Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and raised in Ontario, Epp studied political science and history and received his BA degree from Waterloo Lutheran University in 1961.
[1] Along with teaching, Epp sold real estate starting in 1978 and maintained his realty licence through his 13 years at Queen's Park.
During his absence from politics from 1990 to 2003, Epp returned to real estate and was an associate broker for ReMax Realty in Waterloo.
Epp ran for the House of Commons of Canada in the 1968 federal election as a Liberal candidate in the riding of Waterloo, finishing second to Max Saltsman of the NDP in a tight, three-way race.
[7] Re-entering politics after a 13-year break, Epp was easily elected to a third term as mayor of Waterloo in November 2003, receiving double the number of votes cast for incumbent Lynne Woolstencroft.