Biography

Douglas R. Archer was born in Winnipeg

Winnipeg

Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...

, Manitoba

Manitoba

Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...

, but was raised in Saskatoon

Saskatoon

Saskatoon is a city in central Saskatchewan, Canada, on the South Saskatchewan River. Residents of the city of Saskatoon are called Saskatonians. The city is surrounded by the Rural Municipality of Corman Park No. 344....

, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

. There, he received a Bachelor of Economics, before moving to Regina

Regina, Saskatchewan

Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...

, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

 in 1971. In Regina, Archer began a twelve-year career in the public service of the province, before leaving in 1983 to become a partner in Knight-Archer Insurance Services. In 1985, Archer was elected as a Councillor on the City Council of Regina, and became Mayor in 1988.

After becoming Mayor, one of Archer's most noted accomplishments was to eliminate the city's business tax. The tax, which had caused much controversy among the business community of Regina, had been introduced prior to Archer becoming Mayor, and was replaced by persuading the then Government of Saskatchewan to make payments to all municipalities in the province to compensate for a lack of property taxes. In 1989, Archer established the Regina Regional Economic Development Authority, with the aim of developing Regina's economic potential and promoting the city as a good tourism spot. As Regina's Mayor, Archer was elected to the Federation of Canadian Municipalities Board of Directors, serving for twelve years. In 2001, Archer's name was added to the Federation's Roll of Honour for his service in his position, following his leaving the position of Mayor of Regina the previous year.

Personal life

Archer and his wife Gloria have three children, all of whom live in the Regina area. Through Knight-Archer Insurance Services, the couple are currently active participants in the city's business community. The two sponsor an annual benefit concert, Brighter Futures for Children.