2023 in review: some of the notable quebecers who left us this year

media

egbert gaye, 67

egbert gaye’s “moral compass was always on and he never held back on an opinion,” fellow cjad commentator jimmy zoubris recalled. john kenney / montreal gazette

a pillar of the black community , egbert gaye was the founder and editor of montreal community contact , the city’s first black and caribbean english-language newspaper, as well as a commentator on cjad 800.

denise bombardier, 82

author denise bombardier at blue met in montreal in 2003. john kenney / montreal gazette

an author and journalist, denise bombardier was a combative columnist with le journal de montréal. a polemicist , she attacked multiculturalism, drag queens, same-sex marriage, “wokeism” and minority communities that complained about quebec. bombardier is also remembered for, in 1990 , being the first to publicly label as a pedophile celebrated french author gabriel matzneff , who for years had written about having sex with minors .

brian mckenna, 77

a documentarian, broadcaster and writer, brian mckenna was a founding producer of cbc’s the fifth estate. among his documentary topics were olympic stadium cost overruns and the life of pierre trudeau. he also co-authored a documentary of jean drapeau . mckenna’s most controversial work, co-written with his brother terence, was a three-part series about the second world war — the valour and the horror . critical of the canadian military, it sparked a crtc investigation and a senate inquiry.

dane lanken, 77

a montreal gazette arts writer in the 1960s and 1970s, dane lanken authored the definitive book on montreal cinemas, montreal movie palaces: great theatres of the golden era — 1884-1938. married to folk singer-songwriter anna mcgarrigle, half of the kate and anna mcgarrigle duo, lanken frequently performed and recorded with them .

don mcgowan, 85

don mcgowan presents his weather report during cfcf-12’s evening newscast. ctv montreal

known to generations of montrealers as a wacky weatherman, don mcgowan was a stalwart at cfcf (now ctv montreal) from 1962 to 1998 . in addition to weather duties on the highly rated pulse newscast, he hosted interview shows — mcgowan & co. and mcgowan’s world — and visited exotic locales for his travel travel show.

malcolm anderson, 87

for 15 years, malcolm anderson was montrealers’ go-to guy for wine advice. his montreal gazette wine column ran from 1992 to 2007. he was “one of those rare wine writers who takes the wine seriously, not himself,” wayne grigsby, his predecessor as gazette wine writer, wrote in 1992. born in yorkshire, england, anderson moved to montreal in 1966, working for canadair and the bank of montreal.

mel morris, 93

an old-fashioned newspaperman who knew how to get the best out of his newsroom, mel morris was a driving force at the montreal gazette from 1981 to 1991, serving as a senior editor. he was at the helm behind the scenes during some of the newspaper’s most challenging moments, including the école polytechnique massacre. morris worked for a series of news organizations, including the toronto telegram, the toronto star and maclean’s.

marc-andré lussier, 63

a film critic and longtime journalist at la presse, marc-andré lussier was at the paper for 45 years, having started as an 18-year-old in the advertising department. the film buff was also a broadcaster, contributing to radio-canada and télé-québec. an arts writer since 2000, lussier attended the cannes film festival 17 times, interviewing countless movie industry players.

the arts

karl tremblay, 47

karl tremblay of the quebec band les cowboys fringants at a bell centre show in 2021. dave sidaway / montreal gazette files

lead singer of les cowboys fringants, karl tremblay  was an influential and much-loved quebec artist. his death “caused a huge shock throughout quebec,” premier françois legault said. “we have lost a great artist, above all a great quebecer, whose voice marked our nation and an entire generation of quebecers.” an emotional tribute was held for him as part of a national funeral at the bell centre, where his band sold out many shows over the years.

david fennario, 76

groundbreaking montreal writer david fennario was a staunch defender of the working class who knew how to tell the story of montreal on the stage. he is best remembered for his classic play balconville , which captured life among anglophones and francophones in blue-collar pointe-st-charles in the 1970s.

myles goodwyn, 75

the frontman of april wine, myles goodwyn, and fellow band members moved from nova scotia to montreal in 1970 and hit the big time. classic-rock legends, the group sold more than 10 million albums. seven of their songs cracked the billboard 100 , including just between you and me , roller and you could have been a lady .

andrée desautels, 99

quebec’s first professional musicologist, andrée desautels taught music history for 39 years at the conservatoire de musique de montréal. she was co-curator of the man and music pavilion at expo 67.

jimmy ayoub, 70

the original drummer for legendary montreal rock band mahogany rush, jimmy ayoub later worked with nanette workman and myles goodwyn. he went on to play with other renowned rock acts, including queen, aerosmith, kansas and ted nugent, his family said in a death notice. ayoub said his father — notable montreal jazz musician nick ayoub — “kindled his lifelong love of music.”

camille maheux, 76

self-portrait of camille maheux. camille maheux / via facebook

a well-known photographer and filmmaker, camille maheux exhibited her photographs in canada, brazil, france and italy. dozens of her works can be found in the national gallery of canada’s collection. maheux died in a major fire that destroyed a historic building in old montreal.

