Ron Hayter

Ron Hayter
Edmonton City Councilor Ward 2
In office 2001–2010
Preceded by	Rose Rosenberger
Succeeded by	Ward abolished
Edmonton City Councilor Ward 2
In office 1980–1995
Preceded by	New ward
Succeeded by	Rose Rosenberger
Edmonton City Councilor Ward 3
In office 1971–1980
Preceded by	New ward
Succeeded by	Ward abolished
Personal details
Born	(1936-07-30)July 30, 1936 Regina, Saskatchewan
Died	April 21, 2018(2018-04-21) (aged 81) St. Albert, Alberta, Canada
Spouse	Grace Jacqueline (Jac'y) Bacon Hayter
Children	Sparkle Hayter Sandra Hayter Nevin Hayter Hudson Hayter
Occupation	Reporter
Baseball career
Member of the Canadian
Baseball Hall of Fame
Induction	2006

Ronald John Hayter (July 30, 1936 – April 21, 2018) was the longest-serving city councillor of Edmonton, Alberta, having served from 1971 until 1995, when he stepped down to join the National Parole Board. He returned to the council during the 2001 civic election, was re-elected in the 2004 and 2007 civic elections, and retired in 2010. During his tenure, he spearheaded people-friendly development such as the Shaw Convention Center, the LRT, waste recycling programs, the preservation of the River Valley wilderness and the promotion of arts especially in sports events that helped turn a modest oil and agriculture city into a world-class capital. He was proud of his lifelong efforts to promote the rights of and create reconciliation with the First Nations communities.

Background

Hayter was born in Northern Saskatchewan on July 30, 1936, to Vera Smith Hayter of Regina, Saskatchewan, and Raleigh "Slim" Hayter, of Murray Hill, Prince Edward Island. Raleigh was then a Saskatchewan lumberman who later lived as a trapper in Northern Alberta on the Little Berland River until he died in 1984. Ron was the oldest of six boys, all raised in the lumber camp at Akosane, Saskatchewan. They were a poor family. His father was opposed to school and Hayter didn't get the chance to attend school until age 12 when his father was incarcerated for illegal deer hunting. He graduated at 18 and worked for Margaret Lally "Ma" Murray as a reporter for the Alaska Highway News. When he was 22, in 1957, he got a scoop about the collapse of the Peace River Suspension Bridge, which got him national attention and a job at the Edmonton Journal. The night his first child was born, he appeared live on the CBC quiz show Front Page Challenge to discuss this story.

Hayter later became a correspondent for Time magazine. An amateur boxer and baseball player in his youth, he went on to sit on international sporting bodies IAMBA and the World Boxing Association (WBA), and headed the Canadian Boxing Body for many years. He was a judge at some world heavyweight bouts and helped bring baseball to the Summer Olympics. In 2006, he was inducted into both the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame and the "Canadian Boxing Hall of Fame". He served as president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Former Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson hired Hayter as an advisor to help create Sport Canada. He received the Vanier Award and the Queen's Jubilee Medal for community service.

Hayter was married to Grace Jacqueline (Jac'y) Bacon Hayter, who predeceased him in 2005 and was the father of four children, the writer Sparkle Hayter, Sandra Hayter, Nevin Hayter, and Hudson Hayter, who died in infancy. He was the nephew of the late bush pilot and aviation pioneer Henry W. "Harry" Hayter, who was in Canada's Aviation Hall of Fame. Hayter was diagnosed with dementia in his later years and died of pneumonia on April 21, 2018, in St. Albert, Alberta, at the age of 81 years.