Discover
our team
We are proud of our team, which consists of over 130 passionate individuals. The accomplishment of our mission relies on the dedication of the people who carry it out. Our team combines expertise and experience, working together to ensure the support and well-being of our clients.
Marie-Lyne Bernard
Director, Résidence
Les Pléiades
514 351-5703, ext. 505
marie-lyne.bernard@s-e-g.ca
Our
history
Emmanuel Grégoire
Social worker active during the 70s and 80s and a pioneer in the social reintegration of former prisoners in Quebec, Emmanuel Grégoire dedicated his career to the social and community reintegration of offenders. In tribute to his exceptional commitment, the organization now bears his name.
1981
1983
1984
1989
1989
1990
1998
2011
2020
2024
2025
1981
Marcel Veilleux founded the corporation "Résidence Emmanuel-Grégoire Inc.," a non-profit organization dedicated to the social reintegration of offenders. The first community residential facility of what would become Société Emmanuel-Grégoire opened its doors in Tétreaultville under the name Résidence Emmanuel-Grégoire.
1983
Recognizing that successful community social reintegration inevitably requires access to the job market and understanding the specific challenges faced by a justice-involved clientele, Marcel Veilleux founded the Service d'Aide à l'Emploi de l'Est to assist individuals in their efforts to return to employment.
1984
With nearly 70% of justice-involved men struggling with substance abuse issues, the Pavillon Emmanuel-Grégoire opened its doors in Montréal-Est. This innovative model of a community-residential center offered an intensive open treatment program and peer support from individuals with a lived experience of addiction.
1989
After over a year of intense efforts, the Pavillon Prosper-Boulanger is finally opened. This third community residential facility sparked strong reactions from the local population, who mobilized against the project. Numerous representations were required before it could come to fruition. Mr. Prosper Boulanger, a seasoned politician and Liberal Member of Parliament from 1962 to 1979, gave full support to the project. His influence and involvement were pivotal. In recognition, the board of directors proposed that the new CRF be named after him.
1989
The Agence Emmanuel-Grégoire began its operations. The agency's team was responsible for providing community follow-up for federal justice-involved men from the East of Montreal after their stay at one of the corporation's three CRFs.
1990
The corporation takes the name Société Emmanuel-Grégoire bringing together the three community residential centers and the agency. The Service d'Aide à l'Emploi de l'Est remained a separate organization, led by the same administrators.
1998
The Service d'Aide à l'Emploi de l'Est inaugurates the Carrefour Jeunesse Emploi Pointe-aux-Trembles – Montréal-Est and begin offering services to the youth clientele in the East of Montreal.
2011
After several years of efforts, Société Emmanuel-Grégoire opened Résidence Les Pléiades, an Intermediate Resource that accommodates 52 elderly residents experiencing loss of autonomy. Marrking a major turning point for the organization, broadening its social footprint by offering services to a new vulnerable clientele.
2020
Due to inadequate funding, the Agence Emmanuel-Grégoire ceased its activities.
2024
After more than 41 years of operation, the Service d'Aide à l'Emploi de l'Est faces a funding cut and is forced to cease its activities.
2025
The corporation acquired Résidence Les Comètes, an intermediate resource specialized in supporting adults with mental health challenges. The facility accommodates 34 residents.
Meet the
board members
Marcel Veilleux
President
A visionary entrepreneur with deeply rooted social values, he dedicated his career to developing community programs. Wanting to offer services to a segment of the population often overlooked, he founded Résidence Emmanuel-Grégoire in 1981, one of the first community residential facility specifically dédicated for individuals under federal jurisdiction. This milestone marked the founding of Société Emmanuel-Grégoire, which he led until his retirement in 2015. It is to Marcel that Société Emmanuel-Grégoire owes its humanistic values, which are now firmly embedded in all of its programs. Marcel is currently the Chair of the Board.
Michel Hétu
Vice President
Holding a DEC in Information Technology, he worked for 32 years in various management positions at major companies. In 2013, Michel founded his own strategic consulting company in Information Technology and remained active until his retirement in 2018. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of Société Emmanuel-Grégoire since 1981.
Alexandre Tanara
Secretary-Treasurer
Holding a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, he worked for 25 years as an Information Technology (IT) consultant. Since 2024, Alexandre has served as the Global Senior Vice President of IT Programs and Organizational Performance at one of the world's largest engineering and science professional services firms, WSP.
Jordi Drouin
Director
Holding a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, he has worked as an engineer at Hydro-Québec since 2006. A resident of Pointe-Aux-Trembles, his hometown, he is dedicated to the well-being and development of the East Montreal community, in which Société Emmanuel-Grégoire is firmly rooted.
Carl Veilleux
Director
Holding a Bachelor's degree in Physical Engineering, he worked for 8 years as an Information Technology consultant. In 2007, Carl shifted his career towards social sciences by joining Société Emmanuel-Grégoire. He has been serving as the General Director since 2015.
Do you know
our great
ambassadors?
The title of Grand Ambassador is awarded
by the corporation to individuals who have served
the organization, notably through their work
or donations, in order to promote the achievement
of the corporation's objectives.
Prosper Boulanger
(1918–2022)
A politician who was elected as a Liberal Member of Parliament for the Mercier constituency in six consecutive elections from 1962 to 1974. Mr. Boulanger supported the project for the corporation’s third CRF at a time when the local population was resistant to accepting justice-involved individuals in Pointe-aux-Trembles. His involvement was decisive in the opening of the CRC in 1989, which now bears his name.
Pierre Roy
(1939-2019)
A community entrepreneur, Mr. Roy dedicated his career to developing socially impactful programs. In the early 1990s, he became involved in establishing housing and care services for individuals living with HIV/AIDS. He also worked with the Confédération québécoise des coopératives d'habitation, serving as a consultant for the development of housing cooperatives for Inuit communities. Mr. Roy, who passed away in 2019, was an engaged board member of Société Emmanuel-Grégoire from 1988 to 2016.