Who
are we?

The mission of the Fiducie du patrimoine culturel des Augustines is to preserve and highlight the memory and heritage of Quebec’s Augustinian sisters for the entire population and future generations.

Created by the Augustinian sisters on October 1, 2009, this social trust, which qualifies as a charitable organization, protects the Augustinian sisters’ intentions and designates the population of Quebec as the main beneficiary of their cultural heritage.

It is the trust’s duty to protect this heritage, make it accessible to the public, and support the mission of Le Monastère des Augustines and the Centre Catherine-de-Saint-Augustin. The Augustinian sisters have also entrusted it with the task of eventually seeking to reconvert the Hôpital général de Québec monastery.

Our
assets

The Fiducie du patrimoine culturel des Augustines owns the Augustinian sisters’ founding monastery, the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, classified as a national historic site of Canada and a heritage site according to Quebec Cultural Heritage Act. It is also the owner of the archives, old books, and collections entrusted to it by the 12 Augustinian monasteries.

Our
funding

The Fiducie contributes all donations received through Le Monastère des Augustines to the realization of the social mission entrusted in it by the Augustinian sisters.

The Fiducie also ensures that its financing is sustainable in order to preserve this important heritage. To this end, it creates funds entirely dedicated to this mission thanks to the generosity of major donors.

100% of donations go to priority projects

Our
trustees

Members
of the board
of directors

Gertrude Bourdon

President

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Gertrude Bourdon is a trained nurse and holds a diploma from Université Laval. She pursued graduate studies at the ENAP in Public Management. At the beginning of her nursing career, she worked at the CHUL and then as head paediatric nurse. She also worked at the Ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. At the CHUQ, she was the director of nursing care, assistant general manager of clinical organization, and general manager. In 2021, she led the fusion of the Centre hospitalier universitaire de Québec (CHUQ) and the Centre hospitalier affilié universitaire de Québec (CHA), resulting in the largest CHU in Quebec. Furthermore, she initiated the creation of an integrated oncology centre in Québec and the construction of a new hospital complex which cost $1.9 billion. She was appointed to the position of president-general manager of the CHU de Québec during the health care reform in April 2015. On top of speaking at conferences, Gertrude Bourdon has been on several executive boards, including that of the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI), Opération Enfant Soleil, Transplant Québec, Québec International, etc. Throughout her career, she has received several prizes and mentions. In 2016, she was named a medallist at the National Assembly for her remarkable contribution to improving health in Québec and in 2018, an Officer of the Order of Canada for the same reasons. She was received at the Académie des Grands Québécois by the Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Québec, is a recipient of the Grande Diplômée prize by TÉLUQ, and was granted the Rachel Bureau prize by the Ordre régional des infirmières et infirmiers de Québec. In 2014, she was recognized as a winner of the Canada's Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award by the Women’s Executive Network. In November 2018, she received the Hommage/carrière prize from the Institut d’administration publique du Québec (IAPQ).

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Véronique Vanbergen, General Manager

Fédération des monastères des Augustines

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An expert accountant certified by the Ordre des Comptables et des Experts-Comptables de Belgique, Véronique Vanbergen moved to Quebec with her family after practicing her profession in her country for several years. From 2001 to 2015, she worked for the Deloitte firm as manager of financial audits and corporate inspection missions. Specialized in accounting and business advice, she also took on management responsibilities in the private sector. Throughout her career, she developed a solid expertise by working with charity organizations and religious communities. Since 2015, she has been the general manager of the Fédération des monastères des Augustines, in charge of the general management of operations for Quebec’s Augustinian communities. Passionate about the work of the Augustinian Sisters, she is one of their most prominent collaborators.

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André G. Fortin, Administrator

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After completing his bachelor’s degree in business administration at Université Laval, André Fortin started his career as a real estate investment analyst at Industrial Alliance. In 1990, he was a management inspector for the financial institution general inspector account, where he helped develop the standards for prudent management, as well as inspection programs for Quebec life insurers. Mr. Fortin was Senior Director, Mortgage and Moveable Investments at La Capitale, where he was responsible for developing credit activities and administering the insurer’s moveable assets. Active on boards for social utility organizations, he was president of the Cercle Finance du Québec executive board from 2008 to 2009, and a member of the board until 2014. From 2013 to 2018, he was a member of the Fondation Québec Philanthrope board, more specifically on the placement, audit, and governance committees, and was acting director general for 10 months. He is on the Fondation Groupes Parrains board of directors, which offers food aid to the families of Saint-Roch and Limoilou, in Quebec City.

