From left – Ian Dunn, OFIA, MPP Guy Bourgouin, Michel Lessard, GreenFirst Forest Products, Mayor Roger Sigouin of Hearst, Dominic Lemieux, Atlantic Power, Roger Lecours, Lecours Lumber, Dan Bowes, Columbia Forest Products, Eric Buteau, Lecours Lumber, Desneiges Larose, Hearst Forest Management Inc., Jamie McRae, Chair of the OFIA Board, McRae Lumber Company
The Ontario Forest Industries Association’s (OFIA) 82nd Annual Convention occurred last week in Toronto at George Brown’s newly unveiled Limberlost Place, the first 10-story, net-zero, mass timber building in Ontario.
At the event, the OFIA Board of Directors announced that the late Benoit Lecours was inducted into the Forest Industry Hall of Fame. Accepting the award was Roger Lecours, the son of Benoit.
President & CEO of the OFIA, Ian Dunn, said, “the Forest Industry Hall of Fame, presented by the OFIA, aims to honour individuals who have shown a lifetime of outstanding expertise and leadership in the forest product industry. The selection process is based on exceptional accomplishments and significant contributions to the success of a company.”
The Chair of the OFIA’s Board, Jamie McRae, announced at the event, “as a fifth-generation family sawmiller myself, it is my honour to recognize another family who has left an incredible legacy in the Hearst region and the Canadian sawmill industry.”
Lecours Lumber is a privately owned company which has grown steadily since its inception in 1943. Started by Arthur Lecours, the company was sold to his sons in 1963. The company went through a series of restructurings, which ultimately left Benoit Lecours as the owner of Lecours Lumber Co. Limited.
Benoit’s many contributions to the Hearst community were recognized during the evening and was described as a builder and someone who embodies the francophone entrepreneurial spirit of Hearst. Industry leaders, Premier Doug Ford, and many other dignitaries and honoured guests were in attendance.
