Dan Turcotte is a man who's worn many hats: radio host, record producer, professional stunt bicycle rider. These days, Dan is the CEO of Pet Shop Productions in Toronto and TerreMX, a first of its kind all electric motocross facility in Hastings County. In this episode of I Left the City, Dan shares the TerreMX origin story (which started with buying a farm in Roslin), why running the business doesn't feel like work, and how his family is managing to split their lives between Toronto and Hastings County.

 

Listen below, watch on YouTube, or read on for a few highlights.

TerreMX’s Origin Story

The idea for TerreMX grew during the pandemic. When Dan’s media company in Toronto ground to a halt while his wife—a doctor—became insanely busy, he took on full parenting responsibilities for their one-year-old. Rather than stay cooped up in a small condo in the city, father and daughter headed for their farm in Roslin. There, he reconnected with his passion for bikes, and with his daughter peacefully strapped to his chest, he built a network of trails through the forest. Further inspired by his client, the Green Party, he decided to turn those trails into Canada’s first all-electric motocross facility.  

 

When Business Meets Passion

To Dan, TerreMX is more than just a business; it's a reflection of what he loves. Riding every day and sharing that excitement with others makes it feel like fun rather than work. Electric bikes make the sport easier for everyone by removing the noise and complications of gas bikes. That means more people, from young kids to adults in their later years, can enjoy the sport.


 

Splitting Time Between Toronto and Hastings County

For Dan and his wife, balancing life between their jobs in Toronto and the TerreMX family business in Hastings County isn’t easy. It involves a lot of travel as Dan spends a couple midweek days in Toronto, while his wife and daughter spend their weekends in Hastings County, but they’re making it work. The family plans to fully make the move to Hastings sometime in the future.



 

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Next time on I Left the City, we hear from Dan Turcotte, a former stunt bicycle rider who built an all-electric motocross track in Roslin. Follow or subscribe on SoundCloud, Apple, Spotify, or YouTube to be notified when the episode drops.