With the disappearance of the engineer Armand Couture, Quebec has become even more orphaned from the human witnesses of its historical rise in the 1960s and 1970s.
Posted at 11:00 a.m.
Collectively, I encourage us to cultivate the memory of our great builders, including that of Mr. Couture. Their colossal legacy shaped Quebec. This memory, if we maintain it as it should, will continue to fuel our societal performance.
A little over 50 years ago, the hydroelectric development of the Grande Rivière was born. To create real energy power, it was necessary, among other things, to build a huge basin of 175,000 km2. The objective: to electrify our territory with water, a renewable resource.
Where did our builders find the audacity to undertake this “project of the century”, as it has been called? That’s the question I asked myself when I did my internships at the Société d’énergie de la Baie-James (SEBJ), during my bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. I never had the guts to ask them directly, so I still ask myself today. The vision and courage of these builders, who decided to dare despite the uncertainties and the immense responsibility for the proper functioning of these infrastructures, must continue to be a source of inspiration for all of us today.
Gigantic works such as those in Baie-James or the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine bridge-tunnel, another major project to which Armand Couture contributed, transformed Quebec genius and made it known to the whole world.
PHOTO IVANOH DEMERS, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Armand Couture, in 2003
The spin-offs have gone beyond the technical field alone, they have also stimulated the field of high finance, essential to international projects. Of course, they would be done much differently today, but that in no way diminishes their significance.
The impact has also been major on engineering training in Quebec. During this period, we saw enrollment in civil engineering skyrocket at Polytechnique Montréal. The professionals trained in this way have, in turn, developed the practice of engineering in Quebec, in particular by enriching it with new environmental dimensions. The heritage of the builders has thus been enhanced over the generations of engineers.
We also owe a great deal to Armand Couture in terms of advancing the benefits of research, he who was for a long time at the head of the board of the National Institute for Scientific Research (lNRS).
When we remember that the Association francophone pour le savoir (Acfas) will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, we can appreciate even more the importance of its contribution to the knowledge economy — its professional activities having marked a great part of this history (more than 65 years). Above all, he helped to establish beyond any doubt that applied sciences could excel in Quebec, in French.
With the disappearance of Armand Couture, a page turns, but the great book of Quebec genius is not about to close.