local business

Tariff whiplash bad for business, CCIQ head says

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , , ,

Tariff whiplash bad for business, CCIQ head says

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Quebec City-area businesspeople are “tired of getting yanked back and forth” after months of uncertainty over tariffs on imports to the United States, Frédérik Boisvert, president-director general of the Chambre de commerce et industrie de Québec (CCIQ; Quebec City chamber of commerce and industry) told the QCT late last week, shortly after the Trump administration suspended plans to put tariffs on Canadian goods for a second time.

On Feb. 1, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian products entering the U.S., except for energy imports, which would be subject to a 10 per cent tariff. On Feb. 3, the day before tariffs were to take effect, the imposition of the tariffs was suspended for 30 days, leading Canada to pause its own planned retaliatory tariffs. On March 3, the Trump administration confirmed its intention to impose tariffs; three days later, Trump announced another pause until April 2. As of this writing, separate 25 per cent tariffs on steel and aluminum imports were expected to go into effect March 12. Outgoing federal finance minister Dominic LeBlanc has said Canada plans to introduce retaliatory tariffs on April 2.

On March 4, Premier François Legault and Economy Minister Christine Fréchette announced two emergency loan programs for affected and potentially affected businesses planning to scale up productivity or diversify markets, and a 25 per cent penalty measure for U.S. businesses applying for Quebec government contracts. A spokesperson for Fréchette told the QCT the measures would remain in effect for the time being.

Boisvert said there were many local businesses that exported to the United States, both in the industrial parks and in the city proper. “Seventy per cent of our manufacturing exports go to the United States. There’s been an impact on the number of orders received, which is also impacting jobs. I have met with some members who had expansions planned, which they can’t go ahead with because there’s too much uncertainty; others wanted to scale up capacity and now that is cancelled.” He said hundreds of jobs were at stake in the region; Legault has said provincewide job losses could surpass 160,000 if the tariffs are fully implemented.

Boisvert said he hoped to see a “muscular” response from the Quebec and Canadian governments if the trade war drags on. “We are reliable and faithful partners being dragged through the mud … because of the will of one person and a few people around him.”

Boisvert said the CCIQ is trying to keep its members informed, and accompanying companies that are trying to diversify their markets and reduce their reliance on the

United States. “Europe is the biggest market in the world, there are incredible things going on in Asia … and in the francophone African market, Quebec is well-regarded there and there’s a lot of demographic growth.

“I believe we will find a solution [to the trade dispute], but there will be a pretty much complete loss of trust in the U.S. administration,” Boisvert concluded. “We need reliable partners and we’re getting the opposite.”

Tariff whiplash bad for business, CCIQ head says Read More »

The AGAO+ wants you to buy local

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , ,

Sarah Rennie – LJI reporter

Members of the Association des Gens d’Affaires d’Ormstown et des Environs (AGAO+) gathered for a networking event on February 4. The topic was to have been the MRC du Haut-Saint-Laurent’s new economic development and employment plan; however, echoes of the Trump administration’s tariff threat reverberated through the room.

“We certainly talked about it, and I think everyone is worried,” says AGAO+ president Philippe Besombes, who suggest that while there is concern, many of the association’s 80 members believe this uncertainty represents an opportunity to reposition local businesses.

In a post on social media, Besombes joined the many voices calling on consumers to prioritize products made in the Haut-Saint-Laurent, Quebec, or Canada while boycotting American-made goods. He suggests these practices will help to counter potentially volatile measures imposed by the U.S. government while promoting new internal markets within Canada.

“There is often a perception that buying local means more expensive products, but that is not true. More often, these are products that are not necessarily more expensive, and of better quality, made close to home, by local people,” Besombes explains. “We should be proud to buy these products,” he continues, suggesting that while there is a certain element of patriotism or pride to buying local, this practice is also about belonging and being part of a community.

There is also a clear ecological argument to be made for buying local. Consumers can significantly reduce their carbon footprint simply by increasing the amount of locally grown food they consume. Buying products that are made and sold nearby also encourages short shipping circuits, which eliminate the middleman and much of the transport costs. Besombes cites the Huntingdon County Farmer’s Market as a good example, as well as the many community-supported agriculture options for organic vegetables across the region. He says area grocery stores are also stocking more local products on their shelves.

Besombes says, “We all have a role to play” in determining how we ride out the next few years, which could be difficult. “On many levels, we’re going to be affected,” he surmises. “Which is why I think we should seize this as an opportunity to try to change certain things.”

