Donald W. Branigan (1933 – June 27, 1999) was a Canadian politician and medical doctor, best known as a former mayor of Whitehorse, Yukon.[1] As a medical doctor, he was also noted for his frequent legal conflicts with medical licensing bodies opposed to his use of holistic medical practices such as acupuncture.[2]
He later moved to Whitehorse, where he resumed his medical practice. In this period, he began to introduce holistic therapies into his practice,[1] resulting in frequent conflict with the Yukon Medical Council and other authorities.[3] The Whitehorse General Hospital revoked his hospital privileges in 1979; although they denied that the revocation had anything to do with his holistic practices, they did not publicize an alternate reason.[4] In 1985, the council revoked his license to practice medicine, although it was reinstated a month later.[3] In 1988, the medical council charged him with 103 counts of fraud relating to his medical billing practices,[2] although 42 of the charges were withdrawn in the trial phase and he was acquitted of the other 61 charges in 1989.[5]
He served as mayor of Whitehorse from 1979 to 1982, and from 1984 to 1991.[1] As mayor, he was noted for some quirky ideas, such as suggesting that Whitehorse handle its sewage treatment needs by building a large ultrasonic blaster,[1] and having a pyramid built over the council chambers at Whitehorse City Hall as a spiritual conduit,[1] but was also highly regarded for his practical focus on economic development in the Yukon — in particular, he frequently called attention to the fact that the territory's wealth of natural resources offered it many opportunities to become more economically self-sufficient by expanding into manufacturing industries.[1]