THE LATE JIM PETERSON, MPP.

I received some very sad news today: Jim Peterson passed away at the age of 82.

I first met Jim in the early 1980’s. He was a Liberal member of Parliament for the riding of Willowdale., and I was president of the North York Business Association. He was the guest speaker at one of our dinners. At that point of time I was working on writing a Multicultural policy paper to be submitted to the Federal Government on behalf of my client, The North York Board of Education. He asked a lot of questions which I thought were great, so I invited him to a North Board of Education meeting with the Trustees. Now, I was a consultant at the time and was always involved in things and issues which were a touch new and maybe a little radical! But Jim came, listened, and became a champion of the cause. We became fast friends. He was very bright, and was always ready to listen and offer ideas.

I will offer some of my memories of a very special human being!

• I remember when his brother, David Peterson, was running for Premier of the province of Ontario, and my job one Saturday afternoon was to manage a visit for the brothers to a local mall in Toronto. Well, keeping these two on schedule was like herding cats. They stopped to talk to everyone and their mother was handing out homemade cookies along the way.
• When I founded my charity, I was having a difficult time getting  my charitable number from the federal government. Jim set up a meeting in Ottawa with two Assistant Deputy Ministers. I didn’t want to make the trip because I was leaving for Africa the next day, but of course I went. I asked Jim what I needed to do, and he said, “just show them how bright you are and tell them why this is so important.” Well I went, I was grilled for over two hours, and I think I wore them out! They gave me a former priest who had worked all over the world to help me write the goals that would be acceptable to the government to receive my charter. I was very nervous. Jim wasn’t at the meeting,but he met me for a drink after and I then flew to Kenya. 
• Jim was always trying to fix me up with a man and sometimes he could be very disapproving of my choices.
• He would always question my trips to India…what did I do there? And being spiritual—well that was a  strange concept.
• When I told Jim that I had a friend who was a member of Parliament in India, he asked me to make a few courtesy calls on behalf of himself and the Canadian government in India. 
• Jim and his wonderful wife Heather had visited India.
• Whenever I was in Toronto , the last few years we would meet for lunch. He was working for a law firm taking on difficult cases before  fully retiring and moving to his farm. I remember when Heather had cancer, how concerned and caring he was.
• Jim was one of those rare special human beings in the world. HE CARED, was very bright, and could talk on a multitude of subjects…but he didn’t let many people see that side of him very often.  He read both of my books that were published, offered his opinion. I was a little bit left of centre for Jim, but he was my friend above anything else. 

To Heather, and the Peterson family, I offer my condolences, love and respect to a very special gentleman, and my friend.

Betty