Born in California the son of a prominent defense attorney and a graduate of Palo Verde High School in Tucson, Arizona, he moved to British Columbia in 1969 with his wife and two daughters. Evans describes himself as a war resister. Their son was born soon after. Before his election to the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Evans worked as a stevedore, logger, tree-planter, heavy-equipment operator, first-aid attendant, and highways surveyor. By the mid-1970s, Evans had settled in the Kootenay region of southern British Columbia, and became active in local environmental and land use initiatives, particularly in developing the Slocan Valley Forest Management Project, which aimed to control logging and protect watersheds.