Education Minister Bernard Drainville seems to like Rivière-du-Loup very much, and during a speech at Notre-Dame College on June 15 he made it clear that he was impressed by his entrepreneurs. “I’m proud that we’re going [ville comme] Rivière-du-Loup in Quebec,” he launched in front of many business leaders and professionals from the education sector.
Mr. Drainville addressed a crowd that had come to witness the inauguration of IDEAS Universe, a new development of the private educational institution. A place that encourages creativity, innovation and problem-solving, made possible thanks to the impressive support of the community.
Although the city is often associated with the river and its sunsets, it is the strength of its business people, their mobilization and their constant search for innovation that caught the minister’s attention. At the beginning of his speech, he also described Rivière-du-Loup as “fertile soil for entrepreneurship in Quebec”.
“You are a very beautiful community. You are dynamic, you have great institutions and you have great companies. You stand together, you work in a group, in a team. And you obviously have the next generation as I see people of different ages,” he admitted.
“Honestly, congratulations, Rivière-du-Loup.”
When later asked about his sincerity, the chosen one said that he had a fondness for the region, which he visited a few times early in his journalistic career. “I have great affection for Bas-du-Fleuve,” he replied. You have some great companies, I’m not the first to tell you that. And if you look at the entrepreneurial fabric of Rivière-du-Loup, it’s really remarkable.”
“That’s sincere, I’m a very bad liar,” he added with a pinch of humor.
According to the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB), Rivière-du-Loup has consistently ranked among the top 10 business cities in Canada over the past ten years.