Remembering Chuck Charlebois

Nick Seebruch
Remembering Chuck Charlebois
Former Cornwall City Councillor and community organizer Chuck Charlebois speaks to the assembled audience at the announcement and sod turning for the new Chuck Charlebois Recreational Trail on Wednesday

CORNWALL, Ontario – The City of Cornwall took the time to remember an former councillor and community organizer on Friday, Feb. 23.

Gerald “Chuck” Charlebois has left a lasting impact on the City, especially the East End and is being remembered as a community minded man who had a vision to improve his neighbourhood. He sat on City Council three times between 1986-1988, 1992 to 1994 and 1995 to 1997,

Charlebois passed away on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2018 at the age of 69 after a long illness.

“His DNA is all over the East End,” said Cornwall City Councillor Claude McIntosh. “He was a man who did more than dream, he was a man of action and the Cotton Mills wouldn’t have happened with out him.”

Charlebois was a key player in the redevelopment of the old Cotton Mills by the waterfront in Cornwall and he was honoured in October with having a part of the waterfront bike path named after him.

“The City of Cornwall has really lost an advocate for moving this city forward,” commented Mayor Leslie O’Shaughnessy.

Centretown Coordinator Todd Lihou said that Charlebois would be remembered in Le Village as a force for positive change.

“Chuck was such a force for positive change in our community,” he said. “Whether it was development in Le Village, the waterfront or the Cotton Mills, Chuck’s fingerprints are all over the positive projects now underway or completed in Cornwall. Le Village has finalized plans to erect two arches on the bicycle path that will denote the new Chuck Charlebois Recreational Trail. This portion of the bike path, running from Marlborough Street to St. Lawrence College is a perfect location to honour Chuck’s legacy, as it runs directly adjacent to the waterfront lands chuck fought so hard to see developed.”

Friday afternoon, at the City of Cornwall’s Budget Steering Committee meeting, Councillor Denis Carr asked the room for a moment of silence to remember Chuck Charlebois.

Canadian flags at municipal buildings were lowered to half-mast out of respect to Charlebois on Friday.

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