The team
Maison Plein Cœur staff members see to it that organization’s daily operations run smoothly. They coordinate program and service delivery to carry out the mission.
Nancy Labonté
General Manager
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Nancy Labonté has been General Manager of Maison Plein Cœur since March 4, 2024. Previously, as coordinator since 2012 at the Association Facultaire des Étudiants et Étudiantes en Langues et Communication (AFELC) for the defense of students’ rights, at ACAT Canada for the defense of human rights and at the Centre MGL in the field of popular education, she distinguished herself by energizing their services and deploying their impact. Previously, she trained in the field of organizational management as an archivist for Cirque du Soleil, Collège des médecins, École de Technologie Supérieure and Place des Arts, among others. She is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Fédération des Femmes du Québec (FFQ) from 2021 to 2024.
Nancy Labonté holds a master’s degree in religious studies and a doctorate in social and organizational communications, and is a lecturer at the Université de Montréal.
Aware of the issues surrounding HIV, she is keen to support Maison Plein Cœur and its team in the development momentum that will characterize the organization in 2024. Close to people and endowed with great kindness, she is proud to be part of Maison Plein Cœur, which helps people living with HIV by making a concrete difference every day.
Stéphane Gauthier
Administrative Assistant
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Stéphane Gauthier is an administrative coordinator by training. He holds a DEC in office automation and an AEC in office work coordination. Stéphane has worked in a number of companies in different business sectors, including health care at the CHUM, a property management firm and the aeronautics industry.
“As someone who has been living with HIV since 2005, I have long wanted to get involved in the community with a clientele that I can relate to. I am very happy to find myself at Maison Plein Cœur, an incredible organization that I am learning to discover and that makes me want to deepen my knowledge of the community and to get involved.”
Denis-Martin Chabot
Development Manager
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(He/his)
A native of Quebec City, Denis-Martin Chabot studied journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa. He was a journalist at Radio-Canada (radio, television and web) for over 32 years. He is now a freelance journalist, author and comedian. He hosts L’Heure où l’arc-en-ciel se lève, a program and podcast on queer issues on Canal M. He is the author of several biographies, including Laurent McCutcheon et la révolution gaie et lesbienne du Québec (Éditions de l’Homme, 2020). He participated in the production of the documentary Les deux Villages (Productions Luc Dauphin, 2017) and is working on another about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. His novels, Rue Sainte-Catherine Est, métro Beaudry and Il y a longtemps que je t’aime, je ne t’oublierai jamais, won the Prix du Roman gay 2017. He is the executive and artistic director of Fierté littéraire, an NPO that promotes queer literature since 2012.
Living with HIV since 2004, he came out publicly in 2016. Since 2018, he has devoted much of his time to Maison Plein Cœur, a non-profit organization that supports people living with HIV in Montreal. In 2019, Fierté Montréal awarded him the Claude-Tourangeau Award for his contribution to the fight against stigma and serrophobia.
Didier Leroy
Outreach Worker – Entraide positive
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Didier was an early AIDS activist involved in Act-UP Paris in the 90s. He worked for many years in the Paris region as a special care counsellor in child protection services. Didier arrived in Quebec just under a year ago and wants to dedicate his career to serving people living with HIV. He joined the Maison Plein Cœur team in November 2019 as an Entraide Positive Outreach Worker.
Antoinette Ngalula Kulondi
Home Care Outreach Worker
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Antoinette has 17 years of training and experience in nursing. She joined the team in 2010 as a home care outreach worker and home helper, mainly for pregnant women, new mothers, and their children.
Roseleine Delva
Home Care Outreach Worker
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Roseleine has has been part of our team since 2005, working as a home care outreach worker and helping mainly pregnant women, new mothers, and their children. She also works as a home care assistant.
Caroline Desjardins
Coordinator and facilitator for Aging people at home program
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(she/her)
With more than 20 years of experience with seniors in CHSLD, Caroline Desjardins is now ready for a new challenge. Full of energy, she is a person with a big heart filled with empathy, without judgment, but also with a touch of madness. That helps!
Thierry Matsiko
Coordinator – Speaker
Entraide Positive
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( He, him )
I’m originally from Burundi (Central Africa). I am a newcomer to Quebec (December 2022).
I studied at the Institut de Contrôle et Gestion des Entreprises (ISCG). I hold a bachelor’s degree in business control and management.
Having lost both my parents to HIV at the age of 18, I decided to fight HIV for the rest of my life. As a young teenager with first-degree HIV, I invested a lot of time and energy in this relentless battle.
Today, I have 32 years’ experience in the HIV/AIDS community. I have attended numerous training courses in prevention, HIV/AIDS awareness, communication techniques and counseling in Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, France, Belgium and Switzerland.
I also worked on the Gipa Project as a United Nations volunteer, for greater involvement of PLHIV in the workplace with a participatory approach, listening and counseling on behalf of PLHIV.
I’m very happy to be joining an organization like Maison plein Cœur, which specializes in the HIV/AIDS community. With over 30 years’ experience in this field, I feel like a fish in water. At Maison Plein Cœur, I’ve learned, and continue to learn, about other problematic, related aspects of HIV infection, such as drug use, poverty, homelessness, chemsex, gbHARSAH and so on. When it comes to HIV/AIDS, the learning curve is endless.
