Paul Lefebvre grew up in Kapuskasing, studied in Ottawa and Waterloo and came back to Northern Ontario to build businesses, practice law, contribute to the community and raise a family in Greater Sudbury.
Now, mayor of Greater Sudbury (2024) and former MP for Sudbury, Mr. Lefebvre contributed greatly to the socio-economic diversity of the city and of the North even before entering politics in 2015.
Calling Mr. Lefebre a media mogul may be a stretch, but he does follow in the footsteps of Franco-Ontarians Conrad Lavigne and Baxter Ricard as he owns radio stations, a newspaper (Le Voyageur) and was involved in television (TFO).
Mr. Lefebvre studied music at the University of Ottawa then attended its Law School and later obtained a Masters in Tax Management at Waterloo University.
His wife is Dr. Lyne Giroux, born and raised in Sudbury. They met at university, and both agreed they would move back to the North.
As a musician, Mr. Lefebvre co-founded the Sudbury Jazz Festival. He knows the city and the North very well having played leadership roles in health, theatre, business, media, and the law. He also was the sole Northern representative on the Ontario Human Rights Commission.
In this interview, journalist and educator Marcel Vaillancourt talks to Mr. Lefebvre about his drive to get involved in the economics and the social fabric of his community.