Lucien Paiement (16 October 1932 – 23 January 2013) was a doctor, municipal politician and owner of racehorses in the Canadian province of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. A University de Montreal graduate in Medicine, established his practice in 1958 in the Municipality of Vimont, on Ile Jésus, which later became part of the merger forming the City of Laval on August 6, 1965. In November 1973, Dr Paiement was elected

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Laval and remained in that position until November 1981. It was back in 1966 that he decided that Laval should have its own hospital. Despite challenges and adversity, he devised a report for presentation to the Quebec

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

that demonstrated Laval residents’ need for their own hospital on Ile Jésus. Following the government's acceptance of the project, Paiement became the president and founder of Laval’s Cite-de-la-Santé Hospital. After 12 years of effort, it was inaugurated on April 10, 1978. Following his retirement from political life, he became deeply involved in the world of Standardbred racehorses in

-as an owner, breeder, association president, and promoter of the industry. In the heart of Laval, a street near the Montmorency Metro Station bears his name. Dr. Paiement died on January 23, 2013, at Cité-de-la-Santé Hospital.

References

1932 births 2013 deaths Mayors of Laval, Quebec People from Mirabel, Quebec Physicians from Quebec French Quebecers {{Quebec-mayor-stub