brian merrett, 78

a member of the founding board of heritage montreal, photographer brian merrett was known for his work highlighting the city’s architectural history . the national gallery of canada holds several of his photos .

guy latraverse, 84

known as the “father of quebec show business,” guy latraverse was an agent impresario who, in a career that spanned decades, took many artists under his wing, including jean-pierre ferland, robert charlebois, diane dufresne and yvon deschamps.

business

daniel langlois, 66

daniel langlois speaks to reporters on sept. 15, 2009. pierre obendrauf / montreal gazette files

entrepreneur daniel langlois built a company whose special-effects software helped wow viewers of such films as harry potter, titanic and jurassic park. after selling softimage to microsoft for us$130 million in 1994, he founded the excentris performing arts centre. langlois and his partner, dominique marchand, were victims of homicide in the caribbean island nation of dominica, where they owned a resort.

patrick morin, 96

starting with a single hardware store in the lanaudière region in 1960, patrick morin built a 21-store home-improvement chain with 1,700 employees. he sold the company to turcotte group and home hardware in 2021.

bernard lemaire, 87

after co-founding cascades papier in kingsey falls, near drummondville, in 1964 with his brother and father, bernard lemaire helped turn it into one of quebec’s most successful forestry companies. lemaire led the company for almost 30 years. today, cascades employs 10,000 people at 80 facilities across north america, with $4.5 billion in revenue last year.

dennis wood, 83

a serial entrepreneur, british-born dennis wood built a major wallpaper business before turning his attention to high tech in 1988, taking over c-mac industries, which had started as a tiny, money-losing sherbrooke electronics manufacturer. in 2001, wood sold c-mac for us$2.2 billion. at the time, it had 8,500 employees, 51 plants in 11 countries and annual sales of $2.6 billion.

judy isherwood, 87

shoreline press founder judy isherwood is pictured here with her grandson willem smeets in 2006. john kenney / the gazette

a former teacher, judy isherwood founded shoreline press in 1991. the small, independent publishing company — run out of her ste-anne-de-bellevue home — published more than 200 books by canadian authors over the next 30 years.

claude cormier, 63

designer claude cormier discusses the new 30-metre ring at place ville marie during an inauguration ceremony on thursday, june 16, 2022. pierre obendrauf / montreal gazette

when montreal was looking for distinctive and playful landscape architecture, it often turned to claude cormier . his company, now known as ccxa, was behind the revamps of dorchester square and place d’youville ; place ville marie’s the ring ; the old port’s clock tower beach ; and the canopy of multi-coloured balls that graced the gay village for almost a decade. he was sought-after across canada, with his work also gracing public spaces in china, france, the u.k. and the u.s.

ghislain dufour, 88

a key player at the conseil du patronat du québec from 1969 to 1997, ghislain dufour was the voice of the province’s employers through turbulent labour showdowns and linguistic and constitutional debates.

sam stroll, 95

for more than 80 years, sam stroll was a fixture at pantalons supérieur on ste-catherine st., just east of st-laurent blvd. he was 14 when he began working at the store, opened by his father charlie in 1924 . sam stroll took over when his father died in 1952.

thor foss, 95

norwegian-born thor foss was a fund manager and senior executive with several canadian financial institutions. upon his death, he bequeathed $200,000 to the montreal gazette christmas fund , which helps montrealers in need. it was by far the largest donation in the fund’s 56-year history.

academia

derek drummond, 84

former mcgill professor derek drummond at his home in westmount in 2014. john mahoney / montreal gazette files

a gifted architect and professor, derek drummond was for 26 years the acerbic moderator of mcgill university’s leacock lecture, named in honour of humourist stephen leacock. drummond was a director of the mcgill school of architecture and also served as mcgill’s vice-principal of development and alumni relations.

hubert reeves, 91

an astrophysicist, environmentalist and writer, hubert reeves became a household name in quebec and france thanks to his ability to explain complex scientific concepts. he taught at the université de montréal , was a scientific advisor to nasa and a director of research at france’s national centre for scientific research .

charles scriver, 92

a pioneer of biochemical genetics, charles scriver was a physician-scientist who over a decades-long career worked at the montreal children’s hospital, mcgill university and the research institute of the mcgill university health centre.

nicolas steinmetz, 86

a former associate professor in mcgill’s faculty of medicine and health sciences, nicolas steinmetz was the mcgill university health centre’s first planning director . he was instrumental in creating the glen site , which opened in notre-dame-de-grâce in 2015. steinmetz was the executive director of the montreal children’s hospital for two terms. a pioneer in the field of social pediatrics, he set up clinics in pointe st. charles, little burgundy and kahnawake, and launched mcgill’s first family medicine unit.

