MLA: HON. JAMES ALLUM - FORT GARRY-RIVERVIEW * MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND ADVANCED LEARNING

Lord, we thank you for our MLA Hon James Allum. The enthusiasm, intellect and passion he demonstrates is a gift from you, and we thank you, Lord, for blessing James in these areas. God, we pray, James will always remember the reverence and fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.  With his dependance on You, may James fulfill the duties of his office with the same passion as he would tackle a football. Thank you for his family. May they always see your favour on their lives. In Jesus Name, Amen.

“Strong neighbourhoods create a strong Manitoba. I’m looking forward to working with Greg Selinger and Today’s NDP to continue making Manitoba an even better place to live, work and raise a family.”

• First appointed to cabinet in 2013
• First elected in 2011
• Well known advocate for civic heritage, urban sustainability, public education and community development

James was elected as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Fort Garry-Riverview on October 4, 2011 following a fifteen-year career with the City of Winnipeg. He was appointed Minister of Education and Advanced Learning by Premier Greg Selinger on October 18, 2013.

James moved to Winnipeg in 1996 to work at the City of Winnipeg Archives, which houses one of the finest municipal archival collections in Canada. In 2001, James joined the CAO (Chief Administrative Officer) Secretariat where he served in a variety of positions including Corporate Projects Officer, Executive Assistant and Policy Advisor to the CAO, Acting Environmental Coordinator, and Senior Consultant in Strategic Management. His last post was as the Manager of Aboriginal Initiatives in the Office of the CAO.

James completed a BA and MA at Trent University in Peterborough, where he won the Governor General’s Gold Medal for Academic Achievement in 1988. He holds a PhD in Canadian and Environmental History from Queen’s University. In addition to writing the first PhD thesis in Environmental History at Queen’s, he has published a variety of articles and book reviews over the years.

James is active in the local academic, educational, heritage and political communities. He taught part-time in the Department of History at the University of Winnipeg from 1999 to 2006 and served as Chair of the Manitoba Heritage Council from 2002 to 2006. In 2008, he was named Chair of the Council on Post-secondary Education for the Province of Manitoba.

He is a former board member of the Riverview Community Club and convener for Riverview in the Pembina Trail Hockey Association. He is also the founder of the Connecting Communities Project, which encourages mutual aid and support between neighbourhoods in Winnipeg. A well-known advocate for active transportation and green commuting, James is also an avid sports fan and participant with an intense interest in hockey, baseball, football, and golf.

He and his wife Susan have three adult children and are proud to call Winnipeg home.