Board of directors

A graduate in 1982 from the École Polytechnique in civil engineering, with a focus on environmental protection, Alain Saladzius has worked for nearly 40 years in the field of water treatment.

He was project coordinator at the Ministry of the Environment and team leader at the Montreal Infrastructure Directorate of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Land Occupancy, where he supervised the completion of hundreds of water treatment projects. drinking water and wastewater. He participated in the development of the Quebec Drinking Water Economy Strategy resulting from the National Water Policy. He is now an independent consultant in water management and public administration.

Alain Saladzius was particularly active in analyzing the environmental and economic consequences of the awarding of electricity production contracts to private producers in the 1990s, independently. Its research and actions, in collaboration with various specialists and groups, led the government to create a public commission of inquiry into this industry in 1995. 

In 2002, he coordinated Operation Adopt a River bringing together five national groups and a multitude of artists, including Roy Dupuis, and committed volunteers to counter the construction of 36 small hydroelectric power stations on 24 rivers in Quebec. The initiative kicked off the Fondation Rivières and won the Phoenix Environmental Prize, Education and Awareness category. 

Alain Saladzius has received numerous recognitions throughout his career. He was the recipient of a Canadian Environmental Award, Community Action and Conservation Category, and the first Reader's Digest Hero of the Year in 2003. The Canadian Council of Engineers awarded him a Distinction the following year for meritorious services, Community Service category. In 2017, he was awarded the title of Fellow of Engineers Canada in recognition of his exceptional contributions to the engineering profession in Canada. The Order of Engineers awarded him an Honoris genius in 2021 to highlight his social commitment. In 2023, the University of Quebec awarded him an honorary doctorate for the implementation of our organization as well as for his exceptional contribution to the protection and development of Quebec rivers, particularly in the Adopt a River operation.

Stéphane Gautier-Éthier is a chartered professional accountant at Brunet Roy Dubé, CPA and holds a Bachelor's degree in business administration from HEC Montreal.

He distinguishes himself in his professional life by responding to the needs of his clients and at the community level by his dedication. He wants our society to be proactive in protecting the environment and more consistent in its actions. "We know the harmful impacts of our development and we must work to stop them." In his opinion, environmental protection can be an economic lever and he considers that our water bodies are a wealth that we must value for future generations.

Dominique Girard studied business administration at HEC and psychology at UQTR. She has held the position of controller for a subsidiary of the Cascades Group and was a price and cost analyst for a wholesale manufacturer of hardwood products.

A young retiree from the business world, Dominique joined the team because she witnessed the fragility of rivers, having grown up on the banks of the Saint-François River. She brings accounting expertise, but above all a citizen's perspective. She encourages all those who care about rivers to join the Fondation Rivières.

A nature lover, Daniel Leblanc obtained his civil engineering degree in 1979, with a focus on environmental protection. He continued his training in this field at the master's and doctoral levels.

After working mainly for Bell Canada, the Société d'Énergie de la Baie James and the École Polytechnique, he crossed the ocean to work for the French Ministry of the Environment and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, where he did his doctoral studies in the field of environmental impact assessment of various linear projects.

After having worked for a French multinational, still in environment, he came back to Quebec to share his expertise with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MELCC) of Quebec as a specialist in wastewater treatment for a few years.

He then spent the last 27 years of his career with the department as a manager in the five different regional divisions of Greater Montreal, ending as Regional Director for the Montérégie, agricultural, water, municipal and natural sectors. His teams of agronomists, biologists, engineers, geologists and other specialists have handled tens of thousands of projects. He has been a member of several committees mandated to develop legislation, regulations, policies, guidelines and guides. He has represented the Ministry on various international delegations. He initiated the conservation plans for natural environments in the Montreal and Montérégie regions. He supported several environmental groups in their actions. He has managed various environmental disasters such as lead contamination of drinking water, fires in waste management sites, ice storms, and several major floods.

He is currently completing his 4th term as a Canadian member of various study groups set up by the International Joint Commission to address water management issues in watersheds straddling Canada and the United States.

Recently retired, he decided to continue his involvement in the protection of the environment by participating in the mission of the Fondation Rivières.

Éric Gagnon is Director of Social Performance for international projects at Englobe. On industrial sites with complex social and environmental issues, he carries out interventions that support sustainable development and promote community resilience.

By positioning itself close to the promoters, it facilitates the prevention if not the mitigation and compensation of deficiencies in social acceptability.

Eric has been working on community, environmental and occupational health and safety issues since 2009. He supports corporate social responsibility and community development in the vicinity of major industrial projects, particularly through social impact studies and adapted management plans, especially in developing countries. From 1999 to 2003, he also publicly questioned the need for Hydro-Québec's Eastmain 1-A / Rupert Diversion project.

A graduate in communications from UQAM, Véronique Lussier has spent a large part of her professional life as a manager in the media world.

She has worked in the private and public sectors, notably at Radio-Canada, TFO, TVA and Astral. For three years, she was an executive with the City of Montreal.

