Québec International is celebrating the announcement today by the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, that the Government of Canada is funding an AI-driven supply chain supercluster.

Québec International has released the results of its 8th annual Conjoncture survey (Conjoncture 2018), a business confidence survey of CEOs in the greater Québec City area. The survey, which was conducted by Léger from January 8–19 and questioned 175 business leaders in the area, indicated that it’s all systems go when it comes to 2018’s economic prospects.

Today, during a meeting at Frima Studio between Québec City area independent video game studios and industry leaders, program partners launched the 2018 edition of CATAPULTE. The highly successful and teamwork-oriented initiative has fuelled the growth of the video game industry and the Québec City area’s economy.

Montréal International and Québec International have joined forces to promote Québec’s advantages and its Life Sciences and Health Technologies (LSHT) industry to foreign investors around the world. With Dominique Anglade, Deputy Premier of Québec and Minister of Economy, Science and Innovation, and Gaétan Barrette, Minister of Health and Social Services, in attendance, a new video highlighting the appeal of the sector was launched before 150 partners and key players from the LSHT ecosystem.

Presented by Québec International in collaboration with BIOQuébec, Génome Québec, Norton Rose Fulbright, Innovative Medicines Canada and AmorChem, the Québec City Healthcare Industry Forum will take place on December 5 and 6, 2017. With more than 250 key players in the field—researchers, managers, industrialists and decision-makers alike—the Forum is Québec City’s largest annual meeting for the life sciences sector.

According to The Conference Board of Canada, the real GDP grew 2.4% in the Québec City CMA during the first semester of 2017, reaching $35.1 billion.

The unemployment rate reached a record threshold of 3.8% in August in the Québec City CMA, placing it at the first rank in Canada. In August, the area counted 437,400 jobs, 1,000 more than the previous month.

Carl Viel, Québec International (QI)’s Chief Executive Officer, is proud to announce that the region and its Economic Development Agency have received a record 12 prizes over the past few weeks. Several QI initiatives dedicated to promoting the region, attracting foreign talent and supporting key regional clusters were deemed to be among the best in the world.

The Québec City CMA recorded an unemployment rate of 4% in July, a 0.4 percentage point decrease compared to June. This allowed the CMA to reach second rank in Canada.

According to Statistics Canada, $384.9 million were invested in the Québec City CMA in the first half of 2017, a 1.4% rise compared to the first half of 2016. The area observed a rise in capital expenditures for the industrial (+54.2%) and institutional (+28.4%) sectors, while expenditures for the commercial sector slowed down by 13.4%.

For the first semester of 2017, the Québec area showed a cumulative gain of 9,700 jobs compared to the first six months of 2016. The unemployment rate remained low, at 4.4%, a slight rise compared to the 4.1% registered during the first quarter.

According to new data released by Statistics Canada, the Québec City CMA counted 441,200 jobs in May 2017, a diminution of 4,300 jobs compared to April. The unemployment rate increased by 0.4 percentage points, reaching 4.6% in May, while remaining among the lowest in Canada.

In April, the Québec City CMA recorded an unemployment rate of 4.2%, a small 0.1 percentage point raise compared to March. This allowed the CMA to preserve its 2nd place in Canada.

New Global Talent Stream to help Quebec businesses innovate and grow

According to The Conference Board of Canada, the area’s real GDP was $34.6 billion in 2016, a gain of 1.6% compared to 2015. This performance places Québec City as the only major metropolitan area in Canada to have maintained continuous economic growth for 25 years.

Local businesses in the Québec City area will enjoy new job opportunities following the creation of the new Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ) point. The designation will help businesses facilitate exports and create jobs for the middle class. This designation was announced in the presence of the Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of International Trade, and Joël Lightbound, Member of Parliament for Louis-Hébert and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development and Minister responsible for CED.

Marking the grand finale of the third edition of the CATAPULTE program, Carl Viel, CEO of Quebec International, Denis Laforest, general manager of Caisse Desjardins Quebec City and the various partners are pleased to announce that the independent video game studio Polymorph Games is this year's grand prizewinner.

The Quebec City census metropolitan area (CMA) created 2,100 positions in the first quarter of 2017, marking a total of 447,400 jobs. The region still has one of the lowest unemployment rates in Canada (4.1% at the end of March).

As part of an international outlook event (Perspectives internationales 2017), Carl Viel, President and CEO of Québec International, and Caroline Roy, Vice-President of Léger's Quebec City office, released the results of the annual business confidence survey of CEOs in the Greater Quebec City region (Conjoncture 2017).

The Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) and Quebec International are pleased to announce the names of the 23 companies that will be taking part in the fourth edition of the SME Passport program (Passeport PME). Over the next 18 months, these companies will benefit from a comprehensive training and guidance structure overseen by the CCMM's ACCLR international trade experts and by Québec International.

The Quebec City census metropolitan area (CMA) kicked off 2017 in fine style by adding 1,300 jobs in January, for a total of 446,600 jobs. For the third consecutive month, unemployment in the region held steady at 4.3%, one of the lowest rates in Canada.