Patrick Paquin
Volunteer Coordinator
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Before becoming Volunteer Coordinator for Maison Plein Cœur, I had the privilege of being Head Cashier at Renaissance. During this time, I had the opportunity to accompany newcomers into the world of work, helping them develop professional skills and integrate into society.
My commitment to the well-being of others has always been the driving force behind my actions. That’s why I’m enthusiastic about continuing this mission as Volunteer Coordinator. My current role is to work with our team of volunteers to create a positive impact in our community.
Benoit Archambault
Communications Assistant
Benoit Archambault is the most recent of our recruits, but his face may already be familiar to you. This is because he has been an ally of Maison Plein cœur for some time now. He has produced several projects for us, including the visuals for several events and fundraising campaigns, the animation of various events and even the website where you are currently reading this article!
Originally an actor and director of two theatre companies, he discovered a passion for graphic design almost 20 years ago and has been juggling these three passions/jobs ever since. Throughout his career, he has also acquired solid experience in Web, marketing and communications, which makes him a good right-hand man for Denis-Martin Chabot.
Carl Alexandre Larouche
Coordinator-intervenor Résilience Positive
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Members of the Board of Directors
Maison Plein Cœur is governed by passionate people who are elected by members of the Corporation. They volunteer their time, effort and talents to ensure that the organization accomplishes its mission to the fullest extent possible.
If you are interested in joining the board, contact us at
Claude
LALANDE
President
(Him, he)
In 36 years as a manager at McGill University, Claude was the first administrator when the McGill AIDS Centre was created, directed by the late Dr. Marc Wainberg, using his academic training in biology and administration. A gay man living with HIV, himself diagnosed in 1996, he lived through the period of the HIV pandemic of the 1980s and 1990s, when he saw many of his loved ones die. He has been a volunteer at Maison Plein Cœur since his retirement, notably accompanying people to medical appointments and distributing food aid. He also received intensive massage training at Maison Plein Cœur, where he does chair massages at special events. He has been a member of Maison Plein Cœur’s Board of Directors since 2019 and has been its Chairman since 2020. He is the second person living openly with HIV to serve as president, since the founder. He has participated in various panel discussions on HIV, including the Carnival of Colours and the Community Response to the 2022 International AIDS Conference. In addition to his involvement with Maison Plein Cœur, he chairs the Board of Directors of Fierté littéraire and is a public representative on research ethics committees.
Pilar
RAMIREZ GARCIA
Secretary
A nurse, professor and researcher in nursing sciences at the University of Montreal, Pilar’s research projects focus on the contribution of mind-body approaches such as meditation, yoga and relaxation to the well-being of people living with HIV. She has been collaborating with Maison Plein Cœur since 2000 in various projects and is now proud to be a member of the Board of Directors.
André
CLOUTIER
Treasurer
André holds two bachelor degrees: in Economics (1994) and in Business Administration (2003). He also obtained a certificate in Human Resources Management (2013). He has been working in the banking industry for over 25 years. His expertise in financing will certainly be useful to the board. He has also been a volunteer in the community for many years.
Gilles
JALBERT
Vice President
With a Master’s degree in Industrial Relations – Human Resources option, Gilles comes to the Board with 35 years of experience as a human resources development manager in the private and public sectors.
Retired since 2018, he devotes part of his time as a consultant in organizational development and human resources management in the community, mainly for clients struggling with HIV, mental health and homelessness. Gilles has been living with HIV since 2000.
André
DESBIENS
Advisor
For the past 35 years, André has been professionally involved as a broker in the real estate industry. For two decades, he has worked as one of the leaders of Serge Savard’s Real Estate Group, dedicated to the management of major real estate and hotel investments. Among his most exotic feathers, André managed the Canadian investment in Cuba of the “El Senador” Group. Today, still with a touch of the exotic, his art shines from “Little Italy” under the hat of “Remax du Cartier”.
Éric
FORTIN
Advisor
Involved in the sexual health community since 2014, Éric volunteered for RÉZO as a receptionist at the SPOT screening clinic from 2014 to 2015 and worked on the MOBILISE research group on HIV-ITSS prevention, a study of the UQAM sexology department directed by Joanne Otis. He then joined Maison Plein Cœur, as day centre manager from 2015 to 2020 and as support buddy for the ACCM from 2020 to today. As a peer researcher for the HEADS-UP study at the University of Victoria under the auspices of COCQ-SIDA since September 2020, Eric has acquired a vast knowledge of HIV over the years. A passionate horticulturist and president of the Georges-Vanier community garden for the past two years, he works to make urban agriculture more accessible. He has also worked in various fields such as construction, fashion and bars.
Marie
NIYONGERE
Advisor
A historian by training (University of Burundi), Marie holds a professional certificate in social work and psychology in Quebec (2001-2014). She is currently pursuing a training in social geriatrics.
Marie has extensive experience in the community since 2003:
From 2003-2005: volunteer at Gap-Vies in prevention.
From 2005-2007: Member of the Board of Directors at COCQ-Sida and CRISS
Her experience at CASM :
2004-2005: fall employee at CASM in support
2005 – 2008: receptionist
2008 -2014: Refugee Project Officer
2014-2015: Service Coordinator
2015-2018 : Executive Director
2019 – present: Volunteer at SCAMA Laval.