Foster was educated at the University of Toronto Scarborough, where he studied psychology and French, and received a Bachelors of Arts degree in 1983.

[2] Foster first entered politics upon being elected to Clarington's municipal council in 2003,[4] defeating Suzanne Elston by just over 200 votes in Ward 1.

[6] He ran on the need for a "central defining feature" for the ward's main community of Courtice, and the need to "get a handle on the planning of the Highway 2 corridor".

[8] He campaigned promising "working together for a change", and his number one priority was preventing the construction of a garbage incinerator in the municipality.

Foster's priorities in 2014 included expanding GO Transit, job creation, bettering quality of life, and developing deeper relationships with other levels of government.