 thanks to help from the medical community, treatment centers, peer support, his family, friends, employer, and the kindness of countless others.