Tim Sale (politician) - Biography

Biography

Sale was born in Goderich, Ontario in 1942. He received Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Theology degrees from the University of Trinity College, and was subsequently ordained as an Anglican priest.

Sale moved to Manitoba after his graduation, and joined a team ministry at St. Paul's Anglican Church in Fort Garry from 1966-69., and has been an Honourary Assistant in this parish since 1976. Later he worked with the United Church of Canada and then became Executive Director of the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg. In 1985 he joined the Manitoba Department of Finance. In the early 1990s he taught at the University of Manitoba in the Department of Economics and the Faculty of Continuing Education. He also served as a Fort Garry school trustee from 1971 to 1977, spent eight years on the board of the United Way in Winnipeg, and was Chief Executive Officer of Winnipeg's Social Planning Council from 1976 to 1985.

Sale was a Senior Policy Analyst for the provincial Ministry of Finance from 1985-1987, and served as Assistant Deputy Minister of Education from 1987 to 1989.

Sale was originally aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada, and there were some in the Manitoba New Democratic Party who objected to his appointment as an Assistant Deputy Minister for this reason. After being fired by Gary Filmon's Tories, Sale's political views shifted to the left. In 1991, he helped to found CHO!CES, a social activist group which opposed Filmon's government. He also ran for the NDP in the central Winnipeg riding of Crescentwood in a 1992 by-election, and came within 400 votes of winning.

Sale ran again for Crescentwood in the 1995 provincial election, this time winning in a close three-way contest. He became one of the most vocal members of the NDP opposition, and served as the party's critic for Industry, Trade and Tourism. Sale also played a leading role in exposing a vote-manipulation scandal involving the Independent Native Voice party and some senior advisors in Gary Filmon's government.

The New Democrats under Gary Doer won the general election of 1999, and Sale was easily re-elected in the redistributed riding of Fort Rouge. He was appointed Minister of Family Services and Housing with responsibility for persons with disabilities in Doer's first cabinet, and was transferred to the new portfolio of Science, Energy and Technology with responsibility for the Gaming Control Act and Manitoba Hydro on September 25, 2002. In the latter capacity, Sale has been a leading proponent of the environmental reforms outlined in the Kyoto Protocol. He was also the first Minister of Healthy Child Manitoba, which leads the Province's early childhood development strategy. Sale was easily re-elected in the provincial election of 2003, defeating his closest opponent by over 2700 votes. On October 12, 2004, he was appointed as Manitoba's Minister of Health, In October 2006 Sale became Minister of Health, and led efforts to shorten waiting lists and strengthen primary health care.

He did not seek re-election in 2007. In 2008 he was awarded an honourary doctorate by St. John's College of the University of Manitoba in recognition of his work for social justice. He is now retired and living in Winnipeg. Sale remains active in community affairs, including Right to Housing, St. Paul's Anglican Church, the Centre for Christian Studies and other community activities. He and his partner Irene have three children and five grandchildren.