Québec International would like to take this opportunity to express its solidarity with all of Quebec City's Muslim community in the wake of last night's tragic events at the local Islamic cultural centre (Centre culturel islamique de Québec).

The CEO of Quebec International, Carl Viel, and the General Manager of Quebec City Caisse Desjardins, Denis Laforest, are proud to announce the launch of the third edition of Catapult, a unique accelerator program for independent video game studios in Quebec City. After two successful editions, Catapulte, initiated by the digital arts and interactive entertainment sub-sector (ANDI), is back in force for a third year with a new and improved format.

Real GDP rose by 1.3% to $34.6 billion in the Quebec City census metropolitan area (CMA) in the third quarter of 2016 compared with the same period in 2015. During the first nine months of 2016, real GDP in the Quebec City region was up +1.4% compared with the same period in 2015.

Ushering in 2017, Quebec City's Economic New Year (Rentrée Économique) will bring together a roster of renowned experts who will discuss the economic outlook and related issues for 2017. Organized by Québec International, the Quebec City Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIQ), the Lévis Chamber of Commerce (CCL), the Quebec Association of Economists (ASDEQ/Quebec City chapter) and the Quebec Financial Circle (CFQ), the program of activities for the seventh edition of this event will run from January 17 to February 2.

According to Statistics Canada's Labour Force Survey, the Quebec City census metropolitan area (CMA) posted the lowest unemployment rate in Canada in 2016 (4.6%). The regional unemployment rate remained under the 5% mark for the second year in a row (4.7% in 2015).

The Québec City region is outperforming its rivals when it comes to business operating costs. The 2016 edition of KPMG's Competitive Alternatives confirms that Québec City continues to be ranked #1 worldwide among comparably sized urban areas (i.e. over 500,000 inhabitants in mature markets) in terms of its competitive cost advantages. According to this biennial study, it is 16.1% cheaper to set up a company and do business in Québec City, compared with the US average — a marked improvement over the 2014 result (9.3% cheaper).

According to UBI Global and its UBI Awards, Entrepreneuriat LAVAL (Laval University) is #1 University Business Accelerator in the world. Congratulations! A Top University Business Accelerator is an accelerator managed or formal affiliated with a university, that provide better value for the ecosystem and their startup clients than their regional or global peers. They stand out from average-performing accelerators with better outcomes on economy enhancement, access to funds and post acceleration performance indicators.

One year after the signing of the first LIA (Laboratoire International Associé) with the University of Bordeaux and INRA on brain health, INAF and Université Laval have signed a second agreement of the same type, this time with the Charles Viollette Institute (ICV) at Université Lille1. The international structure aims to become a global authority in the field of natural antimicrobial bioproduction. Calling on the complementary expertise of its two teams specializing in the fields of food safety and food quality, the work of the LIA will help to refine innovative methods for the separation of biomolecules with antimicrobial potential and to develop biopreservation strategies for food and new foods.

Recent foreign direct investments announced for Québec City show that the region is successfully holding its own in the face of international competition. This year alone, Medicago (Japan; vaccine production facility and R&D centre), Thales (France; joint research unit in urban science), OVH (France; R&D centre in digital services), Larian Studios (Belgium; video game studio), and Microsoft (United States; cloud services data centre) have already announced over $300 million in investments in Quebec’s capital city.

According to the 2015-2016 American Cities of the Future rankings compiled by UK-based fDi Magazine, which is published by the Financial Times Group, Quebec City placed in the Top 10 in two categories (Business Friendliness and Best fDi Strategy). A total of 421 cities in the Americas were evaluated by fDi Intelligence, a division of the Financial Times, and divided into five groups based on population size. Quebec City is in the mid-sized cities group, which includes urban areas with populations of more than 200,000 inhabitants and metropolitan regions with more than 750,000 inhabitants.

Medicago, a major Canadian biotech company and an international leader in the development and production of plant-based vaccines and therapeutics, is proud to announce that Quebec City will be home to its new production complex. The $245 million project will create 200 new high-skilled jobs by 2019, adding to the team of 180 employees already working at Medicago’s Quebec City office and laboratories. The project is expected to generate more than $461 million in direct and indirect economic benefits over the next five years.

Québec International (QI) released the 2014 highlights from its annual report earlier this spring. In the coming weeks we will examine QI’s results and the kind of work our professionals perform as part of our six mandates. Discover the talents of our foreign investment experts.

INO is pleased to announce that it has earned a Gold Canada Awards for Excellence under the Quality category. The prize will be officially presented on October 29, 2015, at the Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, on the occasion of the Excellence Summit & Canada Awards for Excellence.

Discovery Air Technical Services Inc. ("DATS"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Air Inc., has been awarded a heavy maintenance contract by Morningstar Air Express Inc., of Edmonton Alberta, for one ATR-72-202 aircraft. The work will be carried-out at DATS' Heavy Maintenance facility at the Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City during the summer of 2015.

