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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday April 2, 2008 - 5 Oakville man killed in head-on collision He could be a lion when it came to fighting for workers' rights and a lamb when it came to being there for his family. This is how many people are remembering Oakville resident Rene Montague, 66, whose life was tragically cut short on Friday when his vehicle was involved in an accident near Caledonia. Montague had been heading to his cottage in Long Point and was driving along Hwy. 6 when his green Ford Taurus collided headon with a black Ford Freestyle van coming the other way. Montague sustained fatal injuries in the crash and was pronounced dead at the scene while the driver of the van, a 47-year-old Caledonia woman, received nonlife threatening injuries and was transported to Hamilton General Hospital. Police are releasing no further information concerning the cause of accident, but noted the Haldimand County OPP are continuing to examine the scene with the assistance of the OPP West Region Technical Traffic Collision Investigators. A 20-year resident of Oakville, Montague's contributions to organized labour are almost too his memory. However, behind the tireless crusader for workers' rights, those who knew Montague best remember a wonderful father, husband, brother, uncle, grandfather and friend who loved his family and fishing at his cottage in Long Point. "Rene was a very wonderful, kind and genuine soul. There's no question," said Trevor Edmond, Montague's son in law. The strength of Montague's character was also attested to by his grandson Josh Montague in a tribute displayed on the memorial website. "You were there for me when anything happened good or bad. You always wanted what was best for me. Yes, I would be stubborn and make mistakes, but you gave me advice and I learned from every mistake," he wrote. "You were my grandfather, a true friend and more importantly, the father I never had. I love you so much." Montague is survived by a wife, child and grandchild. Montague's visitation will be held at the Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home, 64 Lakeshore Rd. W, from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. The funeral will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, April 4, at St. Dominic Roman Catholic Church, 2415 Rebecca St. Those who wish to, can make memorial contributions to the Breast Cancer Society of Canada, 118 North Victoria St., Sarnia, ON, N7R 5W9. BRING HOME THE WORLD! Irene is a 17-year-old student from a town outside of Florence, Italy coming to Canada for her exchange semester. She is an open-minded girl who loves gymnastics, going for bike rides, and photography. Irene is excited to experience a new way of life while improving her English and can't wait to learn all about Canada from her host family! Maximilian is a 17-year-old student from a small town near Gelnhausen, Germany. He is a nature-loving boy who loves to be active. Maximilian enjoys sports, playing the guitar and dancing. While in Canada he wants to improve his English, experience the Canadian outdoors and learn the Canadian way of life from his host family! EF Foundation is a non-profit organization in search of volunteer host families for students coming to Canada this September! Why not share your world with a teenager from abroad while learning about another country, another language, and another culture? For more information on how your family could get involved in this exciting volunteer opportunity by hosting Irene or Maximilian, or another student like them, contact your local coordinator: Rene Montague numerous to count and began with him playing a major role in getting the first workers at a Northern Telecom plant to join the United Auto Workers (UAW). From 1974 to 1983, Montague continued to touch the lives of thousands of workers by serving as chair for a master bargaining committee, which represented the UAW at Northern Telecom plants in London, Brampton, Kingston, Belleville and Saint John, New Brunswick. Under Montague's leadership, this committee would successfully negotiate the introduction of paid maternity leave in 1982. The scope of the work Montague did to help Canadian workers is captured on the website www.freewebs.com/renemontague, which has been created in Elaine: 905-639-4400 earmstrong02@cogeco.ca or the Toronto EF Office at 1-800-263-2825