LaSalle Mayor Manon Barbe and the members of Borough Council sadly announce the loss of their colleague, Ross Blackhurst. "It is with profound emotion that I learned of Ross Blackhurst's passing. I am losing not only a member of my Council and a 'fellow traveller' for the past many years, but also a friend," commented LaSalle Mayor Manon Barbe. "When I was first elected to office back in 1995, Ross Blackhurst had already been a Councillor here for eight years. I will always cherish the memory of his passionate efforts in defending the matters at hand, his perseverance and his determination—which made it possible to bring numerous projects to a successful conclusion, and his concern for being a Councillor who truly served our residents' interests. And the residents in his district always appreciated that quality of his, electing him seven times to represent them on Council," added Mayor Barbe.
Ross Blackhurst was voted in Councillor of the city of LaSalle in the elections of 1987, 1991, 1995 and 1999. He served as a member of the city of LaSalle's Executive Committee for eight years and continued on as Councillor until the new city of Montréal was created on January 1, 2002. Voted in as Borough Councillor for the Sault-Saint-Louis district in the November 2005 elections, he was then re-elected to this office in 2009. Appointed Acting Mayor a number of times, Ross Blackhurst was a member of the urban planning advisory committee, the traffic committee and the ad hoc snow committee, in addition to being responsible for sports-related matters in our borough. He moreover sat on the Board of Directors of Développement économique LaSalle.
Councillor Blackhurst was an ardent defender of all matters relating to sports, in particular, but also to leisure activities, community development and parks. He was very committed to the realization of almost all the major sports facilities in LaSalle, including the Aquadôme aquatic complex, the Keith-Ewenson football stadium, the synthetic turf soccer field, the Fritz-R.-Prévost athletics track and the upgrading of the two arenas. Mr. Blackhurst was a retired employee of the Canadian National Railway Company.
Funeral and tributesRoss Blackhurst passed away on Tuesday, March 12, 2013 at the Royal Victoria Hospital, at the age of 72. He is mourned by his wife Pierrette Auger Blackhurst, his son Patrick Blackhurst and their family. Visitation will be held at Complexe funéraire Yves Légaré, 7200 boulevard Newman in LaSalle, on Monday, March 18, and Tuesday, March 19, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. – 10 p.m. Funeral service will take place at St. John Brébeuf Parish, 7777 rue George in LaSalle, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, March 20, 2013.
Residents who would like to pay tribute to Ross Blackhurst may sign a commemorative book at LaSalle Borough Hall, 55 avenue Dupras, March 18-21 and March 25-28, Mondays and Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., as well as Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. This book will then be presented to his family.
As a token of expression of the loss mourned by the entire LaSalle community, the Council members have ordered the flags in front of the Borough's municipal buildings to be flown at half-mast until the day after the funeral. A tribute will be held for Councillor Blackhurst at the Borough Council meeting on Tuesday, April 2.
The Mayor of LaSalle, Council members, Management and all Borough employees wish to extend their most heartfelt condolences to Mr. Blackhurst's family and other loved ones.
