Jim Brownell is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the riding of Stormont—Dundas—Charlottenburgh for the Ontario Liberal Party. One of his distant ancestors, John Browell , represented the same general region in the Upper Canadian parliament from 1808 to 1809.

Brownell has a Bachelor of Arts degree, a Bachelor of Education degree, and a Master of Education degree from the University of Ottawa. He was a teacher with the Upper Canada District School Board for thirty-two years, and in 1992 completed the principal's qualification program at Queen's University. He also served for fourteen years as a councillor, deputy reeve and reeve in Cornwall Township and South Stormont Township . He has also been involved with the Lost Villages Historical Society and Museum since 1992. In 2002, he was awarded a Queen Elizabeth Golden Jubilee Medal by his community.

Incumbent Stormont-Dundas-Charlottenburgh Liberal MPP John Cleary retired before the 2003 provincial election, and Brownell won the party nomination to take his place. Although the election was expected to be close, he defeated Progressive Conservative Todd Lalonde by about 5500 votes for a fairly easy victory.

On May 21, 2004, he was appointed parliamentary assistant to George Smitherman, the Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care , on matters relating to public health.