[3] Originally from Edmonton, Alberta,[4] Labonté studied English and political science at Carleton University in Ottawa, where he was an editor for The Charlatan.
[4] Following school he joined the Ottawa Citizen in 1972 as an editor,[3] later writing film and book reviews,[3] and was a contributor to The Body Politic.
[4] During his time contributing to the Citizen, Labonté began a relationship with Norman Laurila, then worked at Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto.
[4] After Michael Thomas Ford stepped down as editor of Cleis Press's annual Best Gay Erotica series in 1996, Labonté was invited to become editor of the series, because the deadline for the next anthology was imminent and his job as a bookstore manager meant he would have extensive contacts in the gay literary world whose work he could call in quickly.
[5] Labonté and his husband, Asa Dean Liles, moved back to Canada in 2001 and were living on Bowen Island in British Columbia[3] at the time of his death.