Human
Paths

After completing his studies in architecture and city planning at the University of Montréal, Gérard Beaudet was a project manager before becoming a senior associate at the Société technique d’aménagement régional Inc. (Sotar). From 1980 to 1996, he carried out over two hundred studies and assessments in city planning, heritage and recreational tourism. Over the last twenty years, Gérard Beaudet published numerous opinion and analytical texts, he participated in over two hundred symposiums, conventions and professional activities either as a speaker or panellist and he did over three hundred interviews with the media and participated in over a hundred public affair programs. Learn More

Geography and Urban Studies graduate, Maude Cournoyer-Gendron is a geography teacher at Cégep Édouard-Montpetit. She is also the producer and co-host of Cadre bâti, a podcast on city and urban development (cadrebati​.org). As part of her thesis in her geography and urban studies program (at UQAM and the Université de Nantes), she discusses the effects of conflict and disputes that arise with urban development projects and how the city should be designed. At the same time, she addresses the question of municipal taxes in a collective work (Montréal en chantier, Écosociété 2021). In her free time, she rides her bike throughout Montréal and its surrounding areas. Learn More

Mikael St-Pierre is a city planner and designer and works as the coordinator for urban development and design at the Centre d’écologie urbaine de Montréal. He completed his studies at the School of Design at UQAM and is currently doing post-graduate studies at the École nationale d’administration publique. His focus is on developing and promoting innovative practices in the areas of mobility and development. A strong communicator, he has also held different roles at the CIBL and CISM radio stations since 2013, in addition to appearing in Quebec and International media several times. In 2018, he was a guest on the show Life Sized Cities, hosted by Mikael Colville-Anderson. He is also a Urban Design lecturer for the Département d’études urbaines et touristiques at UQAM. 

Marianne Contreras grew up in Saint-Michel. As a young mother, she had to deal with her son’s autism by herself. The first few months were not easy, but she slowly learned her new role as a mother. During lockdown, she took the opportunity to go back to school, studying from home, while taking care of her son. Marianne saw lockdown as an opportunity to dive back into her studies that she had had to quit. One month after lockdown started, she had already signed up for a program to become an orderly. Marianne just received her diploma, after two years of work and many long hours of studying. She is also involved in her community and is a member of one of the renters’ associations at Habitations Saint-Michel Nord.

Trained architect and manager at the OMHM for over 18 years, Isabelle Breault now holds the position of Assistant Director of the Real Estate Department. She was also the project manager for the Habitations Saint-Michel Nord remodelling project. She epitomizes the OMHM mission and advocates for better housing initiatives for their clients, empowering them to take action in their communities. She has demonstrated her leadership and innovative skills by taking part in more than a dozen future major HLM renovation projects. These projects have helped modernize the appearance of the buildings, while revitalizing neighbourhoods and providing a healthy, safe and comfortable environment for tenants.

Throughout her 20 years in the field, Hélène Fortin completely reinvented the art of urban design by developing expertise that removes the barriers between physical space, design and technology. An architecture graduate from the Université Laval, she also studied design courses at UQAM and Design Thinking courses at Harvard University. Passionate about Montréal and its architectural heritage, she has worked on several urban design projects at the Olympic Park and BMR. She recently brought the employer brand to life at the Ludia offices. A profound, well thought out transformation that changed the essence of this major player in the video game industry. At Ig2 for almost 10 years, Hélène is now working on bringing brand experiences to life in that space. Learn More

Caroline Stewart has been a liaison officer at the Office municipal d’habitation de Montréal (OMHM) since 2008. She was part of the first liaison officer team that was established when the OMHM decided to consult with tenants and provide them with support during major work carried out in its buildings. She is an outstanding facilitator, and her detailed analysis of complex situations and ability to identify the most promising solutions set her apart. She has helped facilitate completion of around 100 major projects while ensuring that tenants’ interests and needs were taken into account in the project design process. One of the biggest projects she has contributed to is Habitations Saint-Michel Nord, which won several awards, including the Prix d’excellence from the Ordre des architectes du Québec and the Grand Winner award at the Grands Prix du Design. 

