Hinman was born in Edmonton in 1959. He grew up in Calgary in the neighbourhood of Haysboro. Hinman has been active in the Scouts Canada organization since his childhood and continues to maintain his involvement with the program through leadership roles as an adult. He enjoys participating in outdoor activities such as hiking in the mountains and horseback riding. Hinman became politically aware at an early age, through his grand father Edgar "Ted" Hinman who served as the Member of the Legislative Assembly for Cardston and as Provincial Treasurer in the Social Credit government under Ernest Manning. Hinman has travelled to Denmark, Spain, the Caribbean Islands, Africa and Hong Kong. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and comes from a long line of Mormon pioneers. He spent two years in the Philippines serving an LDS Mission, where he learned to speak Tagalog. Hinman prior to winning his seat in the Alberta Legislature was an irrigation farmer, cow-calf producer, purebred-cattle breeder, feedlot operator and small-business entrepreneur. He attended the University of Alberta Faculty of Pharmacy. Today Hinman currently resides near his childhood home in Calgary.
Political career
Hinman became politically active working for the Reform Party of Canada in the early years. He served on policy and election committees. He later served positions in the Conservative Party of Canada. He serves as a board member for the federal Conservative Party of Canada in the electoral district of Lethbridge. In provincial politics, he was the southern regional director for the Alberta First Party. Hinman served as vice-president of policy for the Alberta Alliance Party from its founding convention on February 14, 2002, until he was named deputy leader on January 8, 2005.
MLA of Cardston-Taber-Warner
Himan was elected to his first term as the Member of the Legislative Assembly representing the constituency of Cardston-Taber-Warner in the 2004 provincial election on November 22, 2004. He defeated incumbent Broyce Jacobs who was affiliated with the Progressive Conservatives by 129 votes to capture the riding and pickup the district for the Alberta Alliance banner. He was the only person elected under the Alliance banner for the party that election. His win helped to retain the seat the Alliance gained in the Legislature when Edmonton-Norwood MLA Gary Masykcrossed the floor in June 2004. His win was historic as he became the first person elected under a fourth party banner in the Alberta Legislature since 1986.
Leadership election
Former Alberta Alliance leader Randy Thorsteinson stepped down as leader of the party shortly after the 2004 provincial election. Hinman was one of four candidates who ran in the 2005 Alberta Alliance Party leadership election. The other three candidates were Ed Klop, Marilyn Burns and David Crutcher. After a vigorous campaign, Hinman won the election on the third ballot at the leadership convention held on November 19, 2005 in Red Deer, Alberta to take over the party from interim leader Eleanor Maroes.
Wildrose Alliance
Under Hinman's leadership, the Alberta Alliance and the upstart Wildrose Party of Alberta merged to unite the right wing of the political spectrum in Alberta at a convention held on January 19, 2008 in Calgary. In the 2008 provincial election, held just weeks after the merger convention, Hinman lost to his Progressive Conservative opponent, Broyce Jacobs by 39 votes. The party improved its popular vote in the riding although Hinman only campaigned in the riding for five days. The party also improved its popular vote in most of the other ridings where it ran candidates, but was unable to pick up any seats. Hinman received accolades during the campaign for his performance in the televised leaders debate. A year later, Hinman stepped down as leader of the Wildrose Alliance Party, triggering a leadership convention on October 2009 in Edmonton. Hinman remained interim leader of the Alliance until the election of Danielle Smith as party leader on October 17. Like Smith, he is a libertarian.
Calgary-Glenmore by-election
On May 15, 2009 Calgary-Glenmore MLA Ron Stevens announced his resignation to accept a position as a judge. Hinman ran in the ensuing by-election, seeking to return to the legislature from a riding where he had grown up and where he was currently living. Hinman was selected as the Wildrose Alliance candidate at a well-attended nomination meeting and subsequently won the by-election with 37% of the vote.
