On Tuesday. May 31, 2022, a life well-lived and admired ended peacefully in the presence of his loving family. For 18 months Jim courageously fought against the ravages of AITL lymphoma supported fully by exemplary care at the Grand River Hospital Cancer Care Centre, Groves Memorial Hospital Oncology Unit and the Intensive Care Unit at the Guelph General Hospital. Jim was born in Edinburgh, Scotland on August 24, 1945, raised in Toronto Ontario, and settled in Belwood Ontario in 1975. Predeceased by his parents Douglas Haig and Agnes McGregor, Jim leaves his wife Alexandra (Alix) Jane McGregor (nee Tisdall), and sons James Alexander Douglas (Jad) and Darren Thomas, his daughter-in-law Krista McGregor, grandchildren Aiden, Elliot and Lily McGregor, his sister Lorna Anne and brother-in law Risto Rintamaki, his brother and sister-in-law Bob and Gayle Tisdall, nieces and nephews Craig, Ian, and Karen Rintamaki, Cindy Tisdall-McPhee and Jeff Tisdall, great nieces and nephews Aisha and Ezra Tisdall-McPhee, Hana and Noah Tisdall, Tessa and Noah Vendetti, and Scottish cousins Catherine Morley, Linda Imrie, Helen Teenan, and Gill Jackson. Beginning his career in the Insurance industry at the Hartford Insurance Group as a Casualty Underwriter and Marketing Representative in 1964, Jim took a hiatus from the Hartford to complete his BA (studying economics) at the University of Guelph in 1968-1970. Further educational pursuits supported his career namely becoming a Canadian Accredited Insurance Broker, CAIB, Honours in 1987 and in1992 becoming a Certified Canadian Insurance Broker, CCIB. Returning to Guelph in 1972 he established his own brokerage with various partners until 2000 when he solely founded ABEX Affiliated Brokers Exchange as a hybrid wholesale broker supported by several Lloyd’s of London contracts. Because of his celebrated business acumen and innovative leadership within the insurance industry, he was invited to sit on multiple company advisory councils. Additionally, for significant periods of time he was a member of the Inside Track Broker Council at CSIO and the Registration and Qualifications Committee of the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario (REBO), responsible for developing examination questions for the Unrestricted Licensing examination for Principal Brokers. He played a significant role on the Political Actions Committee (PAC) lobbying local members of parliament to address implications
of Banks in Insurance. Their collaborative efforts at that time resulted in Paul Martin continuing the prohibition on Banks selling insurance through their respective branches. From 1982 until 1998, he applied his collaborative team building skills in service to his community focusing primarily on Community Health Care. He joined the Board of Management of the Victorian Order of Nurses (VON), Wellington Dufferin Counties in 1982 and became the chairman in 1985. Subsequently he was appointed to the VON Ontario Board and made chairman of this board’s Liaison committee with responsibilities for negotiating fees directly with the Minister of Health and her staff. In 1998, he was appointed to the VON, Canada serving as Vice President until 2001. As well, from 1994-1996 Jim served on the Guelph General Hospital (GGH) Foundation and was chairman of a capital campaign which exceeded its goal to raise $2,000,000 (matched by the provincial government) for GGH’s first CT scan. Following the Government of Ontario’s creation of 40 new Community Care Access Centers (CCAC) in 1996, Jim was asked to sit on the steering committee for the Guelph, Wellington, Dufferin CCAC and was elected as its first Chairman of the Board serving in this capacity until 1998. In addition to his extensive community volunteer work, Jim served as the director of the Kimberly Ski Club, the Guelph Country Club, and a charter member and director of his beloved Blue Springs Golf Club. Forever and for always, his love for his family and respect for our needs were integral to his way of being in the world. Whether as family members, lifelong or more recent friends and acquaintances, we will always remember Jim as someone who loved and cared deeply, who lived his life being fully present with strength, dignity and grace, and who was an awesome story and joke teller-- ofttimes ribald. He was generous almost beyond compare. He so loved to celebrate and to be celebrated. On August 24 at 1pm, the day on which he would have turned 77, we are hosting a Celebration of Jim’s Life at Blue Springs Golf Club, Acton, Ontario, a formal announcement for which will be forthcoming closer to the date. We are looking forward to the sharing of favourite “Jim’s Gems” and stories. Memorial donations to the Grand River Hospital Cancer Centre (Hematology Clinic) or Groves Memorial Community Hospital, Oncology Unit would be appreciated.
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