Dr. Robin M. Richardson, PhD is a distinguished Harvard University – educated economist who has served as Senior Economist for the Toronto Dominion Bank, Chief Economist for a major Stockbrokerage Company, and National Research Director and Chief Economist for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. Dr. Richardson is also a former Canadian Member of Parliament and public policy analyst. He is an author, pastor, historian and former college professor.

Dr. Richardson lives in Victoria, BC and at his vacation home in Nanaimo, BC, with his wife, Jacqui, of 50-years, and their dog, Daisy. Robin and Jacqui have two children and two grandchildren.

Canadian & British Columbia Roots

 The Blacksmith Years

• 1834             Arrived in Quebec City from Bridlington, Yorkshire, England.
• 1838             Orono, Ontario
• 1848             Markdale, Ontario
• 1880             Hamiota, Manitoba.

The Methodist/United Church Years

Robin’s Grandfather Reverend Frank Mark Richardson

Winnipeg, several towns in Saskatchewan, Pender Island, BC

The Early Vancouver Island/ BC Years

Robin’s Parents William Mark and Margaret Agar Richardson

1938 – 1943  Victoria, Nanaimo, Port Alberni, Tofino.

Robin’s father was a Captain in the Royal Canadian Scottish Regiment in Victoria.

Robin’s mother from Taber, Alberta, graduated BCom from the University of British Columbia.

The Robin Mark Richardson Years

Robin was born in Vancouver, BC in 1942 and lived in Victoria from 1942 to 1943. Taber, Alberta, 1944-45.

• Kindergarten         Toronto, Ontario
• Grades 1 to 13       St. Catharines, Ontario
• 1961-1968             University of Western Ontario, University of Toronto, Harvard University
• 1968–1979          Toronto – Economist
• 1979–1980          Ottawa – Member of Parliament
• 1980–1982          Wilmore, Kentucky – Asbury Theological Seminary
• 1982-1983            Asbury College (now Asbury University) – Professor
• 1983–1984            Abbotsford, BC – Missionary
• 1984-1990             Chilliwack, BC  – Financial Planner
• 1990-Now              Victoria, BC – Pastor, Economist, Financial Planner
• 2014-Now              Victoria, BC and Nanaimo, BC – Founder and Leader, VIP

Currently Serving

• Leader, The Vancouver Island Party (VIP)
• Associate Pastor: Cornerstone Christian Fellowship
• Final Expense, Financial and Estate Planner, Assumption Life
• Insurance Advisor, LifePlan Financial Group 
• Certified Professional Consultant on Aging (CPCA)
• Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC)

A Distinguished Professional Economist

Dr. Richardson’s business education includes:

• University of Western Ontario – BA (Hon) & Gold Medalist in Economics.
• University of Toronto – MA in Political Economy.
• Doctoral Studies in Economics at Harvard University.
• Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts (now The CFA Institute) – CFA
• Rhodes Scholarship Candidate and Woodrow Wilson Scholarship Candidate.
• Fellow, Harvard University.

As a professional business economist, Dr. Richardson’s work includes:

• Senior Economist, The Toronto Dominion Bank.
• Chief Economist and Director, Loewen, Ondaatje, McCutcheon and Company Ltd. (An institutional investor stockbrokerage company).
• Canadian Member of Parliament, Progressive Conservative, Toronto-Beaches  (1979-80).
  • Special Advisor to the Minister of Finance on pension reform.
  • Special Advisor to the Minister of State for Small Business on a small business strategy for Canada.
  • Vice Chair, Finance Committee.
  • Member, Select Committee on Volunteer Action – religious organizations.
• Associate Professor of Economics, Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky.
• Chief Economist and National Research Director, The Canadian Taxpayers Federation.
• Director, The Fraser Institute’s International Centre for the Study of Public Debt.
• Senior Consulting Economist
  • Economic Council of Canada.
  • Canadian Federation of Independent Business.
  • Business Development Bank of Canada.
  • BC Ferries
• President, Toronto Association of Business Economists.
• Vice President, Association of Professional Economists of British Columbia.
• Vice Chair, Index Committee, Toronto Stock Exchange.
• Chair, Goal-Setting Committee, United Way of Metropolitan Toronto.

An Experienced Financial Planner and Portfolio Manager

As a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA), Dr. Richardson served as:

• Advisor to portfolio managers worldwide of mutual funds, pension funds, bank and insurance company institutional investors.
• Portfolio Manager for Greater Victoria & Vancouver Island, Cassels Blaikie Investment Management Limited, a subsidiary of National Trust.
• Owner-operator of financial and estate planning businesses in the Upper Fraser Valley, Greater Victoria and the rest of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

The Funeral Planner You Can Trust

• Many years experience as a Funeral Planner in the Upper Fraser Valley and in Greater Victoria and elsewhere on Vancouver Island.
• A graduate of the Life Appreciation Institute program, highly recommended by funeral business professionals.
• An independent Funeral Planner in Greater Victoria.
• Dr. Richardson give his clients “Free Independent Advice” on all aspects of funeral and cemetery planning including “green” burials, government and veteran’s benefits, organ donations, obituary preparation and how to get started on a “Celebration of Life” eulogy.
• Certified Preplanning Consultant (CPC), a designation placing Dr. Richardson in the top rank of advance funeral planning professionals in the United States and Canada.
• “Thoughtful Funeral and Cemetery Planning – A Loving Gift For Your Family.” A 30-minute Power Point group presentation. Educational and humorous. Offering a $200 Executor’s Toolkit Door Prize

A Community Activist

• Founder and Executive Director, Haven House – The Victoria Military Hospitality Centre. For more than a decade, Dr. Richardson and his wife, Jacqui, served the military community of CFB Esquimalt by opening up their home on Portage Inlet for recreational and social activities for armed forces personnel and their families.
• Founder and President, The Portage Inlet Protection Society (PIPS). This group of more than 200 family members seeks environmental protection for the Gorge Waterway and Portage Inlet.
• Member, Elder Friendly Community Network of Greater Victoria and Westshore Seniors’ Services. Dr. Richardson interacts on a regular basis with various agencies and organizations that support the large seniors population in Greater Victoria.
• Member, Songhees First Nation Taxpayer Advisory Committee. This Committee represents about 400 homeowners living on the Songhees Reserve in Victoria.
• Member, Westshore Chamber of Commerce
• Member, Esquimalt Chamber of Commerce