Today, she continues her work as a consultant and accompanies multidisciplinary teams in projects for companies, public organizations and associations. As a lover of activities in, on and around water, lakes and rivers have always been part of her life. The richness of our waterways is a distinctive asset of our territory and of Quebec culture. It must be preserved and is natural character must be enhanced.

A great lover of Quebec's rivers, Frédéric Ménagé has been exploring Quebec's territory for the past twenty years. In his spare time, Frédéric is a whitewater kayaking expert and a trainer on several mechanical engineering software programs. He enjoys sharing his passions with others.

Frédéric has been involved with the Montreal white water canoe & kayak club, since 2007, first as secretary, then vice-president and currently as a trainer. He often writes descriptions of river paddling routes and shares them with the community as a recognized and certified guide.

Travelling the territory by kayak, canoe or cross-country ski allows him to build a special bond with the natural elements. During expeditions lasting several days, the observation, the gathering, the challenges and the constant amazement provided by nature allow him to frequently recharge his batteries.

Frédéric Ménagé has chosen to join the efforts of the Fondation Rivières to ensure that our society is more concerned about preserving the charm and health of Quebec's rivers.

Julie Sabourin has always been passionate about protecting the environment. After completing her bachelor's degree in communications, she became involved and worked with a number of organizations with social and environmental values.

She was a candidate for the Green Party of Canada in 2006 and holds a certificate in environmental science and a graduate degree in environmental education from UQAM. She currently works as a business intelligence consultant for Employment and Social Development Canada. Having grown up near Fort Chambly and the Richelieu River, she wishes to actively participate in the popularization of the issues surrounding the protection of rivers and streams.

Louise Millette has been a Ph.D. professor in the Department of Civil, Geological and Mining Engineering at Polytechnique Montreal since 2002 and was its director until June 2021. It was the deplorable state of the Rivière des Prairies and the hope of making a difference that led her to civil engineering and environmental protection.

Ms. Millette catalyzed Polytechnique's commitment to sustainable development (SD). In 2004, she wrote her first environmental policy and in 2019 created the SD Office. As a result of these actions, Polytechnique was awarded STARS Gold accreditation in 2019. It is working to integrate SD into the training of engineers.

Ms. Millette's involvement in several organizations has earned her several awards and honors, including the titles of Knight of the Order of Montreal and Fellow of Engineers Canada, as well as awards from the Minister of Education and Higher Education and the Quebec Business Women's Network.

Paul Beaulieu has been a professor of business strategy at the School of Management Sciences at the University of Quebec in Montreal for over 30 years. Holder of a Ph.D. in Administration and Education Policy and a Master's degree in Industrial Relations, he is a professor-researcher within the Research Group on Governance and Business-Politics Relations of ESG- UQÀM. Strongly concerned by the future of collective water management, he was involved in the Yamaska Watershed Organization.

His research and interventions, as an expert, at national and international levels, focus on the strategic development and evaluation of organizations, as well as on governance. He is a member of the scientific council of the Business Science Institute, a global institution whose mission is to train doctors of practice in management.

Paul Beaulieu was deputy minister responsible for policy development at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, Science and Technology of the Government of Quebec. He also served on the board of directors of several para/peri-public organizations.

Robert Gabriel Stuparu, a fourth-year civil engineering student at Polytechnique Montréal, has held the position of director on the PolySphère student committee since April 2023, with the aim of promoting the vision of sustainable development and ecological transition. Since May 2023, he has also been working for the engineering consulting firm Stantec, and is about to begin an internship in ecological transition with the company TCI+. His interest in renewable resources and the impacts of climate change motivates him to get involved in protecting biodiversity and access to water. At the same time, Mr Stuparu has enriched his academic career with internships and part-time extensions in fields such as geotechnics, the environment and urban development. This has enabled him to contribute professionally to projects concerning watercourses, surrounding wildlife and affected populations.

Robert LeBlanc is President of an SME specializing in international program evaluation and feasibility analysis of overseas public investments. He holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from Dalhousie University and a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) from Sherbrooke. 

He was a member of the Canadian team at the GATT negotiations and led one of the largest systemic capacity-building contracts for a Canadian government department. He then went on to manage a project in Colombia for the World Bank and Canada in the wood processing sector. His next role as Executive Vice-President at Lavalin enabled him to develop socio-economic structures and investments for Canadian Aboriginals.

Between 1992 and 1994, he was a faculty member at the prestigious Canadian Center for Management Development, an institution for training and strategic research in public administration.

In 1995, the Treasury Board of Canada gave him a mandate to restructure a Canadian Crown Corporation in the field of science policy and management systems. In this role as Deputy Minister, he helped create a program aimed at integrating First Nations traditional knowledge into Western scientific research approaches.

He then became Executive Vice President of Tecsult, with responsibility for business development. He managed several major projects, for example at Kenworth and the U.S. Department of Defense, before being sent to Madagascar by the U.S. State Department, where he took charge of an environmental policy development program. Since his return to Canada, he has managed several international program evaluation mandates. 

He currently acts as an advisor to nonprofits across Canada, particularly with regard to watershed protection plans and strategies.