Jim Penner (September 4, 1939 – January 17, 2004) was a businessman and politician in Manitoba, Canada. He served in the Manitoba legislature from 1999 to 2003.

Jim Penner
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba for Steinbach
In office
September 21, 1999 – June 2, 2003
Preceded byAlbert Driedger
Succeeded byKelvin Goertzen
Personal details
BornSeptember 4, 1939
Rosthern, Saskatchewan
Died17 January 2004(2004-01-17) (aged 64)
Steinbach, Manitoba
Political partyProgressive Conservative
ProfessionBusinessman

Penner was born in Rosthern, Saskatchewan and moved to Steinbach, Manitoba in 1946 at the age of 7, where his father bought a grocery store.[1] Penner grew the store into Penner Foods Limited, with six locations, a company for which he was President and CEO from 1962 to 1998 (overseeing a business which employed 800 workers).[1] Penner was appointed to Trinity Western University's Board of Governors in 1981.[2] He was a graduate of Trinity University in Chicago and was awarded an honorary degree in 2001.[3]

In 2002 Penner was honoured as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Variety Club of Manitoba.[4]

Penner was elected to the Manitoba legislature in the general election of 1999, running as a Progressive Conservative in the rural, southern riding of Steinbach. Penner defeated his nearest opponent by almost 5000 votes, despite the fact that the Progressive Conservatives were defeated provincially.

In the Manitoba Legislature, Penner served as opposition critic for Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Finance. He chose not to run for re-election in 2003,[5] having been diagnosed with cancer. Penner died on January 17, 2004.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Memorable Manitobans". Manitoba Historical Society. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  2. ^ "Code of conduct challeneged". CBC News. April 29, 1999. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
  3. ^ "TWU bestows honorary doctorate upon MLA Jim Penner". Trinity Western University. Archived from the original on 2016-01-06. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
  4. ^ a b "Winnipeg Free Press Passages – James Penner". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2016-03-07.
  5. ^ "Manitoba Votes 2003 – Steinbach". CBC News. Retrieved 2016-03-07.