'I will miss it:' Alex Munter reflects on his 13 years as the head of CHEO
Tuesday is Alex Munter’s last day as the head of eastern Ontario’s children’s hospital after more than a decade on the job.
Munter, who has served as the head of CHEO since 2011, announced last month he would be stepping down from his role to become the CEO of the Canadian Medical Association.
He leaves his role as the longest serving children's hospital CEO in Canada and the longest serving hospital CEO in Ottawa.
- Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Munter has been a well-known figure in Ottawa for decades. He served as a city councillor in the Ottawa area from 1991 to 2003, sitting as a councillor for Kanata and the Ottawa-Carleton region prior to amalgamation. He ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Ottawa in 2006.
Prior to joining CHEO, he was the CEO of the Champlain Local Health Integration Network (LHIN).
Munter said he will still be closely involved with pediatric physicians, CHEO and other health-care organizations when he takes on his new position at the Canadian Medical Association in December.
CTV News Ottawa's Patricia Boal spoke with Munter before his last day. The interview has been edited for clarity.
As you look back at over a decade in your role, what would you say was your greatest challenge?
The greatest challenge was the pandemic. I'm blown away, but not surprised by the courage of the people at CHEO and the people across the health care system.
It's funny 13 years in some ways, it was and is a very long time, and in other ways I can remember that first day very clearly, so it's gone by very fast.
You became a parent during that time, did it change your perspective in the job you were doing?
It changes your life, and I think being at CHEO and being around kids and seeing the triumph over adversity and what an amazing thing child development is, I think that probably contributed to me wanting to become a parent.
You're leaving as this hospital is on the verge of a massive redevelopment and trying to evolve to serve the needs of the community. Do you feel that you're stepping aside while leaving the job partly undone?
CHEO is in a strong place, the health care system has a lot of challenges, and no day goes by without those challenges manifesting themselves, but we have a great team, we have a great plan, we have amazing support from the community.
So, it feels like now is actually a good time to pass the baton. I feel like part of leadership is knowing when to go and finding the right moment. I look forward to the new challenge, I look forward to working with physicians from across Canada to work on some of the big problems in the system.
It has been a tough environment for the health care system recently. Are you leaving partly because it is so difficult to do a job with fewer resources?
Yes and no. I don’t think in the broader public sector there are any easy roles and I think CHEO is blessed with amazing resources. I've done 13 budgets, I've done 10 quality improvement plans, over 1,000 accountability agreements with government, and I think a fresh set of eyes on all of those kinds of issues and tasks will be good for the organization.
I will miss it, I will miss the people, I will miss the sense of purpose and mission that is there. I have mixed feelings, but I know in my heart that now is the time.
Do you feel okay with the state of health care in this province?
I think there is a lot of work to do. I think there's a lot of solutions. I think the people who have the solutions are the people in the field doing the work. There's lots of innovation happening.
That’s really why I'm excited about where I'm going because the Canadian Medical Association, has if you look at its history, has really helped make positive change, including the very first public health insurance in Canada.
Hopefully I can have an impact on CHEO in the new role, just one step removed.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Ted Raymond
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Feds move to end work stoppages at ports, order binding arbitration
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon says he is intervening to end the work stoppages at ports in both British Columbia and Montreal.
Canada Post workers issue 72-hour strike notice
The Canadian Union of Postal Workers has given a 72-hour strike notice to Canada Post.
23 arrested after at least 100 shots fired in exchange of gunfire outside Toronto recording studio: police
Police say 23 people are in custody after at least 100 shots were fired in an exchange of gunfire outside a West Queen West recording studio on Monday night.
'He begged me': Brampton, Ont. woman loses more than $200K to romance scam
A Brampton woman says she is devastated after she lost more than $200,000 — her life's savings — to a romance scam.
What consumers need to know if Canada Post workers strike ahead of a busy holiday season
Canada's postal workers could walk off the job or the company could lock them out as soon as 12:01 a.m. ET Friday if the union and the company don't reach an agreement. Here are tips for shoppers and businesses.
Federal judge blocks Louisiana law that requires classrooms to display Ten Commandments
A new Louisiana requirement that the Ten Commandments be displayed in every public classroom by Jan. 1 was temporarily blocked Tuesday by a federal judge who said the law is 'unconstitutional on its face.'
Ottawa high school principal apologizes for song played during Remembrance Day assembly
The principal of an Ottawa high school is apologizing to students, parents and guardians after an Arabic-language song was played during the school's Remembrance Day service.
Driver rams his car into crowd in China, killing 35. Police say he was upset about his divorce
A man who authorities said was upset over his divorce settlement rammed his car into a crowd of people exercising at a sports complex in southern China, killing 35 and severely injuring dozens of others, police said Tuesday.
Judge extends the time to indict the driver accused of killing Johnny Gaudreau and his brother
The driver charged with killing NHL hockey player Johnny Gaudreau and his brother, Matthew, as they were cycling on a rural New Jersey road briefly appeared in court Tuesday, where the judge extended the window for prosecutors to seek an indictment.