This text is part of the special section Génie québécois
Contributing to the creation of a better world by ensuring the quality of Quebec blue gold is protected, such is Martine Lanoue’s mission. Portrait of the sanitation and water management engineer, who last year won the Honoris Genius – Social Commitment prize. This distinction was presented to him during the Evening of Excellence in Engineering of the Order of Engineers of Quebec (OIQ) in spring 2023.
Coming from a modest background, Mme Lanoue did not have the ambition to become a genius during his youth. It was thanks to two throws of the dice of destiny that she chose her professional path. The first, when a toxic product spill occurred in a watercourse in his village of Notre-Dame-de-Stanbridge, in Estrie. “The volunteer firefighters came to collect the fish that had died in the river. It really stank in the village,” recalls the woman who now works for the City of Terrebonne. This is what convinced her to dedicate her life to water protection and treatment.
Even though she excelled in her high school grades, Mme Lanoue believed he was going more towards a technique at CEGEP. It was her English teacher who encouraged her to go to graduate school. “I hadn’t considered going to university because it costs money. But I was at the top of my class and he found it unacceptable that I wasn’t going,” she says.
It is thanks to loan and scholarship programs that she was able to achieve her goal. “It is important that the government maintains this program so that people who come from more disadvantaged backgrounds can realize their dreams in a field that fascinates them,” she emphasizes.
A rewarding career
With a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, then a master’s degree with a concentration in water treatment at the University of Sherbrooke, Mme Lanoue worked in blue gold management. She has notably been employed by different organizations and municipalities, such as the Réseau Environnement and the City of Laval. The one who is now a sanitation and water management engineer for the City of Terrebonne believes that all her experiences have been enriching. “I really have a good picture of water management at the municipal level,” explains the woman who began her career designing water treatment systems.
The engineer learns more every day with various continuing training courses. “By building a network among your peers, we ask questions, we get answers and that helps us in our practice,” she advises.
Cooperation with his colleagues is just as important to him. “That’s why I’m very involved with Réseau Environnement and why I give conferences,” she says about the exchange of knowledge. In addition to her commitment to this organization, she collaborates with several others. “I volunteered for the Laval Water Interpretation Center. I am also involved with the Quebec Public Works Association and various organizations, such as Centraide and the CPE that my children attended,” says M.me Lanoue. How does she manage to reconcile all her activities with her family life? “It’s organization… And I’m efficient,” she replies, bursting out laughing.
Preserve water for the future
Even if there is no shortage of water in Quebec, Mme Lanoue reminds us of the importance of protecting it. “We have a lot of water, but we have to treat this water. We have it up to the limit of our infrastructure, whether to process it, consume it or reject it,” she says. The engineer highlights the creation of measures such as the Drinking Water Saving Strategy of the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, which helps ensure drinking water for all. “As a city, we have the challenge of managing this water so that there is also some left for future generations,” she explains. And both in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada, she believes that it is important to make up for delays in asset management. “There’s definitely a knock on the money for upgrades and maintenance,” she pleads.
The threat of new contaminants must also be taken into account. “We invent chemical formulas and unfortunately we find them in water,” notes the engineer. This question will also be addressed at the next Quebec Environmental Technologies Show, which will be held in April. “The best solution is reduction at source. If we don’t reject [de contaminants]“We don’t have any problems,” she believes.
When she looks to the future, Mme Lanoue would like to increase his influence on actions and decisions regarding water management in order to have an even more direct effect on Quebec society. “I want to make my contribution to creating a better world. »
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