The Union of Quebec Municipalities and Énergir join forces to support kids under youth protection across Quebec

June 30, 2020 - Press releases

Montreal, June 30, 2020 ndash; The Union of Quebec Municipalities (UMQ) and Énergir are pleased to announce a new partnership aimed at consolidating their joint support for kids under youth protection across Quebec.

As part of this initiative, the two organizations will jointly donate a total of $40,000 to forty rehabilitation centers in all regions of Quebec helping young people struggling to adapt. The funds will be used to help each center acquire sports and recreational equipment (with a preference to buy local wherever possible) in order to encourage their residents to get moving and stay active. In the context of the current pandemic, the funding will be especially appreciated.

The UMQ and Énergir have worked over the years supporting young people through various initiatives within their organizations. Through its Bridge to Tomorrow program, the UMQ has been promoting a harmonious transition to self-sufficiency for kids under youth protection in Quebec for over a decade. Thanks to a fundraising activity carried out as part of its annual convention, including contributions from DHC Avocats, the UMQ has awarded $110,000 in grants to youth center foundations in various regions of Québec to support self-sufficiency projects since 2009.

As part of its Municipal Employment Plan, created in 2013 with the support of the Simple Plan Foundation, the UMQ has also helped young people develop their employability and their ability to integrate into their community by giving them the opportunity of working for their municipality. Over the past seven years, 485 jobs were created under the program.

In order to support the workforce of tomorrow, Énergir has been funding projects in disadvantaged areas with the objective of encouraging students to stay in school and complete their education. Among these projects, Énergir is one of the founding member organizations of the Ruelle de l'avenir (alleyway to the future), a unique learning environment for hundreds of elementary schoolchildren in the Centre-Sud and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve neighborhoods. Énergir also supports a number of youth employment centers in Québec, homework helper organizations, and organizations that support families, particularly those in disadvantaged areas.

Since 2018, UMQ and Énergir employees have participated in La Boucle (the loop) of the Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie with two cyclists under youth protection on their team. The young participants are provided with support and the equipment they need to complete the challenge. Each year, team members also solicit donations from Énergir and its employees to support the youth center where the two cyclists live.


Quotes
“I'm very proud of this initiative and I thank our partner Énergir for so readily agreeing to join in. Thanks to this wonderful project of donating funds to rehabilitation centers for young people struggling to adjust, we'll be able to go one step further in supporting kids under youth protection in all regions of Quebec, while at the same time promoting healthy lifestyles and habits for these girls and boys. It's a win-win project all around.”
- Suzanne Roy, UMQ president Mayor of Sainte-Julie

“When we learned that the Municipal Employment Plan and La Boucle du Grand Défi Pierre Lavoie were postponed until next year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we quickly found an alternative solution for maintaining our connection with kids under youth protection. At Énergir, we believe that by bringing the right people together to work on the right projects, we can create new insights that will have a positive impact on our communities. To that end, we're very proud to announce this partnership with the UMQ to help kids across Quebec stay active this summer.”
- Stéphanie Trudeau, Énergir Executive Vice-President for Quebec


About the UMQ: The voice of local government
For over 100 years, the UMQ has represented local governments from every region of Quebec. The UMQ mission is to provide strong leadership for effective, autonomous local governments by mobilizing municipal expertise, supporting members in carrying out their functions, and promoting enhanced municipal democracy. UMQ members, representing over 85% of the population and land area of ​​Quebec, are grouped into affinity caucuses: local municipalities, central, regional county municipalities, major cities, and municipalities in the Montreal metropolis.

Energize at a glance
With more than $8 billion in assets, Énergir is a diversified energy company whose mission is to find increasingly sustainable ways to meet the energy needs of its 525,000 customers and the communities it serves. In Quebec, it is the leading natural gas distribution company and also produces, through its subsidiaries, electricity from wind power. Through its subsidiaries in the United States, the company operates in 15 states where it produces electricity from hydraulic, wind and solar sources, while serving as the leading electricity distributor and the sole natural gas distributor in Vermont. Énergir values ​​energy efficiency and invests both resources and efforts in innovative energy projects such as renewable natural gas and liquefied and compressed natural gas. Through its subsidiaries, it also provides a variety of energy services.


For information:
Énergir UMQ
Catherine Houde Patrick Lemieux
Senior Advisor, Communications
and Public Affairs
1-866-598-3449

UMQ
Patrick Lemieux
Communications and Media Relations Advisor
438-827-4560