September 23, 2019 – The regional county municipality (RCM) of Montcalm, the Fédération québécoise des municipalités (FQM), the Government of Québec and the Fonds locaux de solidarité FTQ are pleased to announce the creation of a $943,000 fund to support businesses on the RCM territory.
The launch of the new local solidarity fund (FLS) was confirmed this afternoon in the presence of Marie-Eve Proulx, Minister for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Chaudière-Appalaches Region, the Bas-St-Laurent Region and the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine Region, Louis-Charles Thouin, MNA for Rousseau, Pierre La Salle, reeve of the Montcalm RCM, Patrick Massé, Mayor of Ville Saint-Lin-Laurentides and FQM director, and Éric Desaulniers, general manager of the Fonds local de solidarité FTQ Limited Partnership.
The mission of the FLS is to speed up business start-up, expansion and acquisition projects on the RCM territory. Its creation was made possible by the participation of the Fonds locaux de solidarité FTQ Limited Partnership with a $750,000 variable investment credit and contributions of $100,000 and $93,000 from the FQM and the RCM.
“As the representative voice of the regions, the FQM is pleased to make a tangible contribution to the Montcalm RCM’s local and regional development. The FQM and the Fonds de solidarité FTQ have been working together for almost 28 years now, and it’s the reason the FLS network exists. We’re proud of this partnership that contributes to job creation and hence the vitality of our regions,” said FQM director Patrick Massé.
“This financial agreement is in addition to our local investment fund, which will allow us to offer loans of up to $250,000 per project. As well, this partnership will allow us to provide greater financial support to businesses that offer value-added services and jobs to the Montcalm community. This is great news for the RCM’s entrepreneurs and economy,” said RCM reeve Pierre LaSalle.
“Québec is home to many innovative businesses as well as ambitious and determined entrepreneurs who must be able to count on support from us. We therefore wholeheartedly support the establishment of an FLS in the Montcalm RCM in order to further stimulate entrepreneurship and the creation of permanent jobs on the territory. Today's announcement is great news for the region and speaks to the government's desire to support innovative local businesses and to work in partnership to ensure their success,” said Marie-Eve Proulx, Minister for Regional Economic Development and Minister Responsible for the Chaudière-Appalaches, the Bas-St-Laurent and the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine regions.
“The Lanaudière region is filled with innovative companies with strong growth potential and with the necessary talent to stand out and excel. With the creation of this local solidarity fund in the Montcalm RCM, they will have an easier time obtaining financing for innovative projects in our communities. The creation of this fund sends a positive message to our entrepreneurs: they know that their needs will be heard and that measures will be offered to help them grow their business,” said Rousseau MNA Louis-Charles Thouin.
“Our goal is to support regional economic development by improving our ways of doing things so as to be more effective, particularly in the area of investments and support for businesses. Municipalities and regions have the advantage of having grassroots knowledge of local businesses and organizations. They are on the frontline offering them support at the different stages of their journey, hence the importance of the local solidarity fund to further boost the regional economy and to give our companies the necessary impetus to fuel their growth and improve their performance,” said in turn Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy and Innovation and Minister Responsible for the Lanaudière Region.
“The result of a unique partnership formed between the Fonds and the FQM in 1991, the FLS network contributes to the social and economic vitality of our communities by investing in small local businesses. With investments in more than 5,000 business projects over the last 28 years and the creation of new FLSs like this one, our network continues to prove its merit,” said Éric Desaulniers, general manager of the Fonds local de solidarité FTQ Limited Partnership.
Through its leverage effect, the FLS will complete the financing of business projects on the territory by allowing entrepreneurs to access other sources such as a conventional loan from a financial institution, subsidies, cash or other seed money. The maximum amount available from the FLS is $100,000.
For more information, please contact the Montcalm RCM’s economic development service.
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