James A. McDonell (born ) is a Canadian politician. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...

who represented the riding of

Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry could refer to * Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry (provincial electoral district) *Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry (federal electoral district) See also *United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarr ...

. He has been an MPP from 2011 until his retirement in 2022. He was mayor of the township of

South Glengarry, Ontario South Glengarry is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. South Glengarry borders Quebec. Communities The township of South Glengarry comprises a number of vil ...

from 2003 to 2011.

Background

McDonell was born and raised on a dairy farm in

. He attended Queen's University where he earned a degree in engineering. He worked for

Bell Canada Bell Canada (commonly referred to as Bell) is a Canadian telecommunications company headquartered at 1 Carrefour Alexander-Graham-Bell in the borough of Verdun, Quebec, in Canada. It is an ILEC (incumbent local exchange carrier) in the province ...

for over 30 years in a number of roles. He and his wife Margie live in

Williamstown, Ontario South Glengarry is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River in the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry. South Glengarry borders Quebec. Communities The township of South Glengarry comprises a number of vil ...

, where they raised their three children.

Politics

In 2000, McDonell was elected as a councillor for the township of South Glengarry. In 2003 he was elected as mayor of the township. In the 2011 provincial election he ran as the Progressive Conservative candidate in the riding of

. He defeated

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * Generally, a supporter of the political philosophy liberalism. Liberals may be politically left or right but tend to be centrist. * An adherent of a Liberal Party (See also Liberal parties by country ...

candidate Mark MacDonald by 13,050 votes. He was easily re-elected in the 2014 election. He served as the party's critic for Government and Consumer Services during his first term and on his second term served as a Member on the Standing Committee on Public Accounts as well as a Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing (Municipal Affairs). He stood down at the

2022 Ontario general election The 2022 Ontario general election was held on June 2, 2022, to elect Member of Provincial Parliament (Canada), Members of the Provincial Parliament to serve in the 43rd Parliament of Ontario. The governing Progressive Conservative Party of Ont ...

. He was replaced in the provincial parliament by fellow PC nominee

Nolan Quinn Nolan Quinn (born June 3, 1983) is a Canadian politician, who serves as the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities (Ontario), Minister of Colleges and Universities since August 16, 2024. He was previously Associate Minister of Forestry ...

Electoral record

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:McDonell, Jim 1954 births Living people 21st-century mayors of places in Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs People from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry Canadian engineers 21st-century members of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario