News
Introducing Colin Trudel
By Daniel A. Downs, Program Coordinator, Dumont Technical Institute
Mar 31, 2023
Posted in: DTI
Many of you have never heard of Colin before. Many of our past or current students likely know Colin as the guy who makes them put on their safety goggles while grinding. My hope is they are reading this today to learn more about their humble instructor.
I have had the pleasure of knowing Colin for around 13 years, through my involvement with the Heavy Equipment & Truck & Transport Technician (HETT) program. Over those years, I have noticed how Colin cares deeply about teaching and student success, about his family, and about his music.
Colin has been involved with and supported Dumont Technical Institute’s (DTI) HETT program for over 15 years. Colin started with the Ministry of Highways – our program training partner – in 1990 as an apprentice Heavy Duty Mechanic. Later, he completed his Red Seal, progressing within Government to the position of Shop Foreman with the Ministry of Highways, when he first got involved with DTI’s program.
From the time Colin acted as a liaison between DTI and the Ministry of Highways – when DTI first set up class in his shop – through his time as an instructor for the program,
Colin has made a great impact on students and HETT program development. Since becoming an instructor in 2017, Colin has continued to strive to make DTI’s program the best it could be. Colin has always been excited about DTI’s learners.
Despite working alongside him, Colin had never brought up his family’s music before. The closest I had come to hearing his musical ability was the odd pen tapping on his office desk or him humming something non-distinct as he set-up a shop assignment for students. Colin is a humble man and would never be one to “blow his own trumpet” about his musical abilities (he at least should have let me know he had a trumpet!).
So, when Colin Trudel invited my wife and I to hear his family play at The Bassment in Saskatoon on a very cold evening in 2018, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I have been to many events featuring prominent Métis artists and musicians, such as John Arcand, Donny Parenteau, and Tristen Durocher. But the music I heard that night gave me a new appreciation for live bands. Colin, his wife, and his four children brought an energy, harmony, and love for music that was refreshing and honest. You could tell that they loved what they did and loved doing it as a family.
Colin and his family, “Trudel Family Music” and “Jay & Jo Trudel” had travelled and toured Western Canada from 2005 – 2021. Following that, COVID, and family changes, such as children attending post-secondary school, moving for work, getting married, and having children, made touring impossible.
Through my many interactions with Colin over the years, I discovered more about him and his family, beyond their energetic weekend performances. The Trudel Family Musicians, and his daughters, Jay and Jo Trudel, have received many awards, such as:
2014 SCMA Gospel Album of the Year
2016 SCMA Group of the Year
2019 SCMA Roots Artist of the Year
2020 SMCA Fiddle Player of the Year
2023 Queens Platinum Jubilee Medal
Plus many more nominations, including music video of the year for “Spirit Wind” by the Trudel Family. As humble as Colin is, I would never have found out about his family’s Platinum Jubilee Medal if not for sharing the need to miss some work for an award.
If you have not yet had the opportunity to meet Colin or to speak with him at a GDI event, please do so. And if you run into him when he is tapping his pen on a desk, or randomly humming to himself as he wanders past you in the grocery store, please take note of what he’s humming, as it may be a new Album of the Year in the works!
