On Wednesday, February 19, nearly 70 people, mainly from the business world, took part in the 2nd edition of Horizons Économiques, the flagship event of the Chambre de commerce et d'industrie de Vaudreuil-Soulanges. 

Presented by Développement Vaudreuil-Soulanges (DEV), the day offered a platform for exchange and reflection for the region's economic players, local businesses and political figures. 

"Our aim is to make this event a recurring promotional platform for our region, but also a space for reflection on the challenges facing our businesses in a complex economic context. It is our duty, as a chamber of commerce, to initiate this reflection and to support all players in their participation and contribution to the emergence of a strong and dynamic economic hub in Vaudreuil-Soulanges," said Cory, General Manager of the CCIVS.

For her part, CCIVS President Mélanie Boss emphasized the importance of collaboration and innovation "to navigate an ever-changing economic environment. The CCIVS is committed to supporting its members and creating an ecosystem conducive to growth and prosperity for all," she said.

A rich and diversified program

The program for this second edition was particularly rich, with a series of conferences and panels focusing on regional issues, with strong representation from local companies.

To open the day, Pierre Cléroux, Vice-President, Researcher and Chief Economist at BDC, offered valuable insights into the current economic situation, marked by the impact of U.S. trade policy. He shared the growth outlook for 2025 based on BDC's latest forecasts.

Joanne Brunet, General Manager of DEV, highlighted economic development trends in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region in key sectors, including retail, healthcare, transportation and real estate.

Two panels addressed crucial issues related to entrepreneurship and human resources:

The panel on entrepreneurship culture brought together three entrepreneurs from the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region to share their experiences. They discussed the challenges they faced, the successes they achieved, and offered a concrete overview of the culture of entrepreneurship in the region.

Moderated by Pierre Graff, CEO of the Regroupement des Jeunes Chambres de Commerce du Québec, the panel featured Jessica Goyer, Les industries André; Benoit Taboïka, M2K Industriel (Mondial 2000 Inc), and Richard Quinn, Senior Manager, Business Transfers at Desjardins Entreprises, who addressed the issue of financing and support for buyers.

The panel on the future of human resources was moderated by Valérie Villeneuve, Alternative RH, with the participation of Martin Delarosbil, Team Factory, Benoit Robichaud, Investissement Québec and Élisabeth Starenkyj, La tête Chercheuse. Our experts emphasized the importance of adopting a proactive and innovative approach to attracting, retaining and mobilizing talent.

In the afternoon, Vaudreuil-Soulanges' two flagship projects, the hospital and the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge, were highlighted.

First, Bernard Cyr, CISSSMO's Assistant Director General of Physical, Specialized and General Health Programs, gave a presentation on “Building the Hospital of Tomorrow”, focusing on the progress of the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Hospital construction project, innovations in care and health technologies. The conference highlighted the challenges and opportunities associated with planning and integrating the latest technologies, including self-guided vehicles (SGVs). Mr. Cyr was accompanied by Michel Leblanc, Senior Director at Pomerleau, Sylvain Tessier, Senior IT Advisor, engineer Raquel Medeiros, and Dr. Sébastien Toussain, Head of Specialized Medicine Recruitment.

This was followed by an express presentation on the development of the training offer at the Cégep de Valleyfield's Vaudreuil-Dorion study center. For the occasion, the college's general manager, Marc Rémillard, presented the various programs that will be offered as of fall 2025.

The conference portion of the day concluded with a presentation on the maintenance and construction work on the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge. This presentation was given by the MTMD, represented by Mr. Fadi Moubayed, Director at Transports Québec, and Ms. Julie Grondin, Director of the major Île-aux-Tourtes bridge project, at the Ministère des Transports et de la Mobilité durable, who provided an update on the maintenance and construction work on the Île-aux-Tourtes bridge.

“The success of this day is a testament to the unwavering commitment of the CCIVS and the exceptional mobilization of our community. A big thank you to our partners whose support consolidates the unbreakable bonds that unite the Vaudreuil-Soulanges community,” declares Mr. Cory.