Gisle Lalonde, former Vanier mayor and SOS Montfort leader, dead at 89

Former Vanier mayorGisle Lalonde, who was a leader in the successful fight to save theMontfort Hospital from closure in the late 1990s, has died at age 89, according to her family.

Lalonde studied at the University of Ottawa to become a teacher, then worked in education for about 30 years ending in the early 1980s.

She was mayor of thepre-amalgamation city of Vanier from 1985 to 1991 and in 1997, emerged as a key figure in the SOS Montfort campaign.

That year, the Progressive Conservative government of Mike Harris announced it would accept a recommendation from its health services restructuring commission to close the hospital.

SOS Montfort'sefforts to stop that, with Lalonde as its president, included 2,000 students forming ahuman chain around the Montfortand a pep rally of 10,000 supporters at LansdownePark.

In the end, Ontariocourts put a wrench in the provincial government's plan after the hospital and its supporters launched a legal battle to keep the hospital open. In 2002, the province announced it wouldn'tappealits latest lossin court.

• Activists remember the battle to save Ottawa's Montfort Hospital, 20 years later

Lalonde went on to receiveboth the Order of Canada and France's Chevalier de l'Ordre de la Lgion d'honneur. A high school inOrlans is named after her.

She received a standing ovation at a 2017 event markingthe 20th anniversary of the Lansdowne Parkrally.

"Today, the entire Montfort family is in mourning. Gisle was a great lady and we owe her a lot. We will remember her energy, her good [humour] and contagious laughter," said the Montfort in a series of tweets.

"Above all, we will forever be in debt to Gisle for her determination."

Mayor Jim Watson called her a force of nature and her death a significant loss for the city and countryin aFrench tweet. He said flags at city hall and the Centre des services communautaires Vanierwill fly at half-mast.

The hospital said it's lowering its flag and the Franco-Ontarian flag until sunset on the day of her funeral, which has not been announced.