Official Voyageurs
The ambassadors of the FestivalROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Since the first ever festival in 1969, the Official Voyageurs are the ambassadors of the Festival du Voyageur. They promote the winter festival to the best of their abilities and represent the « joie de vivre » of the francophone community. All the while spreading the voyageur spirit, the Official Voyageurs also have a sense of adventure and discovery.
THE Turenne FAMILY,
OFFICIAL VOYAGEURS 2022-2023

Julie
Julie Turenne (born Maynard) grew up in a francophone family in Ste-Anne. She is proud to be a member of a Métis family. Julie graduated from Pointe-des-Chênes School in 1996. She graduated from St. Boniface University's Technical and Vocational School (formerly Collège Saint-Boniface) in 1998. After university, Julie worked at a few different jobs, including the Women's Enterprise Centre, Ron Duhamel's constituency office and Great West Life. Since 2005, she has been a partner and general manager in the family fishing outfitter at Aikens Lake north of Bissett, MB. With Pit, Julie manages a team of approximately 30 employees. She manages marketing, flights, purchasing, scheduling and all the necessary logistics for Aikens, its employees and all the clients. Julie also sits on the board of directors of the St. Boniface Francophone Chamber of Commerce (CCFSB) as secretary. Since her teenage years, Julie has been involved with the Festival du Voyageur and is proud to say that the Festival is an important part of her children's and family's lives. In her spare time, Julie enjoys theatre, reading and traveling.
Gab-Riel “Pit”
Proudly Métis, Gab-Riel stands for Gabriel Dumont and Louis Riel. One could say that Gab-Riel comes from a family that has always followed Manitoban history. His nickname “Pit” comes from his childhood name “Pitou” that his parents gave him. Born in St. Boniface, he grew up in Old St. Vital and went to Collège Louis Riel (1995 Grad). He graduated in 2000 from the University of Manitoba with a Bachelor’s degree in business. He worked at Great-West Life for a few years before taking over his family’s wilderness lodge (Aikens Lake) with his wife Julie. As a managing director since 2005 at Aikens Lake, this fisherman and hunter manages the lodge’s commercial transactions and sales with a strong sense of environmental stewardship. Gab-Riel has served on numerous boards of directors and currently sits on the TIAM Board of Directors (a Manitoba tourism industry association). He is also the President of CDEM (Conseil développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba). He has won the Festival du Voyageur skills contest in the past. He is a big fan of the Jets and the Bombers, and you can still find him skating a few times a week playing or coaching hockey.
Annika
Annika is a 19-year-old Métis girl who was born in Sainte-Anne in 2004. She is in her first year at the University of Saint-Boniface. She loves being at the lake in Aikens and being in nature. She was part of the varsity basketball team at Léo-Rémillard and is now one of the coaches of the 8th-grade girls' team at Lacerte School. She was a member of the choir in high school and plays the piano and guitar. Annika was a member of the band On S'accorde who played at the Festival relays for many years. Annika was a member of the JMCA leadership group. She enjoys reading novels of various genres, listening to music, fishing, taking canoe trips, and of course playing guitar.
Martin
Martin is a 16-year-old Métis boy born in Sainte-Anne in 2006. He is in grade 11 at the Centre scolaire Léo-Rémillard. He loves nature and is an avid fisherman like his father. Martin spends a lot of his summer perfecting his fishing style and taking on new challenges on the lake. He looks forward to the day when he can be a fishing guide in Aikens! Martin plays badminton at school. He plays field hockey for the Seals. He likes to hang out with his friends and play video games. He likes to go hunting with Dad.
Natasha
Natasha is a 14-year-old Métis girl born in Sainte-Anne in 2009. She is in grade 8 at Lacerte school. She loves nature and going for walks in the woods with her family. Natasha has been playing the piano for several years. She also takes dance lessons and is a member of the school choir. Natasha spends a lot of time in the summer walking on the rocks with her dog Gibson and swimming at the beach, she is a real fish! Natasha enjoys listening to music, reading, drawing, and hip-hop dancing.


Order of the Official Voyageurs

Régnier, Liliane et Robert, 2019-2020
Perron-Beaudry, Nicole and Christian, 2017 – 2018
Sorin, Michelle and Marcel, 2015 – 2016
Order of the Official Voyageurs, 2014 (To celebrate the festival’s 45th anniversary)
St-Vincent, Daniel and Gagnon, Jocelyne, 2012 – 2013
Chamberland, Roger and Gervais, Michelle, 2010 – 2011
Fortier, Denis and Annette, 2008 – 2009
Brunet, Charles and Gisèle, 2006 – 2007
Dupont, Jacques and Paulette, 2004 – 2005
Pambrun, Jean-Marie and Jocelyne, 2002 – 2003
Noël, Guy and Johanne, 2000 – 2001
Lacroix, Guy and Agathe, 1998 – 1999
Clément, Gérald and Hélène, 1996 – 1997
Riel, Joseph and Joanne, 1994 – 1995
Rémillard, Marc and Aline, 1992 – 1993
Forest, Gabriel and Marcelle, 1990 – 1991
Dandeneau, David and Huguette, 1988 – 1989
Lavack, Philippe and Jacqueline, 1986 – 1987, 1989
Gaudry, Neil and Léona, 1984 – 1985, 1989
Laroche, Pierre and Carmen, 1982 – 1983, 1989
Desaulniers, Aurèle and Gabrielle, 1980 – 1981, 1989
Loiselle, Lucien and Lucienne, 1977 – 1978, 1989
Prenovault, Gérard and Germaine, 1974 – 1976, 1989
D’Eschambault, Gilbert and Elsie, 1973, 1989
Marion, Roland and Laurette, 1971 – 1972, 1989
Forest, Georges and Anita, 1970, 1989