During his tenure, he spearheaded the Shaw Convention Center, the Light Rail Transit system, waste recycling programs, the preservation of the River Valley wilderness area, and the promotion of arts.

Ron was the oldest of six boys, all raised in the lumber camp at Akosane, Saskatchewan, and brought up in a poor family.

[1] Hayter graduated at 18 and worked for Margaret Lally "Ma" Murray as a reporter for the Alaska Highway News.

In 1957 when he was 22, he got a scoop about the collapse of the Peace River Suspension Bridge that brought him national attention and a job offer at the Edmonton Journal.

An amateur boxer and baseball player in his youth, he went on to sit on international sporting bodies, including the World Boxing Association (WBA).