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. In his 80th year, he lived a full and rewarding life. He was known as the ‘energizer bunny’, always positive, optimistic, keen to learn and explore and get things done never retiring from his work. He put into each day what most people lived in two.
John was born in Scotland and came to Canada at age two, growing up in Vancouver. John met his life partner Karen Clark when working for the Ontario Ministry of Environment in Toronto. They were both transferred to Dorset to the Ontario Inland Lakes Research Centre to conduct acid rain related research. Eventually John became the chief administrator. Involved in community work he also ended up chair of the Haliburton County School Board. When it was clear there would be government cutbacks, it was the right time for his family which now included Hannah, and twins Fiona and Heather to return to the BC coast where he grew up.
On Quadra Island and then Salt Spring Island, John 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 the Amerindians in Guyana. John’s gift in life was the ability to value and respect every person’s opinion. 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 only days before he died. It was 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 (Christopher), Heather(David), and Fiona(Gavin), 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.