Turner was born in
Moose Jaw,
Saskatchewan, where his father, a fighter pilot, was stationed with the
Canadian military. Turner's mother established the first family support centres at various Canadian military bases where the family was based. As a
military brat, he lived in the Canadian North, the American Midwest, and Germany. He graduated from
Queen's University, in Kingston, Ontario, in 1996 with an Honours Bachelor of Arts in History. During his undergraduate studies he won the Alexander MacLachlan Peace Prize, and the Michael R. G. Harris Memorial Scholarship. Turner also holds a journalism degree from
Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto (1998). While at Ryerson, he completed an editorial internship at
Shift magazine. Following graduation from Ryerson, Turner reported on culture and technology for
Shift from 1998 to 2003. His writing has also appeared in,
The Walrus,
The New Yorker,
The Globe and Mail,
The Independent,
The Sunday Times,
Time,
The Guardian,
Utne Reader,
Adbusters and
The South China Morning Post. Turner was the recipient of a
Fleck Fellowship at the
Banff Centre in 2010. In 2009 he co-founded
CivicCamp in Calgary. He was featured speaker for the
Deakin Innovation Lectures in
Melbourne, Australia, in 2008. He has given keynote addresses or lectures at thirteen university campuses, ten literary festivals and approximately sixty major professional and industrial conferences nationwide. In 2013 Turner was the
writer-in-residence at Berton House in
Dawson City, Yukon. Turner lives in
Nova Scotia, with his wife, the author and photographer Ashley Bristowe, and their children. ==Literary career==