Michael Phair
Michael Phair | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Edmonton City Councillor Ward 4 | |
| In office 1992–2007 | |
| Preceded by | Lance White |
| Succeeded by | Ben Henderson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | August 1950 (age 74) Loyal, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Towson State University Loyal University San Francisco State University |
Michael Albert Phair (born August 1950) is a Canadian politician, who served on Edmonton City Council from 1992 until 2007.[1] He was the first openly gay elected politician in the province of Alberta,[1] as well as one of the earliest openly gay elected officials anywhere in Canada.[2]
In 1981, Phair was one of 56 men arrested by the Edmonton Police Service during a raid by the morality control unit on the Pisces Health Spa, a gay bathhouse. He was convicted, but then appealed and had his record scrubbed. [3]
Following his retirement from elected politics, Phair has continued to be active in the community, including as a board member of Edmonton Pride.[4]
Mr. Phair is an adjunct professor with the Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services (iSMSS) in the Faculty of Education at the University of Alberta.[5][6]
In June 2015, the Edmonton Public School Board honoured Phair by naming a school after him citing his work with HIV Edmonton and Edmonton Homeward Trust. The school will serve students in Grades 7 through 9 with a capacity of approximately 900 students. The school opened in 2017 in the Webber Greens neighbourhood.[7][8]
On February 25, 2016, Phair was named Chairman of the University of Alberta Board of Governors.[6] On August 16, 2019, Phair was replaced with the appointment of Kate Chisholm by the UCP government.[9]
In recognition of his community contributions, Phair received an honorary doctor of laws degree from the University of Alberta on June 8, 2022.[10]
References
- ^ a b Moroz, Ross (April 25, 2007), "Venerable councillor calls it a career", Vue Weekly, archived from the original on October 26, 2007, retrieved 2008-02-03
- ^ "Gay politicians come out of the closet and into the cabinet". The Globe and Mail, November 13, 2009.
- ^ "'Shattered lives': A look at Edmonton police raid of Pisces Spa bathhouse four decades later". Edmonton Journal. May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
- ^ "Trustees to lead Pride Parade" Archived 2016-03-24 at the Wayback Machine. Edmonton Journal, May 25, 2012.
- ^ "Michael Phair. University of Alberta, Faculty of Education". University of Alberta. Retrieved 2021-03-03.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Former city councillor Michael Phair named chairman of University of Alberta board of governors". Edmonton Journal. February 25, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
- ^ "Michael Phair to have Edmonton school named for him". CBC News. June 21, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
- ^ "Michael Phair School hosts grand opening to honour former city councillor". CBC News. January 22, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
- ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (August 16, 2019). "UCP sweeps NDP governance appointments out of post-secondary institutions". CBC News. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
- ^ Betkowski, Bev. "U of A names honorary degree recipients for 2022 spring convocation". Folio. University of Alberta. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
External links
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