Lambertois Merit Awards

Awarded to an individual or organization that has either completed recently a project or received recently a tribute, distinction, or award, at the provincial, national, or international level, in one of the following categories: Professional Life, Humanitarian Commitment, Sports, Culture, and Community Involvement.

Awarded to a local individual or organization that has undertaken a specific project or action that has contributed to the improvement of quality of life in our community or served as an inspiration or model for fellow residents.

Awarded to an individual or organization for a body of work, an “exceptional” action, or professional involvement beyond the scope of career-related responsibilities. The acclaim garnered by the action should serve as an inspiration or model for residents while bringing a sense of pride to our city.

An award is presented to Huguette Chartrand Copti in recognition of her volunteer commitment to promoting and recognizing Saint-Lambert's historical heritage.

Historian, educator and passionate about our local history, Ms. Chartrand Copti has shared her interest with generations of Lambert residents and visitors to our town. Since 1982, she has been an active member of the Saint-Lambert Horticultural Society, serving for many years as president. For over 40 years, she has been involved in researching and writing publications on various Saint-Lambert historical and heritage themes. She is also a dynamic guide for the historical tours that take place during the Saint-Lambert Days.

In 2007, she masterfully directed the design of the book commemorating our city's 150th anniversary, Saint-Lambert au fil des ans 1857-2007, and wrote many of the texts. Finally, for several years, she was involved with the Urban Planning Advisory Committee (UPAC) to ensure the protection of our built heritage, and continues to do so on occasion on behalf of the Saint-Lambert Horticultural Society.

Betty-Jo Christiani receives a Lambertois Award in the “Culture” category in recognition of her actions to promote both the love and learning of music, particularly choral singing.

A McGill University graduate in music education, Ms. Christiani has devoted her entire life and career to music. She taught children in the schools of the Riverside School Board for 35 years. In 1984, her skills as a choral conductor led her to found the Chorale des enfants de la Rive-Sud, which she subsequently directed for over 30 years.

As a personal passion, Betty-Jo Christiani is also a chorister. A rare, almost exceptional occurrence, she has been singing with the Saint-Lambert Choral Society for 50 years this season. Over the years, she has been an excellent ambassador for this organization, generously helping generations of singers to join the choir.

It is this passion, loyalty and exemplary career that we wish to salute this year by presenting her with a Lambertois Award in the “Culture” category.

A Lambertois in Heart and Deed award is presented to Sushil Handa in recognition of over 40 years of sustained commitment to our community.

First and foremost, Mr. Handa takes environmental causes to heart. He was a member of the city's environment committee for 8 years. He also sat on the board of directors of the Réseau écocitoyen de Saint-Lambert for 4 years. His passion for urban agriculture is also evident in community gardens, the Société d'horticulture de Saint-Lambert and the planting of trees throughout our city.

On the social front, Sushil Handa has been involved in defending the rights of self-employed workers. Every fall, he has worked also in organisation of a local card writing campaign for Human Rights Defenders for Amnistie Internationale, and was involved at the national level. He has been actively involved for several years with Meals on Wheels, that delivers meals to seniors, most of whom are isolated or in poor health. Finally, he also accompanies a visually impaired person in his various activities.

With this award, the City of Saint-Lambert hopes to inspire other citizens to get involved like Sushil Handa.

A Lambertois Award in the “Professional Life” category is presented to Michel Mailloux in recognition of his book on financial robots and artificial intelligence, which made him the first Canadian to receive a Turgot prize, which honours the best books in financial economics.

A financial planner and ethicist, Michel Mailloux is co-founder and director of the Collège des professions financières. He helped found the Institut québécois de planification financière. He is also President of Mailloux et associés. In his book Robots financiers et AI, aspects pratiques et éthiques, published by Arnaud Franel, Mr. Mailloux examines financial ethics in the context of the emergence of financial robots, also known as financial dialoguers.

The Prix Turgot selection committee recognized that the originality of his work “lies in its approach combining moral principles and technical considerations”. It was selected from 195 works considered.

Mr. Mailloux is a fine example of a Lambertois whose achievements are making a name for themselves abroad.

Luc Tittley receives a Lambertois in Heart and Deed award for sustained volunteer involvement in the well-being of his community.

For 40 years, Mr. Tittley planned and implemented major urban projects. Retirement has enabled him to put this experience to good use in his community. In fact, he's in tune with the social and political issues that shape our daily lives. Most recently, Luc Tittley has been involved in the complex sale of the Saint-Lambert church, a project he hopes will enrich the community.

Mr. Tittley is also founder of the Vieux Saint-Lambert farmers' market. He is also secretary of the À la fortune du pot organization, which has been responsible for its realization for the past four years. He is keenly aware that not only are farmers' markets an exceptional showcase for Quebec's excellent produce, they are also an important meeting place, as well as a catalyst for the local economy. At the age of 81, Luc Tittley is one of the most active volunteers the organization can count on, and one of its most ardent promoters!

His sense of humour, his legendary kindness, his tenacity and the fact that he always looks to the future make him an instigator of change and a very endearing person.

A Lambertois Award in the “Sport” category is presented to Yann-Mathieu Szigeti-Pouplot in recognition of his outstanding performance in pétanque, which led him to be named Champion of the Americas.

Introduced to pétanque by his father, who passed on his passion for the sport, Mr. Szigeti-Pouplot is now a member of the Canadian pétanque team. With his team of three players, he first won the Canadian Championship, then the Pan-American Games in Chile in 2023, enabling him to qualify for the World Championships. Yann-Mathieu Szigeti-Pouplot will take part in this international competition as part of the Canadian team in France from December 5 to 8, 2024. He will be competing against 47 countries from all over the world. For him, it's a childhood dream come true, and we wish him the best of luck!

With this Lambertois award, the City of Saint-Lambert wishes to highlight his remarkable achievements and encourage him to persevere in his sport. He is a great source of inspiration and pride for our community.

In the form of a special mention, the Lambertois Awards Committee wishes to highlight the citizen mobilization that took place following the theft from the Grande Guignolée des médias de la Rive-Sud warehouse in December 2023.

The organization was the target of a theft of essential goods worth over $15,000 destined for underprivileged families. A group of concerned citizens quickly got together to organize a special collection, which took place on January 3. Herman Champagne and Louis-Michel Raby were particularly involved in this generous initiative. Also taking part were Sylvie Paradis, Patrick Vallerand, Loïc Blancquart, Sarah Deslandes, Martin Larochelle, Camille Champagne, Marie Coudert, Joséphine Tran, Manon Corbeil, Lucie Bourgault, Lysiane Clément-Major, Dominique Lesage, Karl Villeneuve, Andrée Paradis, Isabelle Descarreaux, Paul Côté, Mireille Bernier, Magali Roy et Jean-François, Maude Bédard , Susan Rooke, Geneviève Després, Justine Landreville, Gerald McEniry, Charlotte Mercille, Juliette Doat-Durocher and Dawn Ayotte.

In the face of such outpouring of solidarity, the organization received all the donations and foodstuffs it needed, and more, to meet the demand.