The MRC of Thérèse-De Blainville injected nearly $13M during COVID-19 In all, the MRC granted 431 loans in all categories for a total amount of $12,702,247.
Launched by the Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation (MEI) as soon as COVID-19 hit in the spring of 2020, the PAUPME, administered by the MRCs throughout Quebec, will have made it possible to inject nearly $520 million helping businesses.
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“As soon as COVID-19 was announced, my predecessor Richard Perreault and our general manager Kamal El-Batal, well supported by the economic development department and all the
members of the MRC council, rolled up their sleeves to face this epidemic. The PAUPME will have enabled several Small and Medium-sized Enterprises(SME) in the MRC to overcome the effects of the pandemic,” said Eric Westram, the prefect of the MRC.
A “proactive” emergency aid committee for COVID-19 SMEs in the MRC
The members of the investment committee met no less than 26 times to analyze the
recommendations of the economic development department. “The synergy and commitment of
the committee members facilitated the administration of the program, representing significant assistance for an active entrepreneurial fabric within the MRC, which totals nearly 5,200 businesses,” said Gilles Blanchette, Mayor of Bois- des-Filion and member of the committee.
For Jean Comtois, mayor of Lorraine and member of the committee, this kind of MRC/MEI partnership is effective and gives interesting and immediate results. “The staff, the mayors and the mayors of the MRC have worked closely, which will allow many companies that have
received these emergency funds to continue their activities,” he said.
Direct assistance to NPOs and self-employed workers in the territory
In addition, the MRC released, from its surpluses, an additional sum of $200,000 to help NPOs and self-employed workers in the territory through a grant of $5,000 . These funds have enabled 42 organizations to receive a boost in these difficult times.
Effective coordination work for the MRC team
The MRC has set up various procedures to better administer the funds and make
management more effective and efficient. “The operation was not easy due to the scale of the
tasks, the follow-ups and the pressure put on by the urgency of the situation. The will, patience and dedication were key factors for the success of this program. I would like to thank the
MRC team and the economic development service under the responsibility of Mr. Steve Mitchell” said the director general, Kamal El-Batal.
“We should be proud of this partnership with the MEI. Once again, the efforts made for
more than two years by all the staff of the MRC combined with the great cohesion of the members of the council have allowed our MRC to be among the best in Quebec for the total allocation of the sums invested, that is nearly $13 million to our SMEs,” concluded Eric Westram,
