Everything seemed in place for the procrastination surrounding the holding of the traditional canoe race, which links La Tuque, Shawinigan and Trois-Rivières, to end in a new dead end.
There was disagreement between the Classic governors and the Saint-Maurice Canoe Challenge team. The first saved the name and heritage of the legendary race, by reaching an agreement with the creditors. The latter mounted an event at short notice, last September, to fill the void left by the cancellation of the 91st presentation of the event. Discussions were at a standstill between the two entities regarding the organization of a single event for the coming year.
It was Jean Chrétien himself, supported by the equal will of the mayor of Shawinigan Michel Angers, who put his weight behind bringing the parties together, it seems.
The president of the Mauricie International Canoe Classic, Jacques St-Pierre, believes that the time has come to pass the torch to a new generation. (Sébastien Houle/Archives Le Nouvelliste)
Next Wednesday, far from the microphones and cameras, representatives of the board of directors of the Classic and the Canoe Challenge, as well as Mayor Angers, must meet to reach an agreement.
Contacted on Tuesday, the president of the Classic, Jacques St-Pierre, agreed that the time had come to pass the torch to a new generation. He believes he has fulfilled the mandate given to him by avoiding bankruptcy.
“The Classic has been saved,” he maintains, announcing at the same time that he will give up his place at the next annual general meeting.
At the Saint-Maurice Canoe Challenge, Martin St-Laurent welcomes the openness shown by the Canoe Classic. The one who presided over the presentation of the race last September, organized in the extremes in the absence of the legendary event, had already signified the intention of the canoeists to “carry high the colors of the canoe” in Mauricie. We might as well do it under the aegis of the event that made the region famous, he suggests today.
Martin St-Laurent, president of the Saint-Maurice Canoe Challenge, maintains that the statutes and regulations of the Canoe Classic must be reviewed to ensure the sustainability of the organization. (Stéphane Lessard/Archives Le Nouvelliste)
However, Mr. St-Laurent also maintains that it will be necessary to review the structures of the organization. The cumbersome statutes and regulations of the NPO do not seem to him to be the ideal vehicle to avoid past pitfalls, he explains.
“That’s a bit the subject of next week’s discussion,” points out the boater. One step remains to be taken to seal the agreement, we understand.
-Building on the success of last September, the Saint-Maurice Canoe Challenge believes it has demonstrated that canoeists can take over. And “transparency” will be the key word, underlines Martin St-Laurent. Himself at the head of the Association of Rabaska Runners of Quebec, he argues that the boaters want to have the correct information regarding the results of the operations.
“We want it to be managed by the boaters… By the boaters, for the boaters, after that, we’ll go like that.”
— Martin St-Laurent, president of the Saint-Maurice Canoe Challenge
A bit like an outstretched olive branch, Martin St-Laurent salutes the work done by Jacques St-Pierre in recent months. “There is no one who wanted to do what he did, and he did it,” he bows.
Jean Chrétien, honorary president?
At Shawinigan city hall, Mayor Michel Angers is delighted with the sudden improvement in the Classic skies. “I spent my Friday and part of the weekend on this, and I am very happy with the result,” he says.
Last October, in a correspondence, the three cities had already indicated that they were withdrawing their support for the Classic, unless a transfer of the organization took place in favor of the boaters and the Défi de de Saint-Maurice canoe. Michel Angers now believes that the passing of the torch is almost certain.
The arrangement with creditors made it possible to save the Classic’s assets, including the precious McCormick Cup. (Sébastien Houle/Archives Le Nouvelliste)
Also last fall, La Classique came to an agreement with creditors to write off more than $300,000 of debt, through an arrangement worth around $20,000, plus trustee fees. Tuesday, The Weekly of Saint-Maurice reported that trustee Lemieux Nolet would soon produce a notice giving an additional 30 days to creditors who had not registered with the claim. The file can then be closed.
It appears that Jean Chrétien is one of the handful of donors who graciously paid the costs linked to the arrangement concluded with the creditors. He considered it imperative to safeguard the organization’s heritage and the precious McCormick Cup by liquidating the inventories, argues a close friend.
The page is about to be turned, we are already anticipating the coming event with optimism. It is said that the idea was even launched to entrust the honorary presidency to the former prime minister, he whose venerable age – 91 years! – corresponds to that of the Classic.
