GRANBY, QUE. -- An eight-kilometer section of route 139, between Highway 10 in Saint-Alphonse-de-Granby and Route 112 in Granby, will now bear the name of the former federal MP and columnist Jean Lapierre, who died in 2016.
Quebec’s transport minister, François Bonnardel, made the announcement Monday afternoon in Granby. Lapierre's children, Marie-Anne and Jean-Michel, were present, as well as several leaders from the region. Bonnardel is also the minister responsible for the Estrie region.
“It is with great pride that I announce the new name of Route 139, immortalizing the memory of Jean Lapierre,” Bonnardel said.
“Over the many years he devoted to the political scene, he showed deep commitment to serving the interests of the community. Giving his name to a strategic route in the region is dear to my heart in order to honour the significant place he held in history, regional and national,” said Bonnardel.
Lapierre was born in Les Îles de la Madeleine. “When our father left his native islands, he arrived in Granby to study and immediately adopted the area and its people,” said his children.
“He adored the Eastern Townships; he spent his summers there and planned to spend his old age there. That his memory lives on in a region where he was so happy is an immense privilege.”
Lapierre died tragically at age 59 on March 29, 2016, in a plane crash as he flying to Les Îles de la Madeleine for his father’s funeral.
He represented the riding of Shefford in parliament from 1979 to 1992 and was Minister of Transport from 2004 to 2006. After his retirement from politics, Mr. Lapierre became a columnist.
