Our History

Family owned since 1943. Three generations of the Lecours family, one mill, and a motto that still guides us.

80+ Years of Family Leadership

From a family operation started during the Second World War to a mill producing over 100 million board feet a year.

1943
Arthur Lecours founds the company

Arthur Lecours starts Lecours Lumber in Northern Ontario. [confirm: first location, what the first mill produced]
1963
The next generation takes over

Arthur sells the business to his sons, keeping it in the family.
[confirm year]
Ben Lecours becomes owner

Benoit “Ben” Lecours becomes owner of the company. His motto — « Qui n’avance pas, recule! » — sums up the way he ran it: keep investing, keep improving, keep moving forward.
1980s–1990s
Growth through acquisitions

The company grows through acquisitions, adding timber supply and production capacity. [confirm: which operations or licences were acquired, and when]
2023
Roger Lecours, sole proprietor

Ben’s son Roger Lecours becomes sole proprietor, leading the third generation of the family business.
Today
Over 100 million board feet a year

Our sawmill and planing facilities in Calstock produce over 100 million board feet of softwood lumber a year from FSC® certified timber, shipped by truck and rail across Canada and the United States.