The recipients of this year’s Bourses d’Initiatives en Entrepreneuriat Collectif (BIEC) grants for the Montérégie region were unveiled during the sixth edition of the Gala des Lauréats, which took place on March 27 at the Exporail – Canadian Railway Museum in Saint-Constant.
At total of 47 projects proposed by social economy enterprises operating in the Montérégie were recognized, including those presented by nine area organizations and cooperatives. The winners, who were eligible to receive funding up to $20,000, shared a grand total of $447,993 in available grants.
“There are more than 1,370 social economy enterprises operating in Montérégie. It’s a little-known important aspect of our local economy, and one that needs to be highlighted,” said Catherine Fournier, the president of the Table des Préfets de la Montérégie and mayor of Longueuil.
The BIEC program is funded by the Ministère des Affaires Municipales et de l’Habitation (MAMH), the 12 MRCs of the Montérégie and the agglomeration of Longueuil, Montérégie Économique, and the Table de Concertation Régionale de de la Montérégie (TCRM).
There were three recipients in the Haut-Saint-Laurent this year, including the Coop Les Jardins de la Resistance, which received $20,000 to launch an organic raspberry U-pick section at their Ormstown-based market garden. The CDC du Haut-Saint-Laurent received $5,040 towards the continuation of its AgiRH program, which supports organizations by offering a shared human resources management department and services. The Chateauguay Valley Community Information Services (CVCIS) was awarded $7,500 to create a podcast studio to allow the organization, which publishes The Gleaner, to expand its programming.
Two organizations from the Jardins-de-Napierville region received funding. The Friperie la Suite de Choses in Saint-Édouard was awarded a $7,500 grant to redesign its product display area as well as its exterior signage to improve customer experience. The Centre Sportif Régional les Jardins du Québec in Saint-Rémi received two grants totalling $30,000 to create a multi-purpose room for event rental services and to renovate the bar to develop an on-site dining area.
Four organizations from the Beauharnois-Salaberry region were recognized as well. The Beauharnois-based Coup de Pouce des Moissons, which provides home care aide services to seniors, received $6,200 to modernize its information and logistics technology. The CASE (Conditionnement Adaptés pour retrouver leur Sens et Équilibre) organization, which is based in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, was awarded $17,300 to create a space adapted to the physical reconditioning of cancer patients, including a gym with support services. The Pointe-du-Buisson – Québec Museum of Archaeology in Beauharnois received $5,000 to modernize its documentation centre and to strengthen its partnership with the municipality as a satellite location of the public library. Finally, the Valspec performing arts centre in Valleyfield will use a $7,500 grant to optimize its website. (SR)