Joined at the hip with his father, a millwright, Eric Provost learned everything he knows from watching closely and listening to everything his father taught him growing up in his hometown of Quyon.

Welder by trade, Provost is well known for his creative work in the community, from making staircases to designing special projects for friends and family, he enjoys everything about welding.

He specializes in welding heavy equipment as well as . . .

fabricating ornamental steel such as signage, railings, staircases and doing regular repairs.

Provost was shock when he was decleared the winner in the trade category for best welder in Ottawa’s People’s Choice Awards. He was just sitting in his living room one evening, when his daughter Marie-Eve messaged him telling him he had won. So he picked up the phone and called her right away to find out more.

To this day Provost hasn’t figured out who had nominated him.

“It meant a lot to me to know that someone cares that much to nominate me. I must have done something right,” he laughed.

At the age of 13 during his summer break, Provost didn’t spend his days at the park like all the other kids, he preferred to be at the garage with his dad. He spent most of his days cleaning up the floors and helping out the mechanic.

One afternoon he noticed the garage had a welding machine, the mechanic at the time offered to show 13 year old eager-eyed Provost how to use it and the next summer he dropped out of school–even though his dad wasn’t too thrilled about that, noted Provost–and went to work with his dad.

“It intrigued me,” he added and 62 years later he still loves what he does.

Ever since he was a young boy he remembers trying to soak in everything his dad taught him. At the thought of his father Provost got a little quiet and his tone changed. He added that even when he got older he would phone his dad when he had a question or wanted his advice, his dad was always on the other line.

“I learned a lot from my dad and I wish he was still here.”

Beaming with pride he explained that he tried to build that relationship with his own kids and he’s proud of all four of them–Todd, Christopher, Michel and Marie-Eve, and mentioned his last words with his kids are always “I love you,” because life was too short, he added.

One of his boys followed in his footsteps and Provost told THE EQUITY that he is a great welder and that he finds himself calling his son for advice. “Sometimes I’m stuck and I’ll call him like I used to call my dad,” he said.

Built in 1980 on hwy 148 east, his shop is where Provost spends his downtime working on personal projects or fiddling away repairing one of his kid’s cars. It is not just an occupation for Provost, as a hobby he designs things like his sought-after rose bush that he does per request and paints them gold for 50 year anniversaries and silver for 25. He does every detail by hand, creating every rose and meticulously painting it. He has also done candle holders, and once built a 3D cross tombstone for a widow.

He recalled gifting Donna, his wife of 45 years, a rose bush, which was something he loved doing, creating things for her.

Provost does not shy away from a difficult project, it’s one of the things he enjoys most about welding. When clients ask him to fabricate something he’s never done, he exclaimed, “I enjoy doing it and show them that I can do it, it’s a challenge for me. I love that. And I like the finished product.”

After trying it at such a young age, Provost knew he wanted to continue learning how to weld. Although he didn’t get any formal training/schooling, he acquired his knowledge by being on the field and learned by listening and watching other experienced welders.

“Some people think that anybody can weld, but it’s not just anybody who can weld, you got to know your steel, you got to know your wire, you got to know the rods,” he remarked.

One of his fondest memories is teaching welding at his shop, he enjoyed being able to pass on his knowledge and teach people the trade. “I liked it when they asked me questions and I could answer them and I could go and show them how to do it.”

Provost saw himself as a hands-on person who learned by doing, which is one of the aspects he loved about welding. Starting and finishing a project and knowing he put his all into it fills him with a sense of pride. “When I finish it and it took my time to do it right it makes me feel good. I’m proud of what I did.”

One of his favourite projects was creating a mail box shaped as a silo, for a farmer in town. He designed it, fabricated the big pipes, made the door, did an interior finish and painted it. It took home about 12 to 15 hours on and off to complete it.

His most recent project, Provost told The Equity, will be working on building a barge– a flat-bottomed boat, built mainly for river and canal transport of bulk goods–for Edger Springs, of Grand Calumet construction.

With such vigor for life, Provost at the young age of 76, expressed he had no intention of retiring anytime soon, “I wouldn’t retire completely. I wouldn’t. That’s what’s keeping me going,” he said.

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