Mario Pitre – Journal le Saint-François
Translated by Sarah Rennie
Paul-Maurice Patenaude, the former mayor of Dundee and prefect of the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent, passed away on February 9 at the Barrie Memorial Hospital in Ormstown from complications due to pneumonia. He was 83 years old.
An approachable man, known for being outspoken at times, Patenaude served as mayor of Sainte-Agnès-de-Dundee from 1984 to 2002. He also served as prefect of the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent from 1990 to November 2002 (the longest term for a prefect in the Haut-Saint-Laurent to date).
Louise Lebrun, the current prefect of the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent, remembers Patenaude as a colourful prefect who did not mince words when making a point. “He moved many important issues forward at the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent,” she says.
One of his last public outings was in October 2016, during the unveiling of the new image of the MRC and the inauguration of its renovated offices.
It was under the prefecture of Patenaude that the MRC acquired the former Huntingdon Chateau, which was renovated and transformed into offices. He was also at the helm of the regional council during the creation of the Municipal Court of the MRC, as well as the development of the Droulers/Tsiionhiakwatha site, the CLD du Haut-Saint-Laurent, and the now defunct Tourisme Suroît.
In recent years, Patenaude was best known for his business, a parcel service, located in the former Halfway House Hotel on the Canada-USA border. “The business will continue to operate for the time being,” says his son, André Patenaude.
“My father did many things and knew many people. He had his own philosophy of life; he was a great hunter and fisherman. He was a very outspoken man,” says his son. “He liked to tell stories, he had his ideas and was ready to share them with people. He remembered those he met and left his mark on many people throughout his life.”