The AGAO+ is also looking into how it can better support area businesses as they prepare to weather what feels like a coming storm. The association launched a workshop and training program last year for local entrpreneurs, which will continue this year with a focus on marketing, product positioning, and leveraging social networks. Networking opportunities and events are also organized throughout the year, which regularly draw over forty members.

“Our members really appreciate the opportunity to talk to each other,” says Besombes. “They feel less alone, less isolated,” he explains, while pointing out that the popularity of the networking activities is evidence that area entrepreneurs are looking for reasons to come together. This is important, he insists, because the ability to network and see what others are doing will help local businesses and entrepreneurs to better adapt within a difficult or changing economic climate.

Besombes says the association is always open to new members and is especially looking to recruit farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs from across the Haut-Saint-Laurent and neighbouring municipalities. More information is available online at agaoplus.com.

The AGAO+ wants you to buy local Read More »

Four Quebec First Nations buy majority stake in downtown hotel

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , , , , , ,

Four Quebec First Nations buy majority stake in downtown hotel

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

Four Quebec Indigenous groups have partnered to buy a majority stake in Quebec City’s Hilton Hotel.

Under the deal announced Jan. 16, the business corporations of the Naskapi of Kawawachikamach, the Mi’gmaq of Gaspé, the Huron-Wendat of Wendake and the James Bay Cree made the acquisition through a new corporation called Atenro, which means friendship in the Wendat language.

The hotel will continue to be managed by Hilton Quebec, which is owned by InnVest Ho- tels, a Toronto-based company owned in turn by Bluesky Hotels and Resorts, described in business publications as incorporated in Ontario but financed by money from Hong Kong.

InnVest owns or manages more than 100 hotels in Canada, including 17 in Quebec, under various brands. The Hilton is the company’s only holding in Quebec City. With 539 rooms, it is also one of the city’s largest hotels.

Besides the representatives of the First Nations partners, other notables in attendance at the announcement included Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand and Quebec Minister for Relations with First Nations and Inuit Ian Lafrenière.

In a news release, the partners said they “plan to implement joint initiatives with Hilton Quebec and InnVest Hotels to provide employment and training opportunities for members of all First Nations. All current jobs will be maintained.”

Fred Vicaire, CEO of Mi’gmawei Mawiomi Business Corporation, owned by the Mi’gmaq communities of Gesgapegiag, Gespeg and Listuguj, told the QCT in an interview that the corporation’s board raised the idea of investing in a hotel back in 2023 as part of the tourism element of its strategic plan.

He said initially the partner- ship would have been between the Mi’kmaq and the Naskapi, but “we realized [the Hilton] was much bigger than we could handle.” They approached the Huron-Wendat group, whose members immediately liked the idea, and the James Bay Cree quickly got on board as well.

“The stars lined up. We all wanted to make an impact in the hotel industry,” Vicaire said, noting the Hilton is a “symbolic hotel” and a landmark of the Quebec capital.

Vicaire said the four First Nations contributed equal shares to come up with the $85.6 mil- lion to acquire 51 per cent of the hotel ownership.

While the Hilton was not necessarily for sale, InnVest having poured some $70 million into a recent major upgrade, Vicaire said the company had done similar deals with Indigenous groups in Western Canada, and “loved the idea of partnering up with First Nations, and wanted to do something in Quebec, especially at the Hilton.”

Huron-Wendat Grand Chief Pierre Picard said in a news release, “This historic transaction honours the memory of the Wendat ancestors who once had an important network of trade and trade alliances. We continue in the same tradition and set an example for our younger generations where collaboration, ambition and visions can converge into con- crete successes that promote our financial independence.”

Vicaire said the acquisition of the hotel creates opportunities to showcase Indigenous culture, featuring design, artisanship and dining experiences.

As for renaming the hotel to reflect the new ownership, Vicaire said that would be a matter for the board to decide. “You never know in the future.”

Four Quebec First Nations buy majority stake in downtown hotel Read More »

From Colombia to Quebec: Huge sailboat ships coffee for Café William

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , , ,

From Colombia to Quebec: Huge sailboat ships coffee for Café William

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

For a city known for sailing ships, with even a ship as its symbol, it seems fitting the world’s largest modern cargo sailing ship should make its maiden voyage to Quebec City.

Such was the case last week when the Anemos – Greek for “wind” – docked in the Old Port with a cargo of green coffee beans from Santa Marta, Colombia, in its hold, the first shipment of many in the environmental ambitions of Café William, a Quebec-based coffee roaster and retailer.

