The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal presents the Mérite du français
dans la PME award to the Centre Régional de Récupération et de Recyclage
Laval

MONTREAL, March 24 /CNW Telbec/ - The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal handed out its first ever Mérite du français dans la PME award to the Centre Régional de Récupération et de Recyclage Laval. This award, presented in collaboration with the Office québécois de la langue française, recognizes francization efforts made in the last year by SMEs in the Greater Montréal region.

"The Board of Trade created the Mérite du français dans la PME award as a way to acknowledge initiatives taken by small businesses and organizations to increase the use of French in their operations. This is often quite a challenge for small enterprises. By recognizing their efforts, we hope to encourage other SMEs to do the same by showing them the benefits of francization, whether it's in customer service, workplace safety or productivity," said Michel Leblanc, President and CEO of the Board of Trade.

The Centre Régional de Récupération et de Recyclage Laval, a social integration organization, was named this year's winner for its francization initiative. In order to facilitate its clients' integration into the workplace, the Centre implemented a French program to help them improve their French, thereby increasing their chances of finding permanent employment.

"The Centre Régional de Récupération et de Recyclage Laval is an inspiration. Thanks to its innovative program, not only is it helping individuals integrate into society, it's also meeting the needs of employers in search of workers who can speak French. We are very happy to highlight this organization's francization initiatives," continued Mr. Leblanc.

The jury also gave a special mention to Centaur Theatre Company, which, with a view to improving its customer service, offers its employees French courses during working hours.

The jury consisted of five members: Danielle Chayer, Vice-President and CEO of the Association des hôteliers du Québec, Yanik Deschênes, President and CEO of the Association des agences de publicité du Québec, Me Nancy Leggett-Bachand, Managing Director of the Conseil québécois du commerce de détail, François Meunier, Vice-President, Public and Governmental Affairs, of the Association des restaurateurs du Québec, and Jean-Marie Roy, Francization and Complaint Consultant Analyst at the Office québécois de la langue française.

The idea to create an award to recognize SMEs was spawned at the Rendez-vous des gens d'affaires et des partenaires socioéconomiques, held in October 2008. An action plan was then developed setting out concrete measures tailored to the specific needs of businesses with less than 50 employees and aimed at encouraging the use of French in the workplace.

The Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal has some 7,000 members. Its primary mission is to represent the interests of the business community of Greater Montréal and to provide individuals, merchants, and businesses of all sizes with a variety of specialized services to help them achieve their full potential in terms of innovation, productivity and competitiveness. The Board of Trade is Quebec's leading private economic development organization.

For further information: Sylvie Paquette, Coordinator, Media Relations, Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montréal, [phone], extension 4015, [email protected]