Michael Phair
Quick Facts
Biography
Michael Albert Phair (born August 1950) is a Canadian politician, who served on Edmonton City Council from 1992 until 2007. He was the first openly gay elected politician in the province of Alberta, as well as one of the earliest openly gay elected officials anywhere in Canada.
Following his retirement from elected politics, Phair has continued to be active in the community, including as a board member of Edmonton Pride.
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.
In June 2015, the Edmonton Public School Board honoured Mr. 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 600. The school is expected to open in the fall of 2017 in the Webber Greens neighbourhood.
On Thursday, February 25, 2016, it was announced that Mr. Phair was named chairman of the University of Alberta board of governors.