Recipient of the Key to the City
Rhéal Leroux
Today, we recognize that this Casselman resident brings honour to the vibrant Francophone community and entrepreneurial spirit of our municipality throughout Canada and in many countries around the world. Rhéal Leroux has a distinguished career, which is highlighted below:
He has distinguished himself through numerous achievements over a long career as an organizer of large-scale events and as a promoter of the Francophone community in Ontario and Canada. But this remarkable journey began in Casselman. The young man was ambitious. After studying at Algonquin College, he became the first Director of Recreation[2] for the City of Hawkesbury, Ontario. Following Hawkesbury, he decided to further his education and enrolled at Florida State University. He earned a Master of Arts in Recreation Studies in 1974. In 1982, he obtained a Master of Arts degree from the École nationale d’administration publique (National School of Public Administration).
The first step in his career was with the Sports and Recreation Department of the City of Edmundston, New Brunswick. Armed with this experience, he returned to Ottawa as Director of Public Activities, Recreation and Culture. And that's where he really took off: he launched the idea of a major winter festival on the Rideau Canal. That's how Bal des Neiges (Winterlude) was born, 47 years ago! The Franco-Ontarian Festival needed help? Rhéal was there! Pope John Paul II was visiting Canada and celebrating Mass in Ottawa? Rhéal was called upon. The creation of the Cité Collégiale? He was there to do his part. The Francophonie Games were coming to Canada? No problem, Rhéal took responsibility for organizing the event. Montfort, fermé? Jamais! A historic gathering of 20,000 Franco-Ontarians was organized by Rhéal and his public relations firm.
The second stage of his journey involved entrepreneurship. At 36, he launched his own company specializing in municipal recreation services, convention and conference planning, tourism promotion, event organization, and public relations. He was entrusted with tourism and economic promotion mandates across the country, and soon his scope expanded to Europe, then Africa, and now Asia and the Middle East.
He is also a dedicated volunteer: president of the Festival franco-ontarien. He sits on the Board of Governors of Algonquin College, the board of directors of the Regroupement des gens d’affaires (Business Association), and became a member of the board of directors of the TVOntario television network. In May 1990, Rhéal Leroux became the founding president of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce. He also served for three years on the board of directors of Montfort Hospital.
With such a career, it is no surprise that recognition has followed. He has received numerous accolades in the tourism, event management, and business sectors. In 2003, he was awarded the Order of Ontario, the highest honour bestowed upon Ontarians, for his outstanding contributions to society in Ontario and around the world. In 2018, he received what he considers the greatest honour of all: the Order of Canada from the Governor General.
We proudly present him with the Key to his hometown.