Press release
Montréal delegation to Rimouski:
To develop, stimulate, and consolidate the complementarity of the two cities
Montréal, September 4, 2008 On the initiative of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal, Isabelle Hudon, president and CEO of the Board of Trade, and Gérald Tremblay, mayor of Montréal, accompanied by a delegation of Montréal leaders and business people, head to Rimouski today to generate business opportunities between the two cities. They believe the complementarity of Rimouski and Montréal will ensure the success of their efforts. The delegation is composed primarily of companies active in the maritime and ICT (information and communication technologies) sectors.
I firmly believe that the economic development of our metropolis has everything to gain from taking fuller advantage of the potential and vitality of Quebec's regions. And I am equally certain that metropolitan Montréal, a powerful wealth-generating tool, has much to offer the regions. I therefore believe we should start creating more opportunities to associate the regions and the metropolis in working toward a common objective: the economic prosperity of all Quebec, declared Hudon.
Between the two cities of Rimouski and Montréal, there is a real economic and industrial complementarity, and it is in our interest as well as in that of the entire province to lay the groundwork for developing, stimulating, and consolidating this complementarity and taking fuller advantage of it, added Hudon.
Our two cities share niches of excellence that are specific to them and for which they are renowned. It would thus be to our mutual advantage to pool our knowledge and expertise to develop opportunities for more fruitful collaboration. I hope that these working meetings between Montréal and Rimouski will lead to long-term partnerships and projects between the companies in these two cities. In an age of globalized markets, we face many common challenges, and that is why we need to strengthen these ties, noted Tremblay.
This delegation also benefits from the participation of Patrice Pelletier, CEO of the Montreal Port Authority, Karen Radford, executive vice-president and president of TELUS Québec and TELUS Partner Solutions, Bernard Voyer, the famous explorer, and some twenty business people.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Éric Forest, mayor of Rimouski, his team, and all the players at the Society for the Economic Promotion of Rimouski (SEPOR), who spared no effort in welcoming us and ensuring that new ties could be forged between our two communities, concluded Hudon.
The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has some 7,000 members. Its primary mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and local businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.
-30-
Information:
Sylvie Paquette
Coordinator, Media Relations
Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal
Phone: 514-871-4000, extension 4015
sylvie.paquette@ccmm.qc.ca