Bob Douglas (politician)

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Robert Oliver Douglas was born on January 25, 1932 to parents residing in Minnedosa. He is a farm leader and former Winnipeg City Councillor.

Douglas joined the Manitoba Federation of Agriculture in 1956 as a youth director, and later became its executive secretary. He was a founding member of the Manitoba Farm Bureau in 1965, and served as its secretary manager for nineteen years until becoming general manager of the newly-created Keystone Agricultural Producers group in 1984.[1] Douglas played a prominent role in establishing the Manitoba Agricultural Training Project in 1989. He was fired in 1993, after refusing to submit a letter of resignation. Douglas indicated that he was given no cause for the termination notice. He subsequently joined Manitoba Pool as a consultant.[2]

His political career began in 1982, when was elected to the Winnipeg City Council in a by-election for the Stevenson ward. He ran as an independent, and defeated a candidate of the centre-right Independent Citizens' Election Committee. He was re-elected in 1983, defeating New Democratic Party candidate Jim Maloway by a wide margin. Returned by acclamation in 1986, he was again re-elected for the restructured ward of Grants Mills-Stevenson in 1989. He did not seek re-election in 1992. On council, Douglas served as chairman of the Planning and Community Services Committee.[3]

Douglas ran for the Manitoba Liberal Party in the 1995 provincial election, and spoke in favour of single-desk marketing for hog producers during the campaign.[4] He posed a credible challenge to Progressive Conservative incumbent Gerry McAlpine, but ultimately finished second. After the election, he suggested that Winnipeg should consider recapturing its diminishing tax base by expanding its borders outward.[5]

In 1998, Douglas was appointed to an advisory council of the Agri-food Research and Development Initiative.[6] He was appointed to a six-year term on the Canadian Grain Commission for Manitoba in 2000.[7] In 2004, he was nominated to the Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame.[8]

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[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ "Robert O. (Bob) Douglas", Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame, accessed 18 September 2007.
  2. ^ Larry Kusch, "Long-serving farm leader fired", Winnipeg Free Press, 19 August 1993.
  3. ^ Bob Douglas, "Plan Winnipeg needs to be followed", Winnipeg Free Press, 11 December 1993.
  4. ^ Glen MacKenzie, "Pork board looks for help to end hog-wash over future", Winnipeg Free Press, 31 March 1995.
  5. ^ Bruce Owen, "Property-tax crunch becomes chewy issue", Winnipeg Free Press, 25 October 1995, A7.
  6. ^ Paul Samyn, "Sowing seeds of industry", Winnipeg Free Press, 2 February 1998, A1.
  7. ^ "Douglas appointed", Winnipeg Free Press, 29 June 2000, A7.
  8. ^ "Agriculture hall of fame to induct 8", Winnipeg Free Press, 23 July 2004, A5.