On July 3, 2021, the City of Clarence-Rockland lost its beloved Mayor, Guy Desjardins.
Mayor Guy Desjardins gave 15 years of his life to public office; 8 as Councillor for St Pascal Baylon, and 7 years as Mayor for the City of Clarence-Rockland. During all of those years, he demonstrated his compassion and dedication to his constituents. He had amazing energy and drive to get things done. Every-one around him fed off his energy.
Mayor Desjardins, from day one, was all about community building. He completed many park projects to provide beautiful places for the families to have great experiences such as the installation of splash pads in Clarence-Creek, Bourget and Rockland, the Hammond accessible park, and the Alain Potvin park. The Mayor also had a special spot in his heart for the Clarence-Rockland Public Library, and worked hard to insure they had adequate funding to provide books and the programming that they do. He also had a huge fondness for the young people in our community. As much as it pained him to golf, he would hold tournaments to raise funds to provide free swimming for kids at Christmas and March Break. The Mayor also fought hard to secure financing to ensure that the reconstruction of the Centre d’accueil Roger-Séguin long-term care home became a reality.
Mayor Desjardins was a relationship builder. He always entered a room with a huge smile, a firm handshake and a joke or comment that would put a smile on whomever he was greeting. His relationships with all staff encouraged every-one to come to work each day simply because they liked to see him.
Municipal Council, staff and the community will always remember him fondly.