Denis St-Jules

Denis St-Jules (March 12, 1950 – February 26, 2024) was a Canadian writer and broadcaster, most noted as a key builder of Franco-Ontarian cultural institutions.^[1]

Born and raised in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, he moved to Sudbury in the late 1960s to attend Laurentian University.^[2] While there he became associated with the Coopérative des artistes du Nouvel-Ontario, an arts collective that played an important role in developing new Franco-Ontarian cultural institutions in the early 1970s.^[2]

With collaborators including André Paiement, Gaston Tremblay and Robert Paquette, he was one of the creators of Moé, j'viens du nord, 'stie!, a stage musical about Franco-Ontarian life and identity in Northern Ontario which led to the creation of the Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario.^[2] In 1973, he played a key role in the establishment of La Nuit sur l'étang, a Franco-Ontarian music festival,^[2] and was one of four poets whose work was anthologized in Lignes Signes, the first book ever published by the Prise de parole publishing house.^[3]

In 1978, when the Radio-Canada network established CBON-FM in the city, St-Jules joined the station from its inception, spending much of that time as an on-air radio host until his retirement in 2008.^[4] After his retirement he moved to Ottawa to be closer to his children and grandchildren, but regularly returned to Sudbury to participate in and support cultural events and organizations.^[5]

He was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Sudbury in 2010.^[1]

He died in Ottawa on February 26, 2024.^[6]

He was posthumously awarded the Prix du Nouvel-Ontario for his contributions to Northern Ontario life and culture, with the award presented to his widow, Carmen Vincent, in a ceremony at Sudbury's Place des Arts on May 4, 2024.^[7]