politics

billy two rivers, 87

billy two rivers at his home in kahnawake near montreal in july 2015. john kenney / montreal gazette

after 24 years  as a professional wrestler , billy two rivers became involved in politics in 1978, spending 20 years as a council chief with the mohawk council of kahnawake . he was grand chief joe norton’s right-hand man during the 1990 oka crisis .

nadine girault, 63

a former coalition avenir québec minister of international relations and la francophonie, as well as minister of immigration, francization and integration, nadine girault was an american-born business school graduate who held high-ranking positions at the fonds de solidarité, jacob inc. and several banks.

monique bégin, 87

monique bégin celebrates the result of the 1980 quebec sovereignty referendum with fellow federal liberal cabinet minister jean chrétien, centre, and quebec liberal leader claude ryan. montreal gazette files

a high-profile feminist, monique bégin was one of the first women from quebec elected to the house of commons, winning a seat as a liberal under pierre trudeau in 1972. she went on to become a minister, overseeing health, social welfare and national revenue, and played a big role on the no side in the 1980 quebec sovereignty referendum.

marc lalonde, 93

a prominent member of pierre trudeau’s liberal government for more than a decade, lawyer marc lalonde held several portfolios as a minister , including health, federal-provincial relations, justice and energy and resources.

jacques-yvan morin, 92

constitutional law expert jacques-yvan morin played a pivotal role under premier rené lévesque, helping shape bill 101, known officially as the charter of the french language. at various times, morin served as deputy premier, education minister and minister of cultural and scientific development.

frédéric bastien, 53

a political commentator and dawson college historian, frédéric bastien sought the leadership of the parti québécois in 2020, finishing fourth. he spoke out in favour of quebec secularism and last year filed a human rights complaint over a université laval job posting open only to women, indigenous people, those with disabilities and racialized groups.

sports

tim burke, 90

former montreal gazette columnist tim burke at the montreal forum in 1987. photo: montreal gazette files

venerable journalist tim burke covered the heyday of montreal sports as a gazette columnist from 1971 until 1988, when he left for the short-lived montreal daily news. “feisty, sometimes infuriating, often irksome, but always provocative and highly readable” is how the montreal gazette described him in 1996. burke first honed his bare-knuckles style covering montreal for the herald , until it folded in 1957. “like the city itself, the staff was a bright, swashbuckling and decidedly eccentric bunch,” he once wrote of the herald.

joanne selden hewson rees, 93

joanne selden hewson rees on the front page of the montreal star weekend picture magazine, march 29, 1952.

after learning to ski on mount royal as a child , joanne selden hewson rees went on to become one of the world’s top skiers. a member of the first full women’s ski team canada ever sent to the olympics, she placed eighth in downhill skiing and 13th in slalom at the 1952 oslo games. a landscape watercolourist, she was a docent and fundraiser at the montreal museum of fine arts.

yvon pedneault, 77

a veteran sports commentator, yvon pedneault last worked for tva sports and le journal de montréal. inducted into the hockey hall of fame in 1998, his career included stints at rds, radio-canada, la presse and chicoutimi’s progrès-dimanche.

carl crennel, 74

three-time grey cup champion carl crennel played with the montreal alouettes from 1972 to 1979. after playing college football in west virginia, he briefly played with the national football league’s pittsburgh steelers. in 1971, he moved to the canadian football league, where he also played for winnipeg, edmonton, hamilton and saskatchewan.

bob murdoch, 76

a defenceman, bob murdoch was on montreal canadiens teams that won stanley cups in 1971 and 1973. he went on to play for the atlanta flames and the calgary flames before becoming a national hockey league coach.

activists

michael manning, 69

after his 15-year-old daughter tara was raped and murdered in the family’s home in 1994, michael manning  set out to strengthen the criminal code. his campaign culminated in 1995 with a change in the law that allowed police to require suspects in violent crimes to provide dna evidence.

john allore, 59

john allore spent decades trying to solve his sister’s disappearance and death — and helping the families of other homicide victims. theresa allore went missing in 1978 while attending champlain college in lennoxville, in the eastern townships.

gerdy cox-gouron, 80

gerdy cox-gouron is seen with emma at the annual hudson pet fair in 2013. navneet pall / montreal gazette

a passionate animal rights activist, gerdy cox-gouron was the founder and director of gerdy’s rescues and adoptions , a non-profit organization that helps find homes for abandoned and homeless cats and dogs.

crime

jacques cossette-trudel, 76

jacques cossette-trudel was among members of the terrorist group front de libération du québec who kidnapped british diplomat james cross on oct. 5, 1970, marking the start of the october crisis . cross was held captive for 59 days before being released in return for the kidnappers’ safe passage to cuba. cossette-trudel would spend four years in cuba before moving to france. upon returning to quebec in 1978, he pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to kidnap cross. he was sentenced to two years in prison and paroled eight months later.

share story

share this story

2023 in review: some of the notable quebecers who left us this year

email

facebook

x

linkedin

copy story link