Cascades Building Footbridge on Nicolet River to Celebrate 50th Anniversary

Cascades Inc., Kingsey Falls, Qué, Canada, will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2014, and will highlight the occasion by opening a new footbridge over the Nicolet River in the community of Kingsey Falls. The announcement was made this week by Laurent Lemaire, the company's executive vice-chairman of the board, together with his brother Alain, executive chairman of the board, and Mario Plourde, president and CEO. 

In collaboration with the municipality, the company wants to celebrate its 50 years of existence by providing a meaningful and long-lasting legacy to the inhabitants of the region. The footbridge, made of recovered materials, will serve as a symbolic link between the company's "rich past and its promising future," the company notes.

"We are very close to the people in this region. They adopted us, supported us, and helped make Cascades a success. Without them, none of what we accomplished would have been possible. The footbridge is our way of showing the community our appreciation," explained Laurent Lemaire, the man behind the project.

The structure will add to the quality of life in Kingsey Falls, providing citizens with safe passage across the river on foot or by bicycle, and a unique meeting place with an exceptional view of the river. Sixty-six meters long, the bridge will span the Nicolet River, linking the municipal park with attractions in Parc Marie-Victorin, promoting tourism in the region. 

"As an artist, I drew my inspiration for the project from the company's history and my passion for working with recycled materials," said Florent Cousineau, the artist chosen to design the footbridge. 

The work began several days ago, and will continue on into the fall. The Lemaire brothers and Plourde have launched an invitation to the public for the inauguration of this new—and not so new—footbridge that will take place in the spring of 2014.

A sod-turning ceremony took place this past Monday, August 26, with Cascades executives and numerous local dignitaries on-hand.