CALEB NICKERSON
PONTIAC Jan. 20, 2021
At the last Pontiac MRC council meeting on Jan. 20, participants celebrated the contributions of recently retired community leader Sylvie Landriault.
Landriault had been a long-serving member of the MRC investment committee in addition to her integral role over the last 35 years at the Carrefour jeunesse-emploi du Pontiac.
Pontiac Warden Jane Toller presented her with . . .
a certificate of recognition for her decades of service to the community.
“We are starting a new tradition in the Pontiac MRC, that is when someone has given extraordinary service, especially length of service in the MRC and especially on an MRC committee, we’re going to recognize them,” she said.
MRC Economic Development Director Cyndy Phillips said that Landriault was a big help to her when she joined the team.
“The insight and the wisdom that she brought to our committee at the MRC Pontiac, was appreciated not only by our fellow committee members but staff and clients alike,” she said. “To Sylvie I want to say I very much appreciated your level-headedness and the objectivity that you brought to every decision and I wanted to personally thank you for your guidance when I entered into this position. It certainly made the transition easier for me.”
Investment committee chair Émile Vallée also gave a fond send-off to his colleague.
Landriault told THE EQUITY after the meeting that she was surprised by the kindness of her former colleagues.
“I didn’t expect that much,” she said. “The words I [heard] from the people I worked with, I was really impressed. It was really nice of them.”
She said she stepped down from her committee position in order to give her successor, Karim El Kerch, a chance to gain experience and contacts.
“It’s not because I didn’t like it, I really liked it, but I think it was important for him to be able to access all those contacts and that information, because it helps for the job also. It’s a give and take situation in that type of committee which is nice,” she said.
She added that it was reassuring to have someone capable like El Kerch at the head of the Carrefour.
“We’re really lucky to have him,” she said. “When I left, I knew that the organization was in really good hands.”
