Michael Phair

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]

Michael Phair
Edmonton City Councillor Ward 4
In office
1992–2007
Preceded byLance White
Succeeded byBen Henderson
Personal details
BornAugust 1950 (age 69)
Loyal, Wisconsin, U.S.
Alma materTowson State University
Loyal University
San Francisco State University

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 cleared of charges.[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]

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.[6][7]

On February 25, 2016, it was announced that Phair was named chairman of the University of Alberta board of governors.[8] On August 16, 2019 Phair was replaced as chairman of the board of governors with the appointment of Kate Chisholm by the UCP government.[9]

References
  1. 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. Gelinas, Ben (December 30, 2010). "The night they raided the Pisces club". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  4. "Trustees to lead Pride Parade" Archived 2016-03-24 at the Wayback Machine. Edmonton Journal, May 25, 2012.
  5. "Michael Phair ISMSS Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services. University of Alberta, Faculty of Education". University of Alberta. Retrieved 2016-04-13.
  6. "Michael Phair to have Edmonton school named for him". CBC News. June 21, 2015. Retrieved April 13, 2016.
  7. "Michael Phair School hosts grand opening to honour former city councillor". CBC News. January 22, 2018. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  8. "Former city councillor Michael Phair named chairman of University of Alberta board of governors". Edmonton Journal. February 25, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-09.
  9. Bellefontaine, Michelle (August 16, 2019). "UCP sweeps NDP governance appointments out of post-secondary institutions". CBC News. Retrieved May 9, 2020.


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