Quebec City mayor Régis Labeaume awarded French Legion of Honour
CBC
The outgoing mayor of Quebec City has received France's highest international honour.
On Saturday, Régis Labeaume was awarded the medal of the French Legion of Honour during a ceremony at city hall.
The Legion of Honour rewards people who have distinguished themselves in their services provided to France.
Thought the aware was initially reserved for heads of state and ambassadors, the appointment has since broadened beyond the political and diplomatic sphere.
Former French prime minister Alain Juppé presented the award to an emotional Labeaume yesterday afternoon. He mentioned Labeaume's courage, humanity and wisdom — notably in the way he responded to the shooting at a Quebec City mosque in 2017 and the sword attack in Old Quebec last Halloween.
Juppé and Labeaume hit it off when they met during Labeaume's trips to France, particularly his visit to the city of Bordeaux where Juppé served as mayor from 2006 to 2019.
Juppé said the encounters led to various collaborations between the City of Bordeaux and Quebec City, both economic and academic.
"From our first contact, we had a connection," Juppé said of Labeaume during the ceremony. "I liked your naturalness, your energy, your curiosity, your passion for the city you were responsible for."
Juppé said it was his pleasure to present the medal to his friend.
"Today, it is the French Republic which pays homage to the great mayor that you were for 14 years."
Labeaume was visibly moved during the ceremony and stood surrounded by his family.
He said that as the son of a mechanic, to be decorated with this award speaks to the immense possibilities for men and women from Quebec.
Labeaume will leave political life behind on November 7, when he wraps up his last term as mayor.
Trevor Allen didn’t worry about who had the most extravagant decorations or brightest bulbs.
Alberta's transportation minister could hear the horns blaring from inside his office.
A single northbound lane on the long-awaited Pattullo Bridge replacement has opened to traffic, marking the first step in a phased opening process.
The Yukon has been grappling with an extreme cold weather system that's pushing the power grid to the brink because it can't keep up with demand.
The days leading up to Christmas day can be the most stressful time of the holidays. Especially if those days are spent travelling to the post office hoping to pick up that special, last minute gift you ordered online, just in time to put it under the tree.
The Yukon's energy provider says Whitehorse is not at imminent risk of blackouts, but with very cold weather forecasted through the holidays, residents are still being asked to conserve power.
A pedestrian is dead after a vehicle crashed into a building in Toronto, said police.
RCMP in Inuvik, N.W.T., say two youth have been arrested after officers found suspected cocaine and a loaded firearm at a home in the community.
Canada and 13 other countries issued a joint statement Wednesday condemning the Israeli security cabinet's approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Alberta health officials are flagging the circulation of a rare bacteria known as Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) among homeless adults living in Calgary.
The future of a prominent building in London's Old East Village (OEV), once home to the London Food Incubator, is looking uncertain following the relocation of its anchor tenant and the planned departure of another.
As Yukon continues to deal with a prolonged spell of extreme cold, emergency officials are advising people to be prepared in case of a power outage.
Police say they have found and arrested 47-year-old Douglas Yetman, a man wanted for murder.