Alex Munter

Text

Alex Munter, born in 1968, was the national capital region's first openly-gay elected representative.

First elected in 1991, he served four terms as a local councillor in Ottawa. He represented Kanata, chaired council committees responsible for health and social services and championed health initiatives like Ottawa's pioneering smoke-free regulations, Canada's first comprehensive public access defibrillator program and the LGBT wellness project.

In 1994, he chaired the Ottawa branch of Campaign For Equal Families, a grassroots coalition in support of the provincial government's ultimately-unsuccessful same-sex spousal recognition bill.

From 2003 to 2005, he was National Coordinator of Canadians For Equal Marriage, which mobilized groups and individuals in support of equal marriage legislation in Canada.

Following his career in politics, he moved to health and social services administration. He has led a number of organizations, including Ottawa's Youth Services Bureau and presently the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario.

He was Grand Marshall of the National Capital Pride Parade in 1993, 2003 and (along with many other community leaders) in 2015.