The mission, according to Serge Picard, Café William’s co-founder and head of innovation and commercial operations, is to produce the “cleanest cup of coffee in the world, the most environmentally sustainable. Café William wants to one day transport 100 per cent of our coffee with zero emissions.”

The Anemos unloaded some 20 shipping containers of green coffee beans for Café William in Quebec City, which Picard says amounts to about 40 per cent of the company’s consumption. The beans, purchased from an Indigenous co-operative in Colombia, were to be transported to the company’s huge new all-electric roasting plant in Sherbrooke in a Volvo electric truck.

Picard said coffee is the second single largest commodity shipped around the world after oil, with some 90 per cent of production exported to other countries for processing.

The Anemos has a sister ship, the Artemus, which is currently sailing from a Vietnam shipyard to France. Picard said six more of the giant cargo sailing ships are in the works. The ships are the creation of a French company called TOWT (Trans-ocean Wind Transport), which has specialized in sail-powered marine cargo transport since 2011.

Guillaume Le Grand, president and one of the founders of TOWT, said the ship’s masts, towering at 64 metres high, “are probably the tallest in the world.”

The hulls of the ship were manufactured in Romania and then towed to Concarneau on the northwest coast of France, where the final assembly was completed.

It takes a maximum crew of eight to sail the 81-metre-long steel vessels, which are highly mechanized with many automatic or programmed functions. Le Grand said the average ocean speed is about 10 knots (nautical miles per hour) and it takes two weeks to cross the Atlantic. The ship has a backup engine to navigate harbours, but when under sail, the propellers can be reversed to generate electrical power for most of the ship’s systems.

Attending the ceremony to celebrate the ship’s inaugural voyage were representatives of Fairtrade Canada and of the Colombian coffee growers co-operative, known by its Spanish acronym ANEI.

The first voyage of the Anemos followed Café Wil- liam’s first experience with sail-powered shipping when it contracted with a German sail cargo company to ship five containers of beans from Co- lombia to Quebec. A company news release said, “This first voyage confirmed our vision: transporting coffee by sailboat is viable and possible.”

Picard said the company’s big dream is to have all its coffee beans shipped by sail, including from suppliers in Africa and Asia. He said the roasted coffee that travelled by sailing ship costs about 10 cents more per pound than Café William’s other coffees. “It’s minuscule compared to all the other costs that are tacked on when you’re importing raw coffee beans, so I guess you just have to be a tad crazy enough to want to disrupt the status quo and try something different.”

Café William coffee is available in most major grocery stores in Quebec, some U.S. outlets and online.

The “William” in Café William is for the Italian William Spartivento, who invented a rotary coffee roaster. Picard said, “Nobody could really pronounce Spartivento – which we could have kept [as a name] because it would have been cool. It means ‘split the winds’ in Italian.”

From Colombia to Quebec: Huge sailboat ships coffee for Café William Read More »

Quebec ready to inject money into Mont-Sainte-Anne upgrade

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Quebec ready to inject money into Mont Sainte-Anne upgrade

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

With a nip in the air and the ski season in the offing, the Quebec government is reportedly negotiating a deal to help finance the revitalization of Mont Sainte-Anne (MSA).

A Sept. 25 report in the local publication Le Charlevoisien, citing an unnamed source, said the government would announce a deal with the ski centre owner, Calgary-based Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR), at the end of October.

Le Soleil confirmed the report from a “reliable source.” The reports sparked a flurry of reaction the same day at the National Assembly, with Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) ministers dodging questions but not denying the reports.

The group advocating for new owners for the resort, Les Amis de Mont Sainte-Anne, told the QCT, through spokesperson Sabrina Martin, “For now, we will not comment; we have not seen the agreement and have nothing concrete to base it on.”

Quebec Infrastructure Minister and Minister for the Quebec Capital Region Jonatan Julien told reporters during a brief scrum, “We are working hard, and when we have announcements to make, we will do them with pleasure.”

Prior to his stepping down from cabinet, Pierre Fitzgibbon had handled the file as minister of economy, innovation and energy. Fitzgibbon had ruled out expropriating the resort from RCR, but said the Quebec government would be willing to invest in its upgrade.

His successor in the super- portfolio, Christine Fréchette, said, “Nothing has been signed,” and refused further comment.

