I have known Jimmy Hinds for more than 30 years. Not close and intimate like many, but regular and respectful and with a mutual affection based I think on our interest in people and politics and Sudbury.
I first met Jim a few months after I arrived in Sudbury in 1973. I
was taken by one of the original shareholders in Northern Life to
meet Jim and Bill Dobson at the old Trevi restaurant across from
our original pigeon infested office on Cedar St.
It was like meeting with the Mafia. I was told not much happened
in Sudbury without one or the other of them giving the high sign
(particularly Jim), and so I should be aware of who they were and
what they were thinking.
They were, I must say, very interested in what this naive
long-haired 25-year-old publisher was going to do.
Jim, who was then in the prime of his influence with the federal
Liberals had a more practical curiosity. He lived across the street
and down the road from Jim Meakes, the publisher of The Sudbury
Star, who was extraordinarily powerful at the time, and if memory
serves correctly had, in Jim’s view, an unfortunate
affinity for the Conservative Party.
Let’s just say Jim saw a lot of merit in Sudbury
having two newspapers when one was already set in its ways.
“Prominent Liberal” doesn’t cover it. “Prominent lawyer” doesn’t cover it. “Fundraiser” doesn’t cut it. “Political junkie” is true but wide of the mark.
Plain and simple Jim was a force. He loved the political wars and
intrigue. He loved people. He loved Manitoulin Island and he loved
Sudbury.
As legal council to Inco and fundraiser extraordinaire for the
Liberals, Jim was at the nexus of Sudbury’s political and
business nervous system for 40 years.
For most of my business life in Sudbury, Jim walked by the front
door of my office at least twice and sometimes four times a day. I
never had to call Jimmy. I’d just stand outside the door
in the morning and wait for him to show up, like clockwork.
We’d discuss the issues and share a little gossip on
Elgin St. in the blazing heat or raging snow storm. It was neutral
ground. He would never come in, even if he wanted to ring my neck.
He was too smart for that.
If we didn’t happen to run into one another,
particularly after ripping a Liberal personage or policy in my
column, you knew you would hear something sooner or later.
Often it could take weeks for a message to arrive.
You’d be sitting at Franks Delicatessen, and someone
would say, “Now what were you smoking when you wrote such
and such.” It was a message from Jim.
The number of people who benefited from a good word
(let’s not even talk judges) numbered in the thousands
over the years. Jim loved to promote talent and give it a helping
hand where he could.
Of course, it was important to be a Liberal, but if you
weren’t, it didn’t entirely disqualify you from
life unless you were a right-wing Conservative. Jim believed common
sense would prevail eventually. He had immense influence locally,
nationally, and provincially.
What was special about Jim, however, was not his power, which
was considerable, nor his connections, which were astonishing, nor
his sense of humour, which could be rough, nor even his civility,
which argued with his competitiveness.
What was special about Jim for me was his Sudburyness. I know.
That’s hokey. But it’s true.
The Sudbury I love, the straight talking, hard-driving,
competitive, compassionate, stubborn, irascible, fair-minded,
unpretentious place I have lived, was defined by people like Jim.
As arguably Sudbury’s most powerful citizen for
decades, Jim didn’t wear it and if you were new to town
you would have never heard of him. He enjoyed and respected people
of all walks of life. He was unaffected by his success and always
had his feet on the ground.
It is a new era. It is unlikely there will be any new Jimmy
Hindses.
It is impossible to count the number of times a conversation
about politics or people or community would be punctuated
by “Well, have you talked to Jimmy about
this?”
He was a gate keeper, and a player.
Jimmy died last week, and with him a little bit of Sudbury.
Michael Atkins is the president of Laurentian Media. He can be reached at[email protected].
