Mr Dunigan was born in Rossport, and has lived there nearly his entire life. He is the oldest child of four (three sisters and no brothers) born to John and Rose Dunigan, a real estate developer and a schoolteacher. Although a bright boy, young Phillip was a self-described "goof-off" when it came to schoolwork. His poor discipline caused him to fail the competency exam required for promotion from Primary to Lower Secondary level school, and forced him to repeat Level Five. He has stated in interviews that this was the "wake-up call" he needed, and he achieved exemplary marks through the rest of his compulsory education. He scored in the 97th percentile on his University Entrance Exam.