Tribute

John Munro passed away on November 7, 2025 peacefully at home after reluctantly giving in to the cancer that for the last two years he was positive he was going beat. Even though he was only in his 80^th year, he lived a full and rewarding life. He was known as the ‘energizer bunny’, always positive, optimistic, and keen to learn and explore and get things done. He put into each day what most people lived in two.

John was born in Scotland and came to Canada at age two. He was proud of both his Scottish and Canadian heritage. Growing up in Vancouver and going to UBC he early on was quick to stand up against injustices beginning with participating in the anti-war protests of the sixties. Working for BC Research as a fish toxicologist he did some of the first sampling of the effluents from the pulp and paper mills in the days when ‘the solution to pollution is dilution’ was the mantra to solve many environmental problems until actual sampling showed a different story. John was offered a job with the Ontario Ministry of Environment in Toronto to continue this work and where he met Karen Clark, his life partner who is a wildlife biologist. John and Karen were both transferred to Dorset, Ontario to the Ontario Inland Lakes Research Centre where John conducted acid rain related fish toxicology research and eventually became the chief administrator. Successfully fighting the closure of the village school, finding funds for building the village community centre, chair of the daycare board at the research centre and eventually becoming the chair of the Haliburton School Board as well as running a mail order wine and beer-making supply business, John was fortunate to not need much sleep. When it was clear that cutbacks were coming as the acid rain research was winding down and John was asked what staff should be cut his first suggestion was “me” to the amazement of his director. The timing was right to slow down to enjoy family life and return to the BC coast, mountains and ocean which he loved and where he grew up. The family now included Hannah, and twins Fiona and Heather who were about to start school, so the timing was right.

John always had a passion for wanting to do work that he felt was important and needed to be done. This passion combined with his love of the land and the people living there he almost right away after moving back to BC, first to Quadra Island and then Salt Spring Island, started working for First Nations on land related issues. Over the last thirty years he worked for over twenty bands all over BC as well as for the Amerindians in Guyana. John’s gift in life was the ability to value and understand every person’s opinion even if he did not agree. He felt honoured and privileged to work at land and treaty negotiations with the federal and provincial governments representing the First Nation bands. John was an integral part of three treaties that were successfully ratified, the third ratified only days before he died. He gave a good part of his life to this work. One of the negotiators said, “His blood, sweat and tears shed for our treaty work is part of the history that children will be told.”

John was very much loved and will be dearly missed by his life partner Karen, daughters; Hannah Munro, Heather Munro, and Fiona Munro, and three grandchildren; Hugh, Ailsa and Felix, and brother Rab, and lifelong friend Harley as well as many others with many stories to tell about his love of the land in driving adventures in Scotland and to every province and state in continental North America, his passion for music, cooking, books, gardening, and love of people and life.

At John’s request there will be no celebration of life. In lieu of flowers please support your local food security initiatives and those who strive to bring peace and understanding in our increasingly divisive world.