Joliette, March 19^th, 2009 . Last March 18^th, the Lanaudière region celebrated its 10 years of partnership in social development. This decade in partnership translates into the fulfillment of many projects, an investment of nearly three and a half million dollars in the region and an inventive way of working together to improve the quality of life of men and women in Lanaudière.

This partnership was born after the 1998 Forum on social development in Lanaudière. In fact, the people of Lanaudière decided to keep their thoughts alive and make it a permanent forum for social analysis by creating six local committees for social development, one in each RCM, and a regional table, the Table des partenaires du développement social de Lanaudière (TPDSL).

Among some of the many achievements of the past years, the TPSDL is responsible for: Habitat-Santé, a project for improvement of lodging conditions for people with low incomes battling with problems caused by mould and humidity; the creation of a community foundation to help with collection of funds that will ensure a sustainable support for regional issues; the creation of a regional Committee for the promotion of education (Comité régional pour la valorisation de l’éducation, CRÉVALE); and, through Regional Development Funding, the funding of 55 social development projects ranging from school drop-out prevention to food safety, and even the improvement of public transportation.

« The 1998 Forum and the creation of the TPSDL allowed the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Lanaudière to work more in concert and develop partnerships with other activity sectors to take preventive action on health factors”, says Mr Laurent Marcoux, director of the Direction de santé publique et d’évaluation at the Lanaudière Agency.

After 10 years of partnering in social development, the participants of the region decided to estimate the results of this approach, to contemplate its future and to thank all the participants and organizations that contributed to its success. This is how some 150 people, belonging to the political, community-based, institutional and economical circles, gathered at the Montcalm golf club in Saint-Liguori last March 18^th and targeted for the next decade the themes of education, citizen participation, public transportation, food safety and lodging as goals of sustainable development and fight against poverty.

The mission of La Table des partenaires du développement social de Lanaudière is to consult and mobilize the participants of different Lanaudière circles around issues related to social development in order to improve the population’s quality of life. In 2009, over 200 participants from different lines of activities work together for social development of Lanaudière. The TPDSL is supported by partners of the area, both local and regional, who support and fund its activities. After ten years of results and within the framework of a fourth specific agreement, the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Lanaudière, the ministère de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale, the Fédération Desjardins, the Société d’habitation du Québec, the two Centres de santé et de services sociaux de Lanaudière, Lanaudière’s Conférence régionale des élus and the ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire have shown their interest in continuing to support the Table.

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 Joliette, March 24^th 2009:. During the recognition event «10 ans de partenariat en développement social dans Lanaudière» (“10 years of partnership in social development in Lanaudière”) held on March 18^th, the Table des partenaires du développement social de Lanaudière honoured many people for their important contribution for social development of their RCM or the Lanaudière region.

This recognition event was held in the presence of more than a 150 participants from the political, community-based, institutional and economical circles of Lanaudière.

The winners, who were parted in three categories; “Person” (contributor or citizen); “Organization” (organization, private enterprise, social economy enterprise, etc.) and “Elected Officials” (counsellor, mayor, warden, member of a legislative assembly), were honoured mainly for their great commitment in the community, their generosity, their interest and concern for progress of different social causes in the Lanaudière region.

The winners:

At the regional level: Mr Armand Lajeunesse, director of the Coopérative de dveloppement régional, the Groupe d’aménagement de logements populaires “Le Galop” and Mr Alain Larue, Mayor of Notre-Dame des Prairies.

In the Les Moulins RCM: Ms Louise Fourtané Bordonado, citizen and city councillor of Mascouche, the Table de pauvreté et de solidarité Les Moulins and Ms Denise Paquette, city councillor of Mascouche.

In the Montcalm RCM: Mr Martin Thibault, assistant director at the SADC Achigan-Montcalm, the Regroupement bénévole de Montcalm and Ms France Lanoue, school commissioner at the Samares School Board.

In the Joliette RCM: Mr Jacques Patenaude, retired member of the social pastoral ministry of the Joliette diocese, the Centre d’action bénévole Émilie-Gamelin, and Ms Diane Nicoletti, city councillor of Joliette.

In the D’Autray RCM: Ms Denyse Ouellet, coordinator for the Centre de bénévolat Brandon, the D’Autray-Joliette CFDC, and Mr André Villeneuve, former mayor of Lanoraie Municipality and now member of the Provincial Parliament in the Berthier riding.

In the L’Assomption RCM: Ms Huguette Pimparé, director of the l’Épiphanie LHA, the Table de concertation des organismes communautaires du comté de l’Assomption, and Ms Louise T. Francoeur, city councillor for l’Assomption.

In the Matawinie RCM: Mr Alain Coutu, community organizer for the Lanaudière North CSSS, the Centre de réadaptation La Myriade, and Ms Lyne Marcil, mayor of St-Émélie-de-l’Énergie.

Two honorary awards were also presented. The first one, a posthumous award, to Mr Jean‑Guy Frigon who greatly contributed to the implementation of services intended for the region’s physically disabled, and a second one, a separate award, to Mr Alain Coutu who was president of the Table des partenaires for 10 years and whom we can consider as a pathfinder in matters of social development in Lanaudière.

The winners received, as a tribute to their contribution, a beautiful wooden statuette representing a bird, an art work made by Lanaudière artist Michel Boire. Inspired by the people who surround him, this bird not only brings out the traits of character of the medium used, but also brings out the best of simplicity. The artist, through his sculptures, suggests a relationship between Quebec’s society, in its individual diversity and its complementarity.

The event was a huge success with more than 150 participants who worked together to define 5 primary social issues for the next decade: public transport, school success, lodging, food safety and citizen participation. These share the great transversal orientation of sustainable development and the fight against poverty. The participants confirmed the importance of the partnership developed around the Table des partenaires du développement social and the one between the local committees. Thus, the future of social development in the Lanaudière region promises to be bright. Also, the Table des partenaires du développement social de Lanaudière, along with its Board of Directors, will see to the implementation of these priorities according to the different partnerships in place.

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Source: Chantal Lalonde, Coordinator of the TPDSL
(450) 759-9944, chantal.lalonde@tpdsl.org