(Drummondville) The funeral of businessman Bernard Lemaire, one of the founders of the Quebec company Cascades, will be celebrated this Thursday at 3:15 p.m. in the Saint-Frédéric basilica, in Drummondville.

The family of the deceased will receive condolences in advance from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the J. N. Donais Funeral Complex located on Lemire Boulevard, in Drummondville.

On Wednesday, many friends of Mr. Lemaire’s family, as well as active and retired employees of Cascades, participated in a celebration of the life of the businessman who died on November 8 at the Cogeco Centrexpo in Drummondville. last at the age of 87 at his home in Kingsey Falls.

Bernard Lemaire leaves to mourn his partner, his daughter and his two sons, seven grandchildren as well as his brothers and sisters.

Bernard Lemaire was born in Drummondville. In 1960, he joined the family scrap recovery business, Drummond Pulp and Fiber, before founding Papier Cascades in Kingsey Falls three years later with his father and his brother Laurent.

For nearly 30 years, Bernard Lemaire held the presidency of the company before handing it over to Laurent Lemaire in 1992. During these three decades, he initiated Cascades’ expansion strategy in North America and Europe.

He is described by the current management of Cascades as having been a visionary, generous and charismatic man, who convinced countless people to help make the company a leader in the recovery and manufacturing of waste management solutions. sustainable packaging and hygiene.

The Prime Minister of Quebec, François Legault, described Bernard Lemaire as a great entrepreneur and visionary, a symbol of the emergence of Quebec internationally in the business world.

Bernard Lemaire was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada in 1988. In 2002, the distinction of Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor was granted to him by the President of France.