29 March 1937 – 22 September 2026
We are deeply saddened to announce that Robert (Ian) McAllister passed away peacefully at home on September 22, 2026, surrounded by his family. He will be greatly missed by his wife Jeanette McAllister (Hudson), daughters Karen McAllister, Lara McAllister (Mark Darrow), and Kirsten McAllister (Pablo Schelino), granddaughters Sophia and Maya Schelino, brothers David and James McAllister, and his extended family in England, Newfoundland, and the United States. Ian was predeceased by his brother Andrew McAllister and his parents Charles and Margaret McAllister (Towell).
Originally from England, Ian studied classics, theology, and economics at Cambridge and Oxford universities. He arrived in Canada in the early 1960s, where he met his wife Jeanette in St. John’s, Newfoundland. They settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1971 when he was hired by Dalhousie University, where he worked as a gifted and dedicated professor of development economics for 55 years. Ian was deeply committed to writing, teaching, and his students, and he continued to teach until the week before his death. He strongly believed in the practical and policy applications of his work and in connecting universities to international and regional development. He supported university partnerships with institutions in Ghana, Nepal, Zimbabwe, and beyond. During his time at Dalhousie, Ian supervised over 150 theses and was a mentor to students from around the world.
Ian held several positions and advisory roles in federal and provincial governments. He was the provincial economist for the Newfoundland Government (1962-65), head of regional development in the Canadian Finance Ministry (1968-71), and served on Canadian Royal Commissions on Newfoundland’s Economic Prospects (1965-67) and on Seals and Sealing (1984-86). From 1989-91, he was the senior development adviser and development department head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Geneva, where he was involved in international missions, including crises management in Romania, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia. He contributed to the Pearson Peacekeeping Training Centre, First Nations Development Council, the International Ocean Institute, and the Nova Scotia-Gambia Association. In addition to travelling globally for work, Ian lived with his family in England, Ghana, Belgium, and Switzerland.
Ian was an avid writer and was always working on his next book. He published on a wide range of topics, including post-confederation Newfoundland and Labrador, Canadian perspectives on regional development in Europe, university contributions to international and regional development, projects for disaster relief and sustainable development, and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. He deeply loved his wife Jeanette and his family, his daily walks along the Northwest Arm, weekend trips to small communities across Nova Scotia, long conversations with neighbours, friends, and strangers, and teasing his beloved granddaughters. He will be missed by everyone who knew him.
Ian’s family thanks the doctors, nurses, and staff from continuing care, palliative care, and oncology, with special thanks to Dr. Glenn Andrea (Dalhousie Health and Welfare Centre). A memorial service will be held on a later date. Arrangements entrusted to Personal Care Cremations & Memorial Services.
