Don Atchison

Who is Don Atchison?

Donald J. Atchison is a Canadian politician who was elected mayor of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan on October 22, 2003. He won a close four-way contest, running on a platform that included being tough on crime, freezing property taxes, and resuming control of the city's police commission. He was re-elected as mayor in 2006, 2009 and 2012. At the end of his current term in 2016, he will become the longest-serving mayor in Saskatoon's history at 13 years.

Prior to being mayor, Atchison was first elected to Saskatoon's city council as a councillor for Ward 10 in 1994, and was re-elected in 1997 and 2000.

As a city councillor, Atchison suggested a part of downtown Saskatoon should be enclosed by a $80 million 10-storey climate-controlled glass atrium, dubbed the "Atreos." He also is known to be precise about his dress, as he owns a men's clothing store. On his first election as mayor, he required citizens visiting the Mayor's office to be formally dressed, a policy that was soon dropped after being criticized. Both points were ridiculed by CBC satirist Rick Mercer who sponsored an online contest that went on to name Atchison "Canada's Craziest Mayor."