On June 24, 2022, Smith was appointed Minister of Natural Resources and Forestry by Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Dowdeswell.

[3] Smith grew up in Port Sydney, Ontario, where his family owned and operated a local business.

Smith was inspired to enter politics through his time with the Kinsmen Club and a Bracebridge councillor who encouraged him to run in 2006.

In 2022, former Parry Sound-Muskoka MPP Norm Miller announced he was retiring and would not be seeking re-election paving the way for Smith to run as the Progressive Conservative candidate.

Specifically, he was accused of ordering road construction which destroyed endangered Blanding's Turtle habitats during his tenure as mayor of Bracebridge.