James Robertson
James Robertson was born into an “old Halifax family”, his ancestors having built a local hardware business in the mid-1800s—Wm. Robertson & Son Ship Chandlery (now the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic)—on the waterfront in downtown historic Halifax. James grew up in the south end of the city and was educated in both private and public schools: Halifax Ladies College (for kindergarten), Gorsebrook School, Queen Elizabeth High School, and then Dalhousie University (BComm, 1977).
During his professional career he held roles in accounting, sales, and customer service. Throughout his life he has always been active in the community through his church (Fort Massey United, Bedford United), the Epilepsy Association of the Maritimes, Scouts Canada, Special Olympics, Club Inclusion, and the Alliance of Information and Referral Services (AIRS).
James is the recipient of the Provincial Volunteer of the Year Award; the Canada 125 Medal; and the Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal. He and his wife, Kari, received the Cassidy Megan Award from the Epilepsy Association of the Maritimes in 2022, and in 2025, he received the William S. Fong Volunteer Award, presented by Fort Massey United Church. He has been married for forty-seven years to Kari, and they have three children and six grandchildren.
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James's Book
Day by Day: There is Always a Little Bit More
Early reviewers, family friends, and medical professionals have called James Robertson’s memoir, Day by Day: There is Always a Little Bit More everything from “gut-wrenching” to “beautiful and touching.” These comments encapsulate the more than forty years of caring for their special needs son, Graham, who is not just James and his wife, Kari’s, eldest child, but also a beloved brother, uncle, and friend, who has never been defined by his disability, a rare form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome.
The story is mostly told from a father’s perspective but also includes chapters from immediate family members, and a life-long special friend who helped Graham tell his side of the story too. The raw, vulnerable, and often difficult to read intensity of this story is intentional but the author’s hope is to encourage other families struggling with the challenges of supporting a loved one with special needs—from navigating an under resourced medical system to finding much needed and often elusive programs and dwindling government funding— to reach out for support and also to know that they are not alone.
Releases October 18, 2026.