Updated yesterday at 8:59 am.
After a life committed to society and politics, Andre Lavallee died on Sunday morning at the age of 70, his wife Chandele Bertrand announced on Facebook. In particular, we owe him the creation of BIXI, the first urban plan in the city of Montreal.
“It is with great sadness that I announce that my lover Andre has passed away this morning,” Chandele Bertrand announced on the former politician’s Facebook page on Sunday evening. “Andre was a loving husband, caring father and grandfather. He leaves a significant legacy in his Montreal community, and especially in the East End of Montreal and his beloved Rosemont district, through his militant involvement and the public activities he conducted.”
Andre Lavallee died of cancer Sunday morning at the Saint-Raphael Palliative Care Home in Montreal, surrounded by his loved ones.
The politician was mayor of the borough of Rosemont-La Petite-Patri and vice-president of the Montreal Executive Committee from 2005 to 2009 under the banner of Union Montreal. He has held several positions within the Quebec government and cultural organizations in Montreal. We owe him Montreal’s first urban plan, adopted in 1992 under Mayor Jean Dore. He was behind the city’s first transit plan in the 2000s. He also contributed to the redevelopment of former Angus factories and the creation of the BIXI bike-sharing system.
“It’s a project factory, he goes 140 kilometers per hour, you have to follow him!”, recalls Mario Fordin, a longtime friend of Andre Lavallee and owner of the Beaubien Cinema in Rosemont.
“André Lavallee was truly a visionary and a chess player who brought people from diverse backgrounds together to move a project forward,” said Mr. Ford continues. All for the betterment of Rosemont, Montreal and the collective well-being. »
For Vincent Maricel, Rosemont’s deputy, Andre Lavallee was a “monument” in the neighborhood. “He’s someone who’s really managed to get his own discrimination [politique], because for him it was actually Rosemont and east of Montreal, preferably. He had Rosemont tattooed on his heart.
An online tribute
Andre Lavallee’s death caused a quick reaction on social networks, collecting hundreds of messages of sympathy on Facebook.
“It is with sadness that I learn of the death of André Lavallée, a great Montrealer who gave so much to our city,” Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante wrote on Twitter. “We will continue his work to build a Montreal like ours. My condolences to Mr. Lavallee’s family and loved ones. »
Official Leader of the Opposition Aref Salem tweeted that Mr. He expressed his condolences to Lavallee’s family: ” […] He devoted his life to public affairs. Thanks for your great contribution! My condolences to Chandele and her family. »
Occasional photographer
One of Andre Lavallee’s last legacies is titled Photographic Exhibition Montreal: Figures and Fragments, is presented on avenue du Mont-Royal, between rue Rivard and rue Resther until September 5. “Because the city is essentially an imaginary place, brought to life only by a community’s plan to inhabit it in its own way, like nowhere else.” About the exhibition Mr. Lavallee writes. “I have always believed that to be an actor in your city, you must first see its everyday life. »
