Michel LeRoux, a forest engineer and papermaking specialist at Resolute, is dedicating the rest of his life’s work to the memory of his son who was killed in the line of duty as a police officer.
Thierry LeRoux was only 26 years old in February 2016, when he was killed during a police operation in the Anishnabe community of Lac-Simon in Abitibi. He was responding to a call to help a man who was troubled, suicidal and armed.
Michel does not want Thierry to have died in vain. His goal is to prevent the distress that generates the type of violence that led to this tragic conclusion. That is why Michel is an involved member of the Thierry-LeRoux Foundation, which will provide resources to help under-privileged youth participate in sports and education projects. He believes team sports are important in teaching youngsters how to support one another and how to deal with difficult issues of poverty, drug abuse and mental health.
“The Foundation’s goal is to get youngsters off the street. The violence has to stop. That will be my fight.”
Joining him in that fight are many of Thierry’s former colleagues, who decided to establish the Foundation in his honor. With financial support from the Vallée-de-l’Or RCM and others, the initiative is being led by a multidisciplinary group of firefighters, paramedics, police officers, as well as Lac-Simon’s Vice Chief, Pamela Papatie.
To support the Thierry-LeRoux Foundation, you can visit their website here.
