James Peter Hastie

Born in Edmonton, Jim spent his early life in Toronto before building a long career rooted in engineering and aviation.

As an army cadet, he competed at the Bisley rifle shooting competition in 1970 as part of a championship team that won the Alexander Graham Bell Trophy, an accomplishment he carried with quiet pride.

Jim graduated from the University of Waterloo in 1975 as part of the first class of Systems Design engineers, beginning a 43-year career as an avionics engineer. He spent most of his professional life in Ottawa, first working at Transport Canada and later at CMC Electronics. In 1987, he was awarded a citation from Transport Canada’s Flight Engineering and Safety Division in recognition of his contributions to aviation safety.

One highlight from his time at CMC was his involvement in the CP140 Aurora project in Halifax, where he participated in numerous test flights for the aircraft’s new avionics system. He always joked that he was one of the few test engineers who did not get sick riding in the back of the plane.

He was deeply proud of his three children, Tom, Joanne and Michele, all of whom followed in his footsteps and became engineers.

In retirement, Jim moved to Vancouver, where he embraced the natural beauty of British Columbia. He loved hiking and explored many trails across the Vancouver region. He would often say that his mother believed BC was “God’s country,” and he seemed to agree.

Jim lived with ALS for two years, facing it with determination and a focus on maintaining his independence.

Throughout his life, he found joy in simple and thoughtful pursuits: listening to CBC, fishing, hiking, reading history, baking bread and pastries, tomato gardening, building and flying model airplanes, ham radio, and sailing. A lifelong technical thinker, he kept his mind active in retirement by following business news and investing in the stock market with care and curiosity.