Brendan Montour

Brendan Montour always knew he would do something technical in life, because he has always been fascinated with machines. “It started with bicycles and snowmobiles, then I moved into motorcycles and cars.” He learned to fix things by taking them apart and putting them back together again.

The skills he developed on his own helped get him summer jobs.  These lead to him studying engineering at Concordia University and to his current job as the Director of Public Works in Kahnawake.

“I like to be challenged,” says Brendan. “In university, there were many challenges! Two of the hardest were being able to get all the work done on time and lack of sleep.” He got through it with the thinking that it was better to hand in a good paper on time than a perfect one a week late.

As the Director of Public Works, Brendan is responsible for eight departments such as the roads department, highway maintenance and school bus transportation.  He has to make sure all of the local roads are safe and maintained. “It takes a lot of planning and review of maintenance practices,” he says.

Brendan is glad he went into sciences, because science gives a better understanding of the natural world. He knows science might not be for everyone though, so he encourages youth to decide what is best for them. 

“A post-secondary education opens the way to a meaningful job, and you can help your community by adding to the pool of local expertise.”