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France Rodrigue, Retired

SSQ Insurance

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Recently retired, France Rodrigue was Vice-President Real Estate and Procurement at La Capitale / SSQ Insurance. She oversaw operational management, real estate asset development and strategic procurement activities. Employed by SSQ Insurance for 30 years, she distinguished herself in management, information technology, finance, real estateand procurement fields. Having obtained a bachelor’s degree from Université Laval in business administration, Ms. Rodrigue holds the title of Administrateur de sociétés certifié (ASC), Chartered Administrator (C.Adm.) and as well as Fellow of the Life Management Institute (FLMI).

She was an administrator on the Urban Development Institute of Quebec board of directors and was also on the board of directors of the J’ai ma passe movement. She has involved with Centraide Quebec and Chaudière-Appalaches as codirector of the annual campaign, acted as codirector of the major donation committee, and was a mentor for the Philanthropes Émergents program. She wasalso involved with the Bal du maire de Québec, Fondation Jeunes en Tête, and was a mentor for the Jeune Chambre de commerce de Montréal and Crew M. mentorship programs.

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Anne-Marie Naud, Lawyer and Partner, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin

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Anne-Marie Naud is a partner and market leader for the Corporate Law and Commercial Law groups at firm Fasken Martineau DuMoulin’s Québec office. She specializes in mergers and acquisitions, investment capital, and corporate governance. 

Thanks to her reputed calmness and concentration, several public and private businesses from the traditional, agricultural and technological fields trust Ms. Naud to manage merger and acquisition, financing, and reorganization operations. She also has a high level of expertise in the securities field. An exceptional lawyer, she has been recognized by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and the Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada. 

A true leader in her community, Ms. Naud has held the title of vice-president of La Fondation Jane H.-Dunn, which supports handicapped children from the Québec region. She is also involved with Laura Lémerveil, the Lise Watier Foundation, Carrefour international de theatre, and Filles Open. 

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Émile Gilbert, Architect

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Émile Gilbert has practiced architecture since 1972. He has collaborated on numerous projects, including the Québec courthouse, Méduse, and the Franciscan monastery rehabilitation. 

He has worked on conservation projects such as the Cataraqui domain, the François de Laval chapel and the Québec Citadel. He is also on the monitoring committee for an important research project: the exhaustive study of the Hôpital général de Québec’s evolution since 1620. 

A member of the board of directors and the executive board of the Domaine Forget de Charlevoix, he is responsible for the development of its sculpture garden, the protection and conservation of its heritage, as well as the acquisition of the Saint-Irénée de Charlevoix church. He has been a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada since 2003, leads the Association for Preservation Technology International in Quebec, and is a member of the UNESCO Scientific Committee for Heritage of Religious Interest. 

A recipient of the medal for good citizenship from the Quebec government, he was recognized by the city of Québec for his impressive career in heritage conservation in 2016.

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Alain-Philippe Lemieux

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Having graduated in family medicine at Université Laval in 1976, Alain-Philippe Lemieux then practised in rural areas, Amqui, and then Québec, caring particularly for functionally dependent seniors until 1996.

After having completed a master’s degree in community health, he shifted his focus toward health service administration and organization within the Centre regional de santé publique de Québec. He helped develop multiple transformations of the healthcare and social services network as an expert physician. From 2000 to 2015, he occupied different management positions at the CLSC-CHSLD Haute-Ville-Des Rivières, and then at the Centre de santé et de services sociaux de la Capitale-Nationale. He ended his career in the healthcare system as deputy general manager of the CSSS de la Capitale-Nationale.

In 2015, he was named general manager of Maison Michel-Sarrazin for a 5-year mandate. He currently works as the director of professional services at Maison Michel-Sarrazin. Dr. Lemieux has always been sensitive to and concerned by the plight of people in need or nearing the end of their life and their loved ones. The work of the Augustinian sisters is particularly close to his heart, as he has encountered them many times through the years.

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Denis Robitaille

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From 2005 to 2015, Denis Robitaille oversaw the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec monastery reconversion project, the unification of the archives and collections of the twelve Augustinian monasteries, and the creation of the remembrance site known today as the Monastère des Augustines. He also contributed to creating the legal structure of the Fiducie du patrimoine culturel des Augustines and was its general manager from 2016 to 2019. Today, he is responsible for showcasing the Hôpital général de Québec monastery. In 2020, he received an excellence award from the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec in the professional category.

