Injured worker a rock in council programs

By GLEN ARGAN
WCR Editor
Calgary

As captain of the cooking team for monthly K of C pancake breakfasts at St. Patrick's Parish in Calgary, he travels 20 km across town to arrive at 6 a.m. to get things started. He's also there two hours before every council meeting to prepare a gourmet dinner or snack.

And for the monthly council dinner and dance, he's both chef and disc jockey. He built cupboards and shelving for council keepsakes and he's on the first-degree initiation team.

Those and other activities led to Fortin, 53, being named the first Alberta-Northwest Territories knight of the year April 27.

"I love people and I love working with people." - Daniel Fortin

"Dan epitomizes what the four principles of our order - charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism - are all about on a daily basis," said state activities chairman Randall Yatscoff in making the presentation.

The award was inaugurated to honour an unsung hero among the Albert Knights.

"I'm not a quitter and I don't expect anybody to be a quitter," Fortin said in receiving the award. "I love people and I love working with people."

Fortin took an unusual path to joining the Knights three years ago. His brother-in-law, a knight, invited him to a K of C function as a guest. But some members failed to show up to perform their duties and Fortin ended up working in the kitchen.

After helping out at a couple more events, he decided to join the order.

A cousin to the Dionne quintuplets, Fortin was born and raised in Calander, Ont. But by age 12, his academic achievements were unimpressive. "My dad told if I didn't want to go to school, I should go to work," he told the WCR.

So he headed south to work for the circus for four years. Eventually, he returned to Canada and became a gourmet cook. After that job lost its appeal, he spent 16 years in the stucco and drywalling business.

That career came to a crashing end eight years ago when he fell off a building, and the steel corner beam of the building went through his chest. In the fall, he also broke his wrist, suffered a concussion, smashed his left knee apart and blew his right foot apart.

"It bummed the heck out of my dancing," Fortin joked.

Last fall, in his 12th surgery since the fall, he had his right leg amputated. Now, he's on the waiting list for surgery number 13.

"My wife Wendy has been my rock," he said. "She works to support us and then comes home and looks after me."

As for the Knights, he said, "I got so used to the guys at the church, they won't let me go."

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