Overview

Bernard Lamarre (6 August 1931 – 30 March 2016) was a Canadian civil engineer and corporate executive who played a central role in the growth of one of Canada’s largest engineering firms. Born in Chicoutimi, Quebec, Lamarre combined technical training with business leadership to steer major infrastructure projects and to influence professional engineering practice in Quebec and beyond. He is remembered both as an engineer and as a businessman committed to the engineering profession: engineer and businessman.

Education and technical formation

Lamarre earned a Bachelor of Applied Sciences in civil engineering from the École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1952. He then completed a Master of Science at Imperial College of Science and Technology in London in 1955, gaining advanced training in geotechnical and structural concepts. His postgraduate education provided a foundation for early work in soil mechanics and foundation engineering that informed later large-scale project delivery. See institutional record at Imperial College.

Career path and leadership

He began his professional career as a soil mechanics engineer with the firm Lalonde & Valois. Over the years he moved into management and executive roles, eventually becoming president and chief executive officer of Lavalin Group. Under his leadership the firm expanded its technical capabilities and its geographic reach, taking on major civil, industrial and infrastructure contracts. Lavalin grew into one of Canada’s most prominent engineering and construction companies and later merged into a larger national concern.

Professional service and influence

Beyond corporate leadership, Lamarre was active in professional governance. He served as president of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec from 1993 to 1997, a period in which the provincial engineering association focused on professional standards, public protection and the evolving relationship between engineering practice and public policy. His tenure reflected a continuing interest in the ethical and institutional dimensions of engineering work.

Legacy and notable facts

Bernard Lamarre’s career bridged technical engineering and executive management at a time when Canadian firms were increasingly involved in international projects. He is noted for bringing technical rigour to organizational leadership and for supporting professional development within the engineering community. He died on 30 March 2016, leaving a legacy in both corporate practice and professional governance.

For further reading and archival material, consult institutional and professional records held by engineering associations and the companies involved.