Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m J U N E 2 0 1 6 9 N otary Cyrille Delâge, Quebec's most prominent coroner and fire investigation commissioner, died March 19 at the age of 80. He spent nearly 50 years of his life probing the circumstances of many disasters that marked the history of the province. He oversaw about 3,500 investigations, includ- ing, in recent years, the L'Isle-Verte seniors' home fire that killed 32 people in January 2014. His report into that blaze brought important changes to fire-safety rules in Quebec seniors' homes. Among the most traumatic events he investigated were the 1969 Notre-Dame- du-Lac nursing home blaze that killed 44 people and opened the eyes of the govern- ment to the necessity of reviewing the security of such obsolete infrastructures, and the 1974 construction workers ram- page that shut down the James Bay Hydro- electric Project site and caused damages of $30 million. His probe led to a 10-year jail sentence for an infamous labour union enforcer. He also investigated the 1975 Gargantua Bar arson that claimed the lives of 13 people, a crime committed by a noto- rious gangster that horrified the public. He is described as being a larger-than- life, direct, honest, hard-working, and tough investigator who didn't suffer fools or liars gladly. He was a straight talker who was never shy about uttering profanities making protocol-abiding officials uncom- fortable. An investigator who worked for 32 years with Delâge said he used his force of character to support the importance of his position. His passing marks the end of an era, says the investigator. The commis- sioners are given fewer powers now than 30 years ago. "We had arrest and detention powers. He will not be replaced," he says. Delâge developed a wide network of contacts, including ministers, legislators, mayors, lawyers, clerics, police chiefs, and journalists. He was publicity-shy, rarely granting interviews in order to preserve the integrity of his enquiries. "It is forbid- den to give interviews, not by law but by common sense," he told a Le Soleil reporter in 2014, when he was given the L'Isle-Verte mandate. He even refused to comment on an old case for a journalist's profile of him. He did grant a rare interview to Le Soleil reporter Normand Provencher, published in February, less than a month before his death, when he received the C E N T R A L A fi ery life Continued on page 10 \ AT L A N T I C \ C E N T R A L \ W E S T REGIONAL WRAP-UP Conway Baxter Wilson LLP/s.r.l. welcomes OWEN REES, M.S.M. Owen brings extensive experience representing companies, individuals, and public authorities in civil, commercial and regulatory litigation before the courts and administrative tribunals. www.conway.pro For all your litigation needs, call (613) 288-0149 Untitled-4 1 2016-05-12 2:00 PM PASCAL ELIE

• Cover