38th Parliament Members
at dissolution on April 14, 2009

MLA: Doug Routley Cowichan-Ladysmith Elected: 2005 NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA

Doug Routley, born May 9, 1961 in New Westminster, BC, grew up in Duncan, BC. Doug comes from a family of educators and attended the public schools of the Cowichan Valley. He also attended Camosun College before traveling to Japan, where he lived and worked for one year.

Doug's close friendships and connections to the Cowichan First Nation people began as a boy playing road hockey and attending school with his friends from Cowichan. He has continued building on that connection in politics, first as a school trustee and now as MLA. Doug has a diverse background in industry, business, unions and politics. He has work experience in logging and sawmilling, treeplanting, construction, as well as working as an ESL teacher, business owner and operator, school custodian, union representative, school trustee and MLA.

While in Japan, Doug taught English and studied Sumea, traditional Japanese ink painting. He was a bicycle racer and while training in Japan, met a renowned Japanese bicycle manufacturer. Doug became English teacher to the family of this bicycle manufacturer and was given North American rights to his products. After his return to Canada, Doug established a company with a retail bicycle store in Vancouver and a wholesale/distribution chain which had dealers throughout Canada and the USA with warehouses in Vancouver, Ontario and California.

Doug was elected as the MLA for Cowichan-Ladysmith on May 17, 2005. He serves as Opposition Critic for Apprenticeship and Training, and also served as Deputy Chair of the Select Standing Committee on Education.

Doug has two daughters, Sasha, 21 and Madeline, 13.