Larian Studios, the award-winning Belgian developer of hits like Divinity: Original Sin and Divinity: Dragon Commander, officially announced its plans to establish a studio in Quebec City. Larian Québec, a subsidiary of the acclaimed developer, will begin work on new games and take advantage of the talent and creativity that abound in Quebec City. The company is currently in hiring mode and aims to employ 40 people in Quebec City over the next three years.

Opsens Inc. ("Opsens" or the "Company") (TSXV: OPS) (OTCQX: OPSSF) announces that its common shares began trading under the ticker symbol "OPSSF" on the OTCQX marketplace in the United States, effective today. OTCQX, operated by OTC Markets Group Inc., offers the best informed and most efficient trading for established, global and growth companies. Opsens' shares will continue trading on the TSX Venture Exchange under the ticker symbol "OPS."

Through close collaboration with Michael Baker International, Pavemetrics is proud to announce that the LCMS has officially passed NCAT’s rigorous longitudinal profiler certification program. Passing the NCAT certification validates Pavemetrics’ LCMS as an accurate and repeatable inertial profiler and as an acceptable alternative to older two-point profiler technology.

TSO3 Inc. (TSX: TOS), an innovator in sterilization technology for medical devices in healthcare settings, announced that the Company has signed its first commercial agreement with Getinge Infection Control in support of the launch of the STERIZONE® VP4 Sterilization System. The non-exclusive agreement covers multiple markets in which Getinge has significant market share, including North America and other selected markets. Efforts to launch the product will begin immediately.

Québec International and the City of Québec announced today the launch of the initial operations of Québec City's high-tech incubator/accelerator. Located in the heart of Québec City's Saint-Roch neighbourhood, Le CAMP is destined to become the new hub of Québec City's entrepreneurial hi-tech community. Régis Labeaume, Mayor of Québec City, and Carl Viel, CEO of Québec International, were present for the announcement.

Acting on behalf of the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, the Honourable Steven Blaney, Member of Parliament for Lévis–Bellechasse and Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, announces that Les Scies Mercier Inc. has been granted financial assistance to acquire equipment to boost its productivity, and to carry out commercialization activities on the North American market.

Those cumbersome paper-based training manuals could soon become a relic on the factory floor if technology created by two Quebec-based entrepreneurs takes off. Alexandre Leclerc and Antoine Bisson founded Poka, a social platform for manufacturers to train staff using videos and other interactive content to be shared in real time through an iPad app. Poka claims its technology is helping to drive “the social industrial revolution.”

Servicing the best in online group travel, HotelPlanner.com and Meetings.com announces the compagny’s 204 top 50 group and meeting friendly hotels. In Canada, only 10 hotels received this award, two in the province of Québec but only one in Québec city : the Hilton Québec.

By March 31 the Québec City Convention Centre will have hosted 156 events, including a remarkable 17 international conferences. It all adds up to 155,000 room-nights at local hotels, with economic spinoffs from some 210,000 convention goers estimated at $101 million. Another 27 international conferences and meetings will have come and gone by December 31, 2016.

Debiopharm Diagnostics, part of Debiopharm Group™, is proud to be the lead investor in GenePOC, who are developing a highly innovative, low cost and quick MDx (Molecular Diagnostics) platform. Debiopharm Diagnostics led this investment round together with Emerillon Capital and will become the largest shareholder in GenePOC.

Opsens Inc. ("Opsens") (TSXV:OPS) is pleased to announce the first use of its Fractional Flow Reserve ("FFR") products in Europe by the "founding fathers" of FFR, namely Dr. Bernard De Bruyne at the Cardiovascular Center Aalst, Belgium and, shortly, by Professor Nico Pijls, at the Catharina Hospital, Eindhoven the Netherlands. The OptoWire and OptoMonitor are Opsens' products for FFR measurements to optimize the diagnosis and guide the therapy in patients with coronary heart disease.

Québec International announced today the launch of the CONEQT program with a view to securing the business corridor between Quebec City and Silicon Valley.

For the eighth consecutive year, Québec International (QI) has been named one of the Top Canadian Economic Development Groups in Canada’s Best Locations 2014, as announced in the current issue of US-based Site Selection magazine. This ranking pays tribute to the country's top 10 economic development agencies.

An investment in Inno-centre, which will support Quebec's innovative businesses, enabling them to grow, prosper and create jobs, was announced today by the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, on behalf of the Honourable Ed Holder, Minister of State (Science and Technology).

Québec City is a powerful draw for organizations seeking a truly stand-out destination for their events. This attraction has come to the fore in recent months, with the city landing nine international conferences in head-to-head competitions with other world cities.

4Degrees, the company behind the new high-technology and eco-friendly data center is proud to announce that Uptime Institute, the international reference in the data center field, awarded 4Degrees their coveted Tier III certification.

The Government of Quebec, Investissement Québec, Invest in Canada and Québec International are pleased to be associated with the Industrial Asset Management Council (IAMC) professional forum that will be held in Quebec City. This is the first time that this event will be held outside of the United States. It will be a unique opportunity to showcase the assets of Canada, the province of Quebec and the Quebec City region to a select clientele of American investors. Nearly 400 participants are expected to attend this forum, which will be held from September 13 to 17 at the Quebec City Convention Centre.