[2][3] Born in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, Paiement studied translation at Laurentian University in Sudbury, and got involved in theatre.
[4] Paiement, with a group of artists that included Robert Paquette and writer and broadcaster Denis St-Jules, wrote and staged the musical Moé, j'viens du Nord, s'tie!
Some of the artists, including Paiement, established the professional theatre company Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario.
[5][6] Others, including Paiement and his sister Rachel, subsequently formed the progressive rock band, CANO-Musique.
His stage productions included Et le septième jour..., À mes fils bien-aimés, La vie et les temps de Médéric Boileau, Lavalléville and an adaptation in Franco-Ontarian dialect (joual) of Molière's Malade imaginaire.