Don Hunter emigrated from the UK to Canada in 1961, where he earned a B.Ed from the University of British Columbia. In 1969 he joined The Province, a daily newspaper in Vancouver, as a theatre critic, reporter, editor, and eventually as a writer for the up-front opinion column "Out and About." A personal memoir of his teaching experiences in northern BC led to a CBC television movie and a subsequent miniseries drama in 1989. That same year, his collection of short stories, Spinner's Inlet, was shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Prize.

Hunter currently lives in Langley, BC with his wife, June. They are the parents of two daughters, Susan and Taryn.