Michel is currently the chair of the Board of Directors of the Société historique de Saint-Boniface and a Board member of the Friends of Upper Fort Garry and of the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society. He is the editorialist for the French-language weekly La Liberté and an occasional commentator on public affairs for regional and national Radio-Canada radio and television programs.
Michel graduated with a BA and an MA in Economics from the University of Manitoba. He also holds the diploma of Associate of the Royal Conservatory of Music of Toronto from the University of Toronto. As an economist in the public sector and as the president of his consulting firm, he has authored numerous studies on economic and social issues across Canada. As a public servant, he was an economist with Statistics Canada and Ontario’s Department of Labour, before joining the Office of the Premier of Ontario. He also served as the Director of the Secretary of State Department’s (now Canadian Heritage) Manitoba Region and of the Secretariat of the Manitoba Federal Council.
Strongly committed to the arts and heritage sectors, he has chaired the boards of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra and of Arts Stabilization Manitoba Inc. He has served on a variety of boards including the United Way of Winnipeg, the Board of Governors of the University of Manitoba, the Civil Service Commission of Manitoba, the Manitoba Conservatory of Music and Arts as well as GroundSwell, the presenter of new music in Manitoba. In 1989-1990, he was a member of the Manitoba Government's Arts Policy Review Committee.
