The Aluminium Association of Canada (AAC) honours Michel Dallaire

Bixi and 1976 Montreal Olympic Flame torch designer awarded the Christian-Van-Houtte Award of Honour

Montreal, October 13, 2016 – The Aluminium Association of Canada (AAC) awarded the renowned Canadian industrial designer Michel Dallaire the prestigious Christian-Van-Houtte Award of Honour yesterday in Montreal in the course of its annual reception. Not only does 2016 mark the AAC’s 25^th anniversary, it is also the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games’ 40^th anniversary, which was launched with the lighting of the Olympic Cauldron thanks to an innovative torch designed by Michel Dallaire.

Stéphane Préfontaine, Michel Dallaire, Gervais Jacques, Managing Director, Atlantic Operations, Rio Tinto Aluminium, Jean Simard, President and CEO, Aluminium Association of Canada.

In 1976, the Olympic torch introduced a design that was artistically and technically unique. Featuring simple and clean lines inspired by the Games’ Greek origins, it could withstand heat upwards of 450°C. Jean Simard, President and Chief Executive Officer of the AAC, stated that “this torch is a representation of aluminium’s strength, power and capacity for innovation. We are very grateful that Mr. Dallaire chose this metal for his design and we are proud to honour him with this award.”

Michel Dallaire not only received the Christian-Van-Houtte Award of Honour, but was also presented with the 1976 Olympic Torch by Stéphane Préfontaine himself, the then 16 year-old Canadian athlete who lit the Olympic Cauldron four decades earlier.

About the Aluminium Association of Canada  

The Aluminium Association of Canada (AAC) is a non-profit organization that represents three Canadian companies considered among the most important aluminium producers in the world: Alcoa, Aluminerie Alouette and Rio Tinto, Aluminium. These three world-class companies operate ten plants in Canada, nine of which are in Quebec, and provide employment to over 9,000 individuals.

About the Christian-Van-Houtte Award of Honour 

The AAC Christian-Van-Houtte Award of Honour recognizes the outstanding contribution of a person or group to aluminium industry development in Quebec, aluminium use, or aluminium applications in the economy.

SOURCE : Aluminium Association of Canada

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Marco Parent
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