LEROUX, Bernard Leroux

It is with deep sadness and broken hearts, that we announce the sudden passing of Bernard “Bernie” Leroux on the eve of May 5, 2025, at the age of 68. Bernie passed away peacefully, surrounded by those who loved and adored him.

Bernie was an immensely proud and devoted father to his four children, David, Emille, Celeste, and Lucien, and a cherished big brother to Stephan and Vince. He is now reunited with his late parents Mary Strobl and Jacques Leroux. Bernie will lovingly be remembered by his beloved girlfriend Liz, his former wife Johanne (mother of Emille, Celeste, and Lucien), his first wife Dionne (mother of David), as well as his many family members, friends, collaborators, colleagues, and students whose lives are forever changed by his presence.

Born in 1957, in Toronto to Mary and Jacques, Bernie’s early influences stemmed from the cultural revolution of the ‘60s. The world of fashion, music, art, and design was bursting open, and he ran straight into it with wild curiosity and vigour. He began his artistic career in Toronto in the 1970s and ’80s, where he immersed himself in the city’s diverse enclaves, including the emerging punk rock and experimental art scenes. Bernie cultivated friendships that shaped his artistic soul. Having once shared creative space with Norval Morrisseau—his neighbour on Parliament Street—and those formative years in gritty, vibrant Toronto lit a lifelong fire for artistic practice and storytelling. At the same time, Bernie remained rooted in northern Ontario, in the traditional territory of the Nbisiing Anishinaabeg. With one foot in the city and the other in the wild, he led a life of balance—between the noise of urban creation and the quietude of the bush. An adventurer, a woodsman, and a seeker of knowledge, he carried the land with him in everything he did.

Bernie was an award-winning documentary and commercial filmmaker, commercial and fashion photographer, and interdisciplinary artist whose work has exhibited across Canada, the U.S., Italy, Scandinavia, Japan, and Africa. He graduated from Ontario College of Art in 1980 with a diploma in design, experimental photo, fine arts and marketing, and in 2018, he completed his Master’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Art, Media, and Design from OCAD University. His films were commissioned by Indigenous and mainstream institutions alike, including the Indigenous Friendship Centres of Ontario, Enaahtig Healing Lodge, the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, the Red Cross, Durham Region Tourism, and many more. A champion of midwifery and women’s health, Bernie collaborated for decades with his lifelong friend Ava Vösu, co-creating Evolving Midwifery (2004–05) and To MANA With Love from Canada, films that gave voice to the challenges and triumphs of midwives in North America.

Since 2011, Bernie has served as a full-time faculty member in Durham College’s Faculty of Media, Art & Design, where he taught video production, lighting, and editing. He was a mentor to many—infusing every classroom with bold ideas, humour, and a deep commitment to decolonizing education and honouring indigenous knowledge systems. He recently exhibited his own artwork in Practice What You Teach, a faculty show in Uxbridge, continuing to inspire peers and students alike.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Senator Jacques Bernard Leroux of the Métis Nation of Ontario, Bernie was a founding Vice President of both the Métis Artists’ Collective and the Oshawa and Durham Region Métis Council. He was a central figure in hosting landmark cultural events, including the Métis Arts Festival at Black Creek Pioneer Village (2004–2009), which earned the City of Toronto’s Human Rights Award in 2008 for its groundbreaking work in Métis cultural visibility.

Bernie lived life with open arms and a full heart. He was a loving father, a passionate outdoorsman, a devout believer in making the most of every day, and a tireless advocate for truth, beauty, and justice. His legacy lives on in his children, his creative works, and the people he inspired.

The family of Bernie Leroux will receive friends at the THORNE FUNERAL HOME, 109 Laidlaw Street South in Cannington (705-432-2672) on Friday, May 30^th from 1 – 2 p.m. A Service to celebrate his life will be held at 2 p.m. A second Celebration of Life will be held on June 21^st, beginning at 2 p.m., at Bernard’s family home in Cannington – All are welcome to come as they are—as Bernie would have wanted. Memories, photos, and condolences may be shared at www.thornefuneralhome.ca