Michael Phair

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Michael Phair
MPhair-26801025674 cbb3c0595e o (cropped).jpg
Edmonton City Councillor Ward 4
In office
1992–2007
Preceded byLance White
Succeeded byBen Henderson
Personal details
BornAugust 1950 (age 71)
Loyal, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma materTowson State 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]

Phair (left) with Edmonton mayor Don Iveson in 2016

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]

References[]

  1. ^ 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
  2. ^ "Gay politicians come out of the closet and into the cabinet". The Globe and Mail, November 13, 2009.
  3. ^ "'Shattered lives': A look at Edmonton police raid of Pisces Spa bathhouse four decades later". Edmonton Journal. May 31, 2021. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  4. ^ "Trustees to lead Pride Parade" Archived 2016-03-24 at the Wayback Machine. Edmonton Journal, May 25, 2012.
  5. ^ "Michael Phair. University of Alberta, Faculty of Education". University of Alberta. Retrieved 2021-03-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ "Michael Phair to have Edmonton school named for him". CBC News. June 21, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  8. ^ "Michael Phair School hosts grand opening to honour former city councillor". CBC News. January 22, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  9. ^ Bellefontaine, Michelle (August 16, 2019). "UCP sweeps NDP governance appointments out of post-secondary institutions". CBC News. Retrieved May 9, 2020.

External links[]


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