Businessman’s murder shocks N.S.

SYDNEY, N.S. — Jim Matthews was a coal miner’s son who would wake before dawn to work on a local milk truck.

His reverence for hard work helped the 54-year-old become a prominent entrepreneur — a financial planner with an eye for real estate.

Friends say he was beloved and admired — making his sudden death at the hands of an unknown assailant this week a shocking mystery.

“We’re still in a state of disbelief. It’s been a painful 48 hours,” said John Tompkins, his longtime business partner.

The murder has left police hunting for clues in a high-profile case. Cape Breton Regional Police responded to the Prince Street Market, a three-storey building in Sydney owned by Matthews and his business partners, on Tuesday morning after receiving a report of a deceased person. Police said Matthews’ body was found in the apartment suite on the building’s top floor.

They are treating his death as a homicide, and the major crime unit and forensic identification section are leading an investigation. Staff Sgt. Phillip Ross said Thursday he could not release any additional information on the case.

Ross wouldn’t say whether police had any suspects and would not release the cause of death, to protect the “integrity of the investigation.”

The Sydney Mines native’s death left many in Nova Scotia’s business community shaken.

“He was a true entrepreneur. He saw opportunity and built things,” Tompkins said.

Tompkins met Matthews 26 years ago at London Life Insurance Company in Halifax. They hit it off.

A year after Matthews launched Matthews McDonough Financial Planning Inc. with Justin McDonough, the son of former federal NDP leader Alexa McDonough, Tompkins joined the firm.

When it came time to find an office, the business team ended up buying a building on Quinpool Road in Halifax.

“It’s not like we’re real estate magnates. We’re financial advisers and we needed a building so instead of renting we bought a building,” Tompkins said.

The investment worked out well and when Matthews pitched the idea of buying a building in Sydney, his business partners were on board.