Mr. Robitaille has sat on many boards as a director or administrator. He is currently vice president of the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec and presides over the executive board of Concerts Sine Nomine de Québec, a chamber music promoter in Québec. He is also the administrator at Éditions Continuité, in charge of the Continuité magazine, which is dedicated to Quebec’s heritage.

He is the author of several works including four novels, one juvenile fiction book, a church heritage guide, and two books about heritage. He has also written articles for different publications, especially heritage related, and is a member of the Québec Union of Writers.

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Marie-Claude Champoux

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Marie-Claude Champoux comes from the communications field, having completed a bachelor of Arts (major in public communications / journalism, minor in psychology and communication research) at Université Laval.

Having worked at the National Assembly at the beginning of her career, her path led her to the position of director or press officer for different offices, including that of Quebec premier Jean Charest, from 2004 to 2005.

Ms. Champoux was deputy minister from 2005 to 2019 in several ministries, including the Ministry of Health and Social Services, the Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities, the Ministry of Education, Leisure, and Sport, and the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Research. From 2015 to 2019, she occupied the position of deputy minister at the Ministry of Culture and Communications. Today, she is the president of the Consumer Protection Bureau.

Actively involved in the community, she has been part of the executive boards of the YWCA, the ÉNAP, and Motivaction Jeunesse.

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Line-Sylvie Perron

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Having graduated in political sciences and holding a law license, Line-Sylvie Perron has worked in the public affairs and communications sector for some 40 years. First working as a political advisor, and then a press officer for Quebec premier Mr. René Lévesque between 1976 and 1985, she became the director of the office of Mr. Bernard Landry, who was then the leader of the official opposition at the National Assembly. In 2009, she joined the office of Québec mayor Mr. Régis Labeaume, as deputy director.

Cofounder of Hill & Knowlton/Ducharme Perron, of which she was president and general manager for 17 years, she was later a senior advisor at public relations firm NATIONAL.Very involved in her community, Line-Sylvie Perron was also president and founder of Pignon Bleu, as well as president of the executive board of the Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec and the Fondation du Cégep Limoilou.

She has been a lecturer at Université Laval’s Department of Communication and Information since 1987 and is currently the communications director at the office of the Auditor General of Quebec.

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Our
management

Nathalie Roy

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With an entrepreneurial background, Nathalie was at the helm of a local company for over 20 years. She is an experienced manager when it comes to coordinating and developing services and innovative projects. She is also one of the founders of the Société de développement commercial (SDC) Montcalm, and was the president of its board of directors for 10 years. Her dedication towards the field’s business people led her to join different committees in Québec City and play a part in creating projects like Lumière sur l’art on Cartier avenue. Social involvement, solidarity, and learning about others are integral to her personal values. She takes on managing the Fiducie with the mission of mapping out necessary actions to ensure the Fiducie’s perennity and future development.

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The
Fiducie’s
achievements

Rehabilitation and preservation of the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec monastery

In 2013, the Fiducie undertook intensive rehabilitation work on the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec monastery to create a remembrance place for Quebec’s Augustinian sisters. Now known as Le Monastère des Augustines and open to the public since August 1, 2015, the location is operated by a non-profit organization mandated by the Fiducie.

Undoubtedly one of the most ambitious heritage reconversion projects in recent years, the grand opening of the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec monastery’s rehabilitation is documented in a collection of videos available on the Fiducie’s YouTube account.

The Fiducie now ensures the site’s maintenance. Among other projects, it undertook major work to replace the copper roof of the church and nuns’ choir in the fall of 2017.

Preservation of archives, books, and artefact collections

After having built a museum reserve and set up an archive centre, the Fiducie now supports the preservation and distribution of the Augustinian sisters’ cultural heritage. Together with Le Monastère’s teams who are assigned to these tasks, it develops projects and seeks financing for them.

The Hôpital général de Québec monastery

Lastly, the Fiducie is responsible for highlighting the heritage value of the Hôpital général monastery in collaboration with its authorities. The Fiducie remains attentive to any requests from the Augustinian sisters in terms of preserving their memory in any shape or form.

Joanie Simard

Adjointe
administrative

Joanie Simard

Administrative assistant since 2017, Joanie joined the Fiducie du patrimoine culturel des Augustines in March 2022 as assistant to the general manager. Trained as a massage therapist in a previous career, the well-being of others is close to her heart. Joanie is a hard-working, empathetic and versatile young woman. She actively participates in assisting the general management and the trustees in the sustainability of the Fiducie

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