Doug and Lois Mitchell

Doug and Lois Mitchell
(Doug) National Co-Chair and Regional Managing Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais
(Lois) President, Amherst Consultants Ltd.
Influential Icon: Power pair

This power couple has been a permanent fixture on Calgary’s good works scene since moving back to the city in 1989.

Doug, the national co-chair and regional managing partner of Borden Ladner Gervais law firm, currently serves as chair of the board of governors for the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Mitchell, the commissioner of the CFL between 1984 and 1989, also brings his experience in sports and management to his volunteer positions as chair of both the Goodwill Games Foundation and Canadian Athletic Foundation. Lois, who now runs Amherst Consultants Ltd., brings a wealth of real-world business experience to several volunteer positions. Among the more notable, she serves on the boards of the Alberta Foundation for the Arts, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce and as a governor for the Council of Canadian Unity.

Q: What personal experiences influenced your decision to make public service a part of your lives as individuals and as a couple?

A: (Lois) Your upbringing influences you. When you see your family giving back, there’s no doubt it becomes a part of you. I had an aunt who did not have much and she was always giving to people. I learned the real meaning of charity from her, when you don’t have anything to give and do it anyway. When you don’t have a lot of time and give it or don’t have a lot of money and give it, that’s really giving back. In addition to my aunt, I would have to say my husband has influenced me. He is the most incredible giver and never cares if he gets credit.

(Doug) When I was playing football at the University of British Columbia, the coach was Frank Gnup and he made a tremendous impression on me. He would do anything for anybody associated with athletics in the school and never asked for anything in return. He just wanted to make the future better for all of the athletes. He never owned a car and spent all his money on the athletes doing things for them. As a couple, I have so much respect for Lois as a businessperson. She goes the extra mile on everything she gets involved in, so it’s great to do things with her in the community.

Q: Which of these best describes you: Dreamer, Decision-Maker or Doer?

A: (Lois) I asked my husband, who said that I was all three and I really am. I really like to be a visionary and try new things. And to me, a decision-maker is a problem solver and I have spent my life solving problems for other people.

(Doug) I think I’m all three. My basic philosophy in life is no person has ever drowned in their own sweat. As a lawyer, I think I’m a little unusual in that I can think outside the box.

Q: What one situation do you wish you could have the chance to face again and how would you respond differently?

A: (Lois) Part of me never looks back. I love life and I love learning.

(Doug) I can’t think of anything I’d do differently.

Q: What keeps you sane?

A: (Lois) The wonderful people that make a huge difference, good friends and a great companion in my husband. Even in work as honorary consul of Columbia, that keeps me really grounded. When the consul general was in from Toronto the other day, I met with 30 families from Columbia. I am so grateful for everything that I have got because living in Calgary, living in Alberta, living in Canada is not reality. I represent a country and a people that have had 43 years of civil war and have had to leave it.

(Doug) I have a great sense of humour. I can laugh at myself and not take myself too seriously. And we have a great family life with four wonderful kids and there are great relationships between the six of us.

Q: What is the best thing about living in Alberta? What’s the most frustrating thing?

A: (Lois) The best thing is the people and the energy, the creativity, the innovation that goes on here. Alberta just abounds in that kind of thing. You can do things on a handshake here. The most frustrating thing is some people don’t really understand how grateful they should be. People complain that they are too busy, but I think they have to ask themselves if they are doing something that makes a difference.

(Doug) The best thing is Alberta is greatest place in the country to live. The opportunities here and the communities are terrific. It’s got everything that makes a perfect life for a couple or a family. The most frustrating thing is how Alberta is misunderstood by other provinces, which think we are a bunch of oil-rich rednecks.

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