McKinnon served on the board on the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA, now Hockey Manitoba) for 18 years (non-consecutive), five as president, during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. As an advocate for youth sports, McKinnon played a significant role in the overhaul of Canadian junior hockey and the creation of a national Junior "A" championship in 1970. McKinnon was Canada's representative at the IIHF Congress during the mid-1970s and a member of the organizing committee for the first IIHF World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in 1974.