Break Room in Memory of Clermont Dufour
One of the break rooms at Grande-Baie Works now bears the name of the late Clermont Dufour, who served as an elected employee representative for many years. His sudden passing in 2016 came as a shock to the Grande-Baie community, who wanted to pay tribute to this dedicated colleague who deeply cared about his peers.
The Clermont Dufour room was inaugurated on 27 January in the presence of his two daughters and some of his siblings, friends, colleagues and supervisors who knew him.
As an employee representative, Clermont Dufour was a valuable ally for the staff. With his mobilising leadership and great communication skills, he was able to resolve difficult situations on many occasions.
Just before the pandemic, Sylvain Desgagnés, Operations Supervisor at Grande-Baie Works, took the first steps to set up the Clermont Dufour break room. He came up with the idea of naming the room in honour of Mr. Dufour when he saw that his colleagues had placed a notice of Clermont Dufour’s passing on one of the room’s walls in his memory.
At the time, he had asked his colleague Alain Gendron, shortly before his retirement, to make a commemorative aluminium plaque with a wooden frame with Clermont Dufour’s name engraved on it.
“It took me longer than expected to complete the project, but it was important for the team to see this initiative carried out. Clermont had a significant impact on many people, and we wanted to highlight his contribution and pay tribute to him in our own way,” says Desgagné.
The ceremony was accompanied by a pleasant dinner, which provided an opportunity to share stories and memories of the deceased. This initiative touched the family members deeply.
“We were amazed by the friendship and affection shown to our brother. It was nice that his colleagues took the time to highlight the positive impact he had on them. It’s a great sign of appreciation,” says Pâquerette Dufour, Clermont Dufour’s sister.