A seasoned visionary and masterful designer, Sonia Gagné is part of the leadership team at the helm of the practice. She has been a partner since 2010, having acquired thirty-some years of experience, including 17 years with the firm. Her excellence in leadership has been recognized on numerous occasions through awards in architectural competitions in which her design projects, like the Port of Montréal’s Grand Quai and Cruise Terminal, have been presented. At the helm of various civic and significant urban projects (development of Sainte-Catherine Street West in Montréal, LeBreton Flats in Ottawa), Sonia pushes the limits of an innovative approach accompanied with phases of disciplinary reflection and characterized by continually evolving social and urban contexts. Her expertise spans the health care (Hôpital Pierre-Le Gardeur), cultural (Jean-Noël Desmarais Pavilion – Montréal Museum of Fine Arts),commercial (lg2 Offices), transportation (Vendôme metro entrance), and sports infrastructure fields (Colisée Vidéotron). Learn More

EMBA graduate from McGill and HEC Montréal with a Bachelor’s in Communications and Political Science, Pierre Choquette is the Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at the Société de développement Angus. He also held the position of Vice President at Edelman, the largest independent marketing communications agency in the world. Prior to that, he was the co-founder and Senior Partner at Mondea Inc, a business strategy and communications consulting firm. Between 2007 and 2013, he was Senior Director of Public Affairs – Canada for AbitibiBowater, now known as Resolute Forest Products. Between 2003 and 2007, Pierre was successively a press agent for influencial ministers from the Ministères des Ressources naturelles, de l’Emploi et de la solidarité sociale, du Développement économique and des Finances, before becoming the Communications Advisor at the Office of the Premier of Quebec.

Karima Brikh is currently a columnist for the media magazine ​“Samedi et rien d’autre” on ICI Radio-Canada Première. UQAM graduate in journalism, also attending the Université Paris VIII, she began her career at TQS. She later worked at TVA and LCN as a weekend anchorwoman and reporter, in addition to being the host and producer of the public affairs show ​“Mise à Jour Montréal” on MATV for 5 years. She has participated in several shows, such as La Voix, Gravel le matin, Cap sur l’été, Ma Première Place-des-Arts, Dessine-moi un dimanche, etc. In 2018, she released her first documentary, ​“Amour Cougar: au-delà du mythe,” on Radio-Canada, as producer and screenwriter. She recently produced ​“Consentement,” a documentary series of six podcasts that explore the notion of sexual consent in intimate, legal and social terms. Learn More

Nadine Gomez, a UQAM graduate, was completing her Master of Communication at the School of Media in 2008 when she discovered her passion for urban issues. Her first feature documentary, The Horse Palace, was released in 2012 and follows a city’s transformation along with its connection to the site’s history. In 2015, she won the ​“Regards sur Montréal” award (CAM, NFB, SODEC), which she used to direct Métro, a short documentary essay that offers a new perspective on Montréal’s underground grid and its unique and impressive architecture. Her second full-length feature, Exarcheia, le chant des oiseaux, follows the nocturnal and philosophical comings and going of birds in a mythical district of Athens. The film was released at the 2018 Montréal International Documentary Festival and was featured at the Thessaloniki International Festival in 2019. Since then, she has created and developed many projects on several different platforms, including the 2019 J’aime Hydro podcast, produced by Théâtre Porte-Parole and co-directed by Alexandre Lampron. Nadine is actively involved in her community and, since 2018, she has been sitting on the Board of the Conseil des arts de Montréal as the film committee president. 

Philippe David Gagné grew up in La Baie, Saguenay region, and holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Film. Since his first feature, the documentary SUR LA GLACE, his films have received several awards and have been shown around the world. He has since directed and produced dozens of internationally acclaimed feature stories and documentaries for TV and the internet. In fiction, BLEU TONNERRE, appeared in the 47^th edition of the DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, followed in 2017 by CRÈME DE MENTHE at the 49^th edition of the DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT. He has been a SODEC, CCA and CALQ fellow several times and now sits on multiple boards and juries, where he always endeavours to promote cinematographic production in rural areas. He co-founded La Boîte de pickup in 2015, which produces documentary and fictional short films and full-length features. Learn More

Marie-Laurence Rancourt has a degree in anthropology and sociology. In 2016, she co-founded Magnéto, a creative firm that brings to life artistic projects that feature an awareness of speech, language and listening in a variety of different forms. This was the starting point from which she began writing and giving life to audio documentaries (L’écorce et le noyau, La punition, La nuit Myra Cree, Les travaux et les jours, Gemellus), plays (AALAAPI, L’écoute d’une émotion), stage performances (RADIO LIVE) and narratives (AALAAPI, O.R), etc.  Learn More

Maude Petel-Légaré is passionate about the world of sound and strongly believes that historical audio accounts send a powerful message and provide listeners with interpretive freedom. She has directed several documentaries and audio series, in partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada, Louie Media, Magnéto and Transistor. Her most recent work was on the series SYNTHÈSES: Le cas Catherine Daviau , which investigates the unresolved murder of Catherine Daviau and exposes femicides in Quebec. She has a Master’s in International Journalism and has also completed an internship in Jerusalem with Agence France Presse, a written media internship in Lebanon, studied political science in Morocco, and became a Correspondent for the Lebanese diaspora in Montréal. She has also visited several countries whose history and politics have always fascinated her, including Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. She also completed several feature stories on these trips, which, to this day, continue to help her better understand identity issues, a subject she has long been passionate about. Learn More