Hopper was born in
Ottawa,
Ontario in March 1969 and first joined the
Primary Reserves in 1986 when he was 17 as a cook at
HMCS Carleton. He transferred to
HMCS Scotian in
Halifax while attending
Dalhousie University. Hopper moved back to Ottawa, where he earned his
bachelor of arts (BA) and
bachelor of education (BEd) from the
University of Ottawa in 1996 and began working with the OCDSB. Hopper served in a number of staff positions at HMCS
Carleton and in December 2001 served as the commanding officer of the Coastal Defence Vessel
HMCS Summerside until December 2002, where he took part in a trip to the
Arctic Circle, meant to reinforce
Canadian sovereignty in
Northern Canada. While commanding the Naval Reserve, Hopper is on leave from his job as the special education teacher at
Elmdale Public School, and lives in Ottawa with his wife and their two children. ==Awards and decorations==