Callander to honour former mayor Lavigne

This summer, Callander built a new pavilion in Centennial Park as part of the downtown and waterfront revitalization plan. The pavilion overlooks the lake, and the municipal council intended the feature to become a strong focal point within the community. As a tribute to Callander’s former mayor, the decision was made to name the pavilion after Hector ‘Hec’ Lavigne.

See related: Strolling Callander’s waterfront is about to get easier

Lavigne entered politics when he was elected reeve of Callander in 2000. Callander’s current mayor, Robb Noon remembers those days well, as that year also marked his first year as a councillor. When Lavigne passed away in January 2020, the community felt the loss of its long-time supporter and leader.

Centennial Park was always close to Lavigne’s heart, and he worked to continually beautify the popular lakeshore destination. As such, Lavigne’s family encouraged donations to the Hec Lavigne Centennial Park Beautification Project.

Mayor Noon mentioned about $13,000 was raised for this fund, and that after discussions with Lavigne’s wife, Lynne, naming the pavilion seemed like a fitting tribute to the town’s former mayor.

Noon explained that the exact wording of the dedication is still in the works, and ideas will be presented at a future council meeting. However, the pavilion will be named in his honour, and a memorial will most likely appear on a plaque as well, which will probably be set behind the pavilion.

“Hec was well-liked and well-respected within the community,” Noon said, “and well-respected as a mayor by council.” Naming the pavilion after Lavigne “will be a fitting tribute to his long years of service to our community.”

David Briggs is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of BayToday, a publication of Village Media. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.