William Crooks
Front row, from left to right: Monique Phérivong-Lenoir, president of the Table des MRC de l’Estrie and prefect of the MRC du Granit; Geneviève Hébert, MNA for Saint-François; Marianne Auclair, president of Économie Estrie. Back row, from left to right: Eugène Gagné, mayor of Weedon; Danielle Berthold, Sherbrooke city councillor; Julie Morin, mayor of Lac-Mégantic; Aline Berthe, co-director of the Conseil régional de l’environnement de l’Estrie; Robert Roy, prefect of the Haut-Saint-François; Philippe-David Blanchette, director general of the Table des MRC de l’Estrie.
By William Crooks
Local Journalism Initiative
Five new regional sectoral development agreements totalling $4.6 million were announced Thursday by the Table des MRC de l’Estrie (TME), with representatives from the Quebec government and regional organizations present to highlight what they called a “major step forward” for Estrie’s future.
Unveiled at Sherbrooke’s Quartier général de l’entrepreneuriat, the agreements align with Quebec’s 2025–2029 strategy for regional vitality and will support initiatives in five key areas: economic development, social and community development, transportation, environmental transition, and gender equality.
“These agreements reflect our vision for regional development,” said Saint-François MNA Geneviève Hébert, speaking on behalf of the provincial government. “They show how solutions must come from the ground up and reflect local realities.”
Each agreement is co-funded and co-managed by multiple provincial ministries and regional organizations, with the TME playing a lead coordinating role. Monique Phérivong Lenoir, president of the TME, emphasized that the projects emerged from deep collaboration across all nine MRCs in the region.
“Estrie is a region that knows where it’s going,” said Phérivong Lenoir. “These agreements reflect our ability to unite across mandates and borders to act collectively. Our region is rural and urban, multilingual, diverse, and close to the U.S. border—our challenges are complex, and our solutions must be too.”
Five funding envelopes
The largest envelope, totalling $1.78 million, is for economic development and will be led by Économie Estrie. President Marianne Auclair said four priorities will guide their work: innovation, succession planning for businesses, sustainable practices, and market diversification.
“We’re calling for project submissions now through May 1,” said Auclair. “These are concrete issues our businesses face, and this funding gives us the means to act.”
A second agreement, worth $937,470, targets social and community development, including efforts to fight inequality, food insecurity, and housing challenges. TME Director General Philippe-David Blanchette noted that it comes at a time when “economic situations are particularly difficult in our communities.”
A third agreement will invest $687,493 to improve access to sustainable transportation. “Transportation issues are present across all MRCs,” Blanchette said, noting this is the first time Quebec’s Ministry of Transport has signed on to a regional development agreement of this kind.
A fourth agreement, led by the Conseil régional de l’environnement de l’Estrie, dedicates $831,248 to environmental transition and sustainable forestry, running until the end of 2027. Co-director Aline Berthe said it “reinforces our collective ability to act for more inclusive and resilient communities.”
The final agreement, valued at $440,000, is dedicated to gender equality and is being carried out in partnership with ConcertAction Femmes Estrie. Blanchette said one of the priority issues is domestic violence, “a serious and growing concern in the region.”
A model of collaboration
Throughout the press conference, speakers returned to the same theme: these agreements are not endpoints, but the beginning of a new, collaborative phase of regional development.
“We’re not just signing deals,” said Blanchette. “We’re creating a space where all partners—local, regional, and governmental—can align and work together. The old saying goes, ‘Alone we go faster, together we go farther.’ That’s what these agreements are about.”
The funding stems from Quebec’s Fonds régions et ruralité and involves nearly a dozen ministries. Phérivong Lenoir closed her remarks by thanking those who contributed: “You are the architects of this success. Now we move forward—together.”