Financial Aid & Awards » Ken Tacium Memorial Scholarship

Ken Tacium Memorial Scholarship

In 2013, the family and friends of Ken Tacium (LL.B./85) established a entrance scholarship for a full-time student commencing studies in the JD program who have overcome significant obstacles in pursuit of their university studies.

 Call for Application – 2019-20 (pdf)

One scholarship, valued at $5,000, will be awarded to a First Year Full-Time student who has demonstrated:

  •    High academic achievement as determined by the standards for admission; and
  •    Courage and perseverance in overcoming significant obstacles (especially, but not necessarily, physical obstacles) in the pursuit of academic studies.

To apply, the following documents are required:

  1.   A written statement (maximum of 300 words, double spaced) that outlines the challenges overcome in the pursuit of university studies;
  2.   Two reference letters in support of application


The deadline to apply is Monday July 29, 2019.

Notes on submitting your application:

  1.   Letters may be emailed directly from recommenders or through the student
  2.   Transcripts submitted for admission will be reviewed, therefore a separate submission of transcript(s) is not required
  3.   Email submissions to: lawadmissions@umanitoba.ca quoting ‘Ken Tacium Scholarship’ in the subject line.

The recipient of the scholarship will be notified in late August 2019, and all applicants who apply will be contacted.

Biographical Information:

Ken Tacium (June 11, 1957 – March 27, 2012) was born in Fort William (Thunder Bay), Ontario in 1957 and moved with his family to Winnipeg in 1967. He grew up in Southdale and graduated from Windsor Park Collegiate in 1975. Throughout his teenage years he was a talented and competitive athlete and an exceptional teammate, contributing to the success of his hockey and football teams in St. Boniface and St. Vital.

Ken entered the University of Manitoba in 1976 in the Faculty of Arts, majoring in History. In 1979, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury in a car accident. In spite of the myriad physical obstacles he faced as a C6-7 quadriplegic, he went on to complete his B.A. in 1981. In 1982, he entered the Faculty of Law at the U of M and obtained his LL.B. in 1985. After articling for a year with the Attorney General of the Government of Manitoba, he started his own practice from an office in his home with the assistance of his father Edward, who delivered documents and served as his right-hand man for many years. In 1987, he joined two other partners in opening a practice at the corner of St. Anne’s Road and Fermor Avenue. Over the next 25 years, he provided careful and patient service for hundreds of clients.

Ken counted among his many friends both those he kept from his childhood days and the ones he gained in adult years; to all of them he was unfailingly loyal. He constantly put the interests of others ahead of his own and generously supported numerous charities. Among these was the Movement Centre of Manitoba, to which he provided the legal advice needed for its foundation and operation, and then served on its Board for several years. All who knew Ken admired him for his kind nature, his unique sense of humour, his intelligence, and above all for the tremendous determination with which he faced extraordinary challenges every day of his life.