Announcement of the finalists of the 2nd edition of the Ontario-Quebec Francophonie Trade Award!
Toronto and Montreal, October 18, 2022— The Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ) and the Fédération des gens d’affaires francophones de l’Ontario (FGA) are proud to announce the finalists for the 2nd edition of the Ontario-Québec Francophonie Trade Award.
Launched during the “Grande Rencontre 2021”, this Award recognizes the excellence of Francophone businesses which are committed to using French language as an asset in the conduct of their businesses, and which have distinguished themselves at the interprovincial level by their significant contribution to increasing trade between Ontario and Quebec. Two awards are given each year, one to an Ontario-based company and another one to a Quebec-based company.
The Ontario finalists are Ferme Avicole Laviolette (Saint-Isidore) and Winston Marketing Inc (Hawkesbury).
The Quebec finalists are AGORAlliance Cooperative (Montreal), Humance (Montreal) and Omy Laboratories (Quebec City).
“Exchanges between the Quebec and Ontario entrepreneurial communities will always be an asset for our interprovincial relations, especially when it comes to Francophone economic relations between Quebec and Ontario. This second edition cements the importance of celebrating the excellence of the business community as well as the Francophonie, and we are proud to be able to count on dynamic companies like these,” explains Charles Milliard, President and CEO of the FCCQ.
“In just one edition, it is very encouraging to see the growing number of applications received by the FGA and the FCCQ for the Ontario-Quebec Francophonie Trade Award. This enthusiasm and the commitment of our French-speaking companies are a testament to the excellence of our business community, while highlighting the great potential of the bilateral economic relationship between our two provinces. We are very proud to present five finalists this year, and to be able to further contribute to the continued development of strong business ties between Ontario and Quebec” — Dominic Mailloux, President of the FGA.
“Congratulations to the finalists! Since its inception last year, this award has generated a great deal of interest and illustrates the vitality of economic exchanges between Quebec and Ontario, two valuable partners and allies whose annual trade amounts to $88 billion. We can only be delighted that the dynamism of our French-speaking businesses is being rewarded in this way! – Catherine Tadros, Postmaster General of the Quebec Office in Toronto
“Ontario and Quebec share close economic ties and a collaborative business environment,” said Caroline Mulroney, Ontario’s Minister of Francophone Affairs. “This second edition of the Ontario-Quebec Francophone Trade Awards confirms, once again, the extraordinary potential of our Francophone businesses. I would like to thank the finalists, as well as all Ontario and Quebec businesses that promote interprovincial alliances, for actively participating in the prosperity of our great Francophone community.”
“Congratulations to the finalists nominated for this year’s Ontario-Québec Francophonie Trade Award,” said Vic Fedeli, Ontario’s Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade. “Your dedication and hard work are helping to foster deep interprovincial trade and continued collaboration between Ontario and Quebec. We’re proud to support the Francophone business community as part of our government’s plan to build Ontario.”
Spotlight on the finalists:
AGORAlliance
AGORAlliance, the incubator/accelerator for entrepreneurs from elsewhere, is a worker cooperative and social economy enterprise. It aims to increase the entrepreneurial freedom of French-speaking immigrant entrepreneurs in Canada by helping them develop collective autonomy.
AGORAlliance’s mission is to support French-speaking immigrant entrepreneurs in Canada by helping them structure and deploy their projects, by promoting their networking throughout Canada and by helping them seize new business opportunities.
Humance
Humance is a human resources and management consulting firm. Their practices include organizational strategy and transformation, leadership and team development, and talent assessment and integration.
They combine business and people strategies to help organizations excel and transform. By developing leaders and teams, Humance helps organizations become more human, efficient and sustainable.
Omy Laboratories
Omy Laboratories is the first Canadian laboratory to offer customized dermocosmetics.
Omy’s corporate values stand out to consumers for their high quality standards, their environmental values, their small ecological footprint and the use of responsible products.
Since the company’s inception in 2018, Omy Laboratories has averaged 200% annual growth.
Ferme Avicole Laviolette
The Farm produces superior quality eggs in the Prescott-Russell area and also markets them with our sales and distribution team.
The company markets its eggs to the restaurant industry. Restaurant owners are looking for a superior quality product to minimize waste during lunch.
Being a Franco-Ontarian company, French has always been the first language at Ferme Laviolette. All their employees are bilingual, both in production and on the sales/distribution side. Sales, delivery and customer service staff can serve customers in French or English on both sides of the Ontario/Quebec border.
Winston Marketing Inc.
Winston is a marketing agency specializing in HR marketing, content creation and digital strategy.
It offers its services to companies located in Ontario and Quebec, promoting the French language as a lever for interprovincial growth. The company hopes to become the French-speaking reference in HR marketing in Ontario.
The winning companies will each receive a cash prize of ten thousand dollars ($10,000), which will be presented by the FCCQ and the FGA at a ceremony to be held during the FCCQ’s Economic Day – 2023 Prospects in Trois-Rivières, Quebec on November 15, 2022.
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About the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ)
Thanks to its vast network of 120 chambers of commerce and 1,200 corporate members, the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ) represents more than 45,000 businesses operating in all sectors of the economy throughout Quebec.
About the Fédération des gens d’affaires francophones de l’Ontario (FGA)
The Fédération des gens d’affaires francophones de l’Ontario brings together, represents and advances the social and economic interests of its members with the various levels of government, business partners and the general public through principled policy development, resourceful business services and innovative activities focused on the development of Francophone business markets.
Contact
FCCQ
Laurent Corbeil
Communications Advisor and Press Secretary
Quebec Federation of Chambers of Commerce
514-844-9571 ext. 3602 | C. 514-827-3723
laurent.corbeil@fccq.ca
FGA
Mélanie Grenier
Communications
Fédération des gens d’affaires francophones de l’Ontario
media@fedefranco.ca
