Pierre Péladeau

In 1950, with a $1,500 loan from his mother, Pierre Péladeau, at the time a McGill University law graduate and a Université de Montréal philosophy graduate, purchased his first newspaper, Le Journal de Rosemont. Three years later, he acquired his first printing press. In 1964, he launched Le Journal de Montréal, which became the largest French-language daily paper in America. In 1965, he grouped his various firms under the name Quebecor Inc. and, in 1967, he launched Le Journal de Québec.

With the acquisition of Donohue Inc. in 1987, Quebecor became the largest printing firm in Canada and the second-largest in the United States. Quebecor is the twelfth-largest firm in Quebec, with sales of over $4 billion and more than 25,000 employees, including 9,300 in the United States and 200 in Mexico.

Pierre Péladeau was involved with a number of causes. Most notably, he was the founder of the Pavillon des Arts in Ste-Adèle and was chairman of the board of directors of the Orchestre métropolitain de Montréal. He was also a member of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Ordre national du Québec and a member of the boards of directors of two rehabilitation centres for alcoholics, Pavillon Ivry-sur-le-lac and Auberge du Nouveau Chemin. He directed the $8.5 million fundraising campaign on behalf of Montréal’s Hôtel-Dieu Hospital and donated $1 million to the Université du Québec à Montréal for the construction of a centre for music and dance.

Pierre Péladeau died in 1997. He was inducted into the Academy of Great Montrealers in the Economic category in 1994 and was named a Commander of the Ordre de Montréal in 2016.

Source: Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal

The picture and biographical information appearing on this page were current at the time this person was admitted to the Academy of Great Montrealers.