Jay de la Durantaye is a resident of St. Lazare and the Vice President of sales for West Island-based NDR Lighting, which distributes LED lighting across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. A member of the Hudson Legion, he had been president of the Legion Curling Club since 2017. Jay currently holds the position of 1st Vice President Legion Branch 115. In 2018, de la Durantaye took on the challenge of heading a team of talented volunteers to reposition the Hudson St. Patrick's Parade that staged the event’s 10th annual edition in March 2019. The process broke the mold, and set record numbers for several of the associated events leading up to and including the parade, preparing the groundwork for the creation of the Soulanges Irish Society and marking a course to transform this annual festival into one of the largest Irish celebrations in North America. Originally from Pierrefonds, Jay grew up in the West Island, where he was active in coaching a variety of amateur sports, including hockey, ringuette, baseball and curling teams. He currently plays softball with the Hudson mixed league. He moved to St. Lazare in 2001, has lived in Hudson and considers this region his home. His 19-year-old son, Edward, once a student at Collège Bourget in Rigaud, currently attends John Abbott College. His Irish roots reach back to his paternal great-grandfather, John Chambers, who was born in County Sligo, Ireland. After emigrating to Canada, Chamber’s only daughter, Olive, married a young Montrealer, Wilfred de la Durantaye, a union that, like many in Quebec’s storied history, firmed the bonds between the Irish and French cultures in this province. “Being part of the Soulanges Irish Society at the ground level is not only a thrill,” de la Durantaye said, “it allows me to be involved in a community-based organization that I am passionate about, and offers our region the opportunity to celebrate the Irish in us all."