The community hall in Curran will soon have a new name.
On Tuesday, January 13, Alfred and Plantagenet Township Council adopted a resolution to rename the Curran Forum the Jean-Yves Lalonde Community Hall.
Lalonde lived in the village of Curran and served as Mayor of Alfred and Plantagenet from 2003 to 2014. He died on April 20, 2024, at age 76.
At the September 16, 2025, Alfred and Plantagenet township council meeting, Josée-Anne Lalonde presented the request to have the hall renamed after her late father. The request was accompanied by a letter signed by her and her mother, Ginette Savage-Lalonde, and 14 pages of signatures from about 126 residents supporting the name change.
In addition to municipal politics, Lalonde was a teacher, and a consultant with the Ministry of Education. He served on the board of the Montfort Hospital and was involved with chamber of commerce, Optimist Club, and church activities.
The resolution to rename the Curran hall after Jean-Yves Lalonde recognizes the exceptional contribution of Jean-Yves Lalonde to public life in the Township of Alfred and Plantagenet, and more particularly to the development of the village of Curran, notably through his tireless volunteer work.
The township will cover the cost of all new signage for the renamed facility and township administration will work with the Lalonde family to determine whether to hold a formal public ceremony to inaugurate the Jean-Yves Lalonde Community Hall.
Councillor Ian Walker expressed his support for the plan. Councillor Antoni Viau agreed and congratulated Ginette Savage-Lalonde who was in the audience.
“Thank you enormously, this is an honour,” she said.
Councillor Jean-Pierre Cadieux thanked the Lalonde family for their efforts and noted he had previously served two terms on council with Jean-Yves Lalonde.
