About Us

      Building first class lifts takes a first class team of talented and dedicated individuals working together. Inclined Elevation Inc. is staffed by such individuals having an aggregate experience with hundreds of lifts. At our foundation are explicit commitments to building excellent inclined elevators, to learning more about our jobs and ourselves, and to support each other to work safely and cooperatively: hillsides are unforgiving worksites and adversarial relationships are ineffective and even dangerous.

     John Weinstein is the owner/operator of Inclined Elevation. He started building lifts in 2003 with The Canadian Hillside Elevator Corporation. In 2004 he and a partner purchased that company and formed Canadian Hillside Lift Inc. As its' President and Builder, John made many improvements and innovations to their lifts and installation procedures. He left Canadian Hillside Lifts in 2005 and, in 2006, started Inclined Elevation Inc. In order to maintain and increase the high quality of Inclined Elevations lifts he continues to take a hands-on role in all aspects of the design, manufacture, and installation of every project.

     John works with each potential owner to find the best location for the lift and to give a clear picture of what it will look like when completed. He will recommend options as needed, and submit a proposal. He also works with the Fabrication and Installation Teams to ensure that the finished lift meets expectations.

     John`s background includes a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from the University of Toronto. As a university professor he wrote programs to explore the properties of sub-atomic particles as also taught students in courses from Pre-Med Physics to Engineering Physics to graduate level Electromagnetic Theory. In addition to his academia, John has always loved building and improving all sorts of things. He has worked as an apprentice aircraft mechanic maintaining, repairing, and rebuilding aircraft, rebuilt cars, including a 1972 MGB, boats, and houses. He has also designed, built and renovated industrial buildings. Before building lifts he ran the maintenance and machine shop in a paper converting factory.

      Frank Legere leads the Fabrication Team. He worked for The Canadian Hillside Elevator Corporation and Canadian Hillside Lift before joining Inclined Elevation at it`s inception. Frank has been a welder, metal worker, entrepreneur, and inventor, he holds several patents. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to Inclined Elevation where he runs the Fabrication department, building 20' foot sections of track, cars, dollies, and many of the other required components in his Bracebridge shop. Frank's ideas and insights have been the essential ingredient in many innovations. As a previous business owner he has also been essential to the development of the business side of Inclined Elevation.  In 2009 Chris Stevenson joined Frank in the Fabrication department and he adds a wealth of experience and excellence.

    The Installation Team is lead by Matthew Haley who began building lifts in the spring of 2008. He has a B.Sc. in Physics from the University of Guelph, which gives him a solid knowledge base, and experience building and rebuilding over a dozen lifts. Kurtis Duggan is a CWB certified welder and the newest member of our team and brings energy and a fresh approach to the team. Dennis Anderson rounds out the Installation Team, he makes Matthew and Kurtis look good by having tools, supplies, and parts ready before they realize they need them. They are all natural craftsmen who take pride in their work and love building lifts.

     Tom Townsend is our woodworker. He finishes the cars and builds the panels used to protect the motor and headframe. Tom's commitment to excellence and detail is evident in each project.