Funeral held in Quebec City for former mayor Jean-Paul L’Allier

QUEBEC CITY – Former Quebec City mayor and Bourassa-era cabinet minister, Jean-Paul L’Allier, was laid to rest Saturday afternoon.

The funeral was led by Archbishop Gérald Cyprien Lacroix at the Notre-Dame Basilica in the province’s capital.

L’Allier died in hospital Tuesday at the age of 77; he was described as generous, fun, and a visionary.

WATCH BELOW: Quebecers paid their respects to former Quebec City mayor Jean-Paul L’Allier as he laid in state. He was 77. Global’s Raquel Fletcher reports.

2:24 Jean-Paul L’Allier visitation

Outside City Hall Friday afternoon, members of the public lined the sidewalk, waiting to pay their respects at a public visitation.

“Jean-Paul was a very good friend… and secondly, he’s left us such a beautiful city,” said Helen Charest, a friend of the former mayor.

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Quebec City resident Michelle Galarneau said, “L’Allier was a leader and he had a great sense of history. He was very classy and he was fond of culture and I want to thank him.”

L’Allier began his political career as a minister under Premier Robert Bourassa. First elected as Quebec City mayor in 1989, he remains the city’s longest-serving mayor.

“The whole city of Quebec changed with him – in the lower part of the city, the park; he brought a lot of business,” said former Quebec Port president and CEO Ross Gaudreault, who also knew L’Allier personally.

L’Allier is perhaps best known for initiating the merger of the Quebec City boroughs. Those who knew him say he had a vision for the future of the city which is still evident today.

“The capitale, parlement, Montcalm – and he took care of the basse ville, where I’m living,” said resident, Charles Boisseau. “He took good care of it, so if the town is so beautiful today, it’s all because of him.”

Even after he retired, L’Allier never lost his passion for making Quebec City better, according to his long-time close friends.

“And he was always bringing back the conversation to what it was going to do for the city, for the people. He was very conscious of that,” said L’Allier’s former press secretary, Jean Lemay.