Jim Penner (September 4, 1939 – January 17, 2004) was a businessman and politician in

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Win ...

, Canada. He served in the

Manitoba legislature The Legislature of Manitoba is the legislature of the province of Manitoba, Canada. Today, the legislature is made of two elements: the King of Canada in Right of Manitoba, represented by the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba, and the unicameral ...

from 1999 to 2003. Penner was born in Rosthern,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a province in western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North ...

and moved to

Steinbach, Manitoba Steinbach () ( Plautdietsch: /ˈʃte̞nbah/ or /ˈʃte̞nbax/) is a city located about south-east of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Steinbach is the third-largest city in Manitoba, with a population of 17,806, and the largest community in the E ...

in 1946 at the age of 7, where his father bought a grocery store. 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). Penner was appointed to

Trinity Western University , mottoeng = A Mighty Fortress Is Our God , established = Trinity Junior College (1962–1972), Trinity Western College (1972–1985), Trinity Western University (1986–present) , type = Privat ...

's Board of Governors in 1981. He was a graduate of Trinity University in Chicago and was awarded an honorary degree in 2001. In 2002 Penner was honoured as the Humanitarian of the Year by the Variety Club of Manitoba. 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, having been diagnosed with cancer. Penner died on January 17, 2004.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Penner, Jim 1939 births 2004 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba MLAs People from Rosthern, Saskatchewan People from Steinbach, Manitoba 21st-century Canadian politicians Deaths from cancer in Manitoba