There have been two offers to buy MSA from RCR recently. The owners of Le Massif de Charlevoix made a bid in 2022; earlier this year, French businessman Christian Mars, with the backing of local investors, made a pitch to RCR that was rejected.

RCR does not own the mountain, but thanks to a 100-year lease signed in 1994 with the Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (Sépaq), it holds the management rights.

Last year, RCR proposed a $500-million plan to upgrade the facility, which has been plagued in recent years with accidents on its lifts.

While reaction to the reports of a possible deal was positive in media reports, Québec Solidaire MNA Sol Zanetti said, “It is important not to put public money in the pockets of a company that does not deserve it. Enough with subsidies for billionaires.”

Mont Sainte-Anne is one of Canada’s oldest and best-known ski resorts, and the host of many international competitions. It also hosts mountain bike races on its network of trails.

Quebec ready to inject money into Mont-Sainte-Anne upgrade Read More »

Buyer wants to bring back Provisions Inc. as grocery

QCNA NEWS / / / , ,

Buyer wants to bring back Provisions Inc. as grocery

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

Those longing for the return of the popular Provisions Inc. grocery store on Ave. Cartier may get their wish.

Although the deal is not yet signed and sealed, the would-be buyer of the building, rental property owner Jean-François Picard, is talking about his plans. He told the Journal de Québec, “We really want to revive what it was and everyone is converging towards the same thing.”

Picard said, “There were citizen surveys, merchant surveys. I did my homework and [decided] a grocery store will go there.”

Picard, who lives close to Ave. Cartier, said he was a frequent patron of the store. “It brought life; it brought a beautiful magic too because it was very family-oriented. That’s what we want to revive.”

The Drouin family ran the store until the fall of 2022, when cousins Vincent and Bruno Drouin sold it to a couple from France. Stéphanie Bouillon Guessas and Christophe Bouillon operated the store until January 2024 when it was suddenly closed. The building was put up for sale by the National Bank following the couple’s default on the mortgage. Meanwhile, the Drouins are suing the couple for some $450,000 still owing on the purchase.

The three-storey building has two apartments above the grocery. The equipment to operate the store, such as refrigerators, shelves and cashier counters, remains intact.

Picard said he is now looking for a partner to run the grocery. “It’s realistic to think that well before Christmas, we’ll be in operation,” he said. Picard also said he hopes to work with for- mer employees of the grocery to get it back up and running.

The website for his company, Picard Immobilier, describes the business as “proud to be a Quebec company that is 100 per cent manager and owner of its buildings” with “nearly 700 apartments of all styles in the Quebec region.”

Among the company’s holdings are several buildings in the Montcalm district.

The impending purchase of Provisions Inc. was raised at a meeting of the Montcalm neighbourhood council meeting last week. Attendee Paul Mackey told the QCT Picard “may attend the next neighbourhood council meeting at the end of October to discuss his plans, if the sale is formalized.”

Hugo Asselin, the real estate agent who handled the deal, said it might take a few weeks for the sale to be processed by a notary. The listed price for the building, zoned for a variety of uses, was $2 million.

The QCT was not able to contact Picard before press time.

Buyer wants to bring back Provisions Inc. as grocery Read More »

Provisions Inc. building on Ave. Cartier sold

Local Journalism Initiative / / / , ,

Provisions Inc. building on Ave. Cartier sold

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

The “Vendu” sign is in the window, but people will have to wait a few weeks to know the identity of the new owner of the Provisions Inc. building on Ave. Cartier.

The “For Sale” sign went up in the three-storey building on Aug. 21, the result of a court decision to sell the building to resolve a legal roadblock. The building had become the property of the National Bank when the purchasers, a couple from France, defaulted on the mortgage after fleeing the country.

The pair, Christophe Bouillon and Stéphanie Bouillon Guessas, had acquired the grocery in 2022 from cousins Vincent and Bruno Drouin, whose family had operated the popular store since 1949.

The bailiff handling the sale mandated Remax agent Hugo Asselin to list the building, which, besides a fully equipped grocery store, has two apartments on the second and third floors.. The asking price was $2 million, and a one-week deadline was set for submission of offers.

Asselin told the QCT there were four interested purchasers and the winning bidder is currently going through the legal process with a notary to make the sale official.

When the QCT visited the building the day after the “Vendu” sign went up, two men and a woman were seen talking at the building doorway. Asked if they were the new owners, one said “possiblement” but had no further comment.

Provisions Inc. building on Ave. Cartier sold Read More »

Scroll to Top