David Mark Archibald

Dave lived life large. The third of four children born to Gordon Rupert Archibald and Phyllis Anita Hume, Dave grew up on the banks of Capilano Canyon in North Vancouver. In the summer you would find him adventuring throughout the canyon and cliff jumping at Granny’s Cove or in winter, hitchhiking up to Grouse Mountain to go skiing after school. It was this upbringing that helped spur Dave into a lifelong career in environmental consulting with a passion for the natural world; graduating with a BSc in Marine Biology from UBC and an MBA in Natural Resource Management from U of T.

Dave was a vibrant, active adventurer who had been the president of an environmental consulting firm working on large multi-national projects around the world. He began his career at DFO studying Pacific Salmon and Dungeness Crab, then joined Envirocon Pacific and Hatfield Consultants. He is the author of many publications on fisheries and crab habitats, the impact of dioxins from the pulp and paper industry, early studies on the viability of recycling and numerous other subjects.

Travel became part of Dave’s DNA first with Rick Hansen and the Man In Motion World Tour and then as President of PT Hatfindo, Hatfield’s Indonesian office where he moved with his wife and two young children. Two years later, Dave was recruited by ERM SE Asia to establish ERM’s Indonesian operation. Living and working in a developing country like Indonesia, taught Dave and his family incredible life lessons of what it is like to be a visible, cultural, religious, ethnic and linguistic minority; values he continued to live by throughout his life. The community of expat friends they lived amongst became more like family, forming friendships from all over the world that continue to this day.

After 5 years of living and working overseas on projects in over 20 different countries, Dave and his family decided to move back to Canada where he continued his consulting career first with ERM Vancouver, RESCAN and finally All North Consultants while also establishing a teak import business, TeakDirect.com. There was never a dull moment in Dave’s life.

Dave had a zest for adventure. In 1987, he and his wife climbed Kilimanjaro and travelled throughout East Africa. In summer months, you could often find Dave windsurfing at Jericho Beach after work. As a marine biologist, he was an avid scuba diver, diving in early years in many of the lesser known and more off-the-beaten-track sites throughout BC and as far as the Solomon Islands. Dave and his family used living in Indonesia as a jumping off point to travel and explore the many countries throughout SE Asia including Vietnam, the farthest corners of Indonesia, Thailand, Australia and others. No matter how far he travelled, his constant joking and ability to connect with anyone made every journey unforgettable.

Sadly in 2013, Dave was diagnosed with Early Onset Alzheimer’s disease. He was just 55 years old. Never to be deterred, he and his wife Susan sat down and wrote their bucket list; Dave got the first 5 picks. This began 10 years of travelling the world, visiting Greenland and Canada’s Arctic, Peru including trekking the Inca Trail, Ecuador and the Galapagos, rafting the great Tatshenshini River, hiking and exploring Hawaii, Mexico, Italy, Croatia, Egypt and Jordan, and kayaking many of BC’s coastal waters including Haida Gwaii, the Broken Islands, Telegraph Cove, Blackfish and Clayoquot Sounds. Alzheimer’s was not going to interfere with Dave’s passion for the outdoors and the natural world.

Dave was a difference maker always believing there would be a cure for Alzheimer’s in his lifetime. As such he actively participated in any research projects to help further the science and understanding of the disease through the UBC Centre for Brain Health and has agreed to donate his brain to research.

Dave was also an advocate, working to revise the legislation to allow for advance requests for those diagnosed with an irremediable disease such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. His story has helped inform bureaucrats and politicians, with the hope that the criminal code in Canada will soon be revised to accept Advance Requests for MAID. To learn more and help keep up the pressure to get this legislative change, you can go to https://www.dyingwithdignity.ca/advocacy/allow-advance-requests-now/

Dave is survived by his wife, Susan (nee Goad), daughter Lauren and predeceased by his son Brendan. He also leaves behind brothers Greg, Stephen and sister Robyn, step sister Wendy, nieces Kate, Chelsea and Sydney, nephew Alex, great nephew Morrissey and numerous in-law relations from the Goad family in Collingwood, Toronto and Montreal. We are all eternally grateful for the professional and compassionate care Dave received in the last few years of his life from the amazing team at Berkley Long Term Care Centre.

A celebration of Dave’s life will be held September 10, 2025. Please reach out to [email protected] for details.

Donations can be made to Dying with Dignity Canada in Dave’s memory at DyingwithDignity.ca/donate