Taras was educated at Mount Saint Vincent University, studying marketing.
[1] He tried out for the Canadian kayaking team for the 2012 Summer Olympics, but missed qualifying by 0.6 seconds.
[1] After struggling with his sexual orientation for a number of years, Taras began coming out as gay to friends and family in 2013.
[1] According to Taras, the freedom to be open about his sexual orientation made him a better athlete; in the same year, he successfully shaved a full 12 seconds off his personal best time.
He served as coordinator of ceremonies for the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Ontario,[3] and is an ambassador for the Canadian Olympic Committee's OneTeam initiative to combat homophobia in sports.