Place Clément-Chouinard Plaza

Clément Chouinard, the son of Pierre Chouinard and Flavie Deschênes, was born on October 28, 1915. The second of 12 children, he married Cécile Beaulieu in 1940 and took over his parents-in-law’s farm that same year. He was the father of two daughters and nine sons, and fishing was a major part of his life, a passion he shared with many of his children. Early each spring, fishermen gathered at his place to catch herring to feed their families and enrich the fields, and by mid-June herring was used as bait for cod and halibut fishing. Shortly before his accidental death on April 24, 1990, he recalled catching a halibut of about one hundred and forty kilograms off Sainte-Flavie. On land, daily catches were sold, and the rest was smoked, salted, boiled, or frozen as needed. He often shared surplus catches with people in the village, especially those most in need. Alongside his work as a skilled fisherman and farmer, he also served in public life, elected as a municipal councillor in 1948 and serving as mayor from 1957 to 1979. The people of Sainte-Flavie remembered him as devoted, welcoming, and generous.

Quebec · Canada