Douglas H. Fullerton | The Canadian Encyclopedia

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Douglas H. Fullerton

Douglas H. Fullerton, OC, economist, financial consultant, author (born 3 September 1917 in St. John's, Newfoundland; died 21 December 1996 in Ottawa, ON).

Douglas H. Fullerton, OC, economist, financial consultant, author (born 3 September 1917 in St. John's, Newfoundland; died 21 December 1996 in Ottawa, ON). Douglas Fullerton earned a Bachelor of Commerce (1939) and Master of Commerce (1940) at McGill University. In 1957, he was appointed to the Canada Council and during his tenure as investment manager (1957–68), placed the council on a sound financial footing. He was well known for his work as chairman of the National Capital Commission (1969–73), leading the government's program to redevelop the central area of Hull; he was also responsible for creation of the Rideau Canal Skateway.

Fullerton also advised governments on diverse matters, including pension reform, public transit systems, the coal and steel industries in Atlantic Canada, and the nationalization of Québec hydro companies and Saskatchewan potash mines.

Fullerton was noted for his populist approach to urban planning, emphasizing that people come first. He wrote a newspaper column on urban affairs and is author of The Bond Market in Canada (1962), The Capital of Canada: How Should It Be Governed? (1974),The Dangerous Delusion: Quebec's Independence Obsession (1978) and Graham Towers and his Times (1986).

From 1979 to 1985 he was honorary professor of urbanism at the University of Calgary. Fullerton was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1987.