Future
Ways

CEO of the Centre d’écologie urbaine de Montréal since 2014, Véronique Fournier has been working towards sustainable, ecological, democratic cities by relying on citizen participation in urban decisions and issues. City councillor in Montréal from 2009 to 2013, she presided over the City Planning Advisory Committee of the South-West and assumed several functions in the city. With an educational background in community organization, a Master’s in Social Work and a diploma in Public Management, Véronique has nearly twenty years of experience in local development, social economy, urban policies and active citizenship. Founding member of Piétons Québec, she takes every opportunity to advocate for quality public spaces and pedestrian-friendly cities. Learn More

Stéphan Morency is one of the leaders in sustainable finance in Quebec. As a proactive man, he always finds a way to convert problems into opportunities. He is a member of the prestigious Investors’ Council at the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) and promotes international exchange on climate issues. For him, general interest and performance are two compatible goals. He founded the Inlandsis Fund, which finances projects that reduce GHG emissions in government regulated carbon markets, and SOFIAC, a finance company that enables large-scale energy efficiency for housing projects across Canada. He was also one of the creators of Quebec Energy Transition. In the area of social economy, Stéphan Morency is at the heart of several innovations, including the Angus Land Trust and the UPA Trust, where he is a trustee. Learn More

As an eco-advisor, Leyla Lardja has been analyzing the challenges of the urban socio-ecological transition since 2014. She has explored different areas, from sustainable innovation research to private architecture practices and community impact. In doing so, she has developed expertise in environmental impact analysis and social housing developments. She advocates for a holistic, humane vision of a city built on collective intelligence. Involved in the industry, she has been an administrator at the NPO Arpent for 5 years and participates in collective works on feminism.

Creative by nature, Christine Beaulieu never ceases to amaze us with her versatility. She appears in the lead role of 2 feature films, Nouveau-Québec by Sarah Fortin and 18 Trous by Louis Godbout. She has also appeared in over twenty plays directed by Denis Bernard, Marie Brassard, Benoît Vermeulen and Brigitte Haentjens. Her first play, J’aime Hydro, received the Michel-Tremblay award. She also received a Gémeaux award for her role in Lâcher Prise as Josiane (2020) and a Bayard award at the FIFF de Namur Festival for the film Un jour de fête (2020). She has been starring in the TV show L’Oeil du Cyclone since 2021.

An associate since 2017, Nicolas Demers-Stoddart is the Head of Design at Provencher_​Roy. His talent in creating conceptual narratives has been evident since he started at Provencher_​Roy in 2012, particularly in the context of international contests: The Arbour at George Brown College, the revamping of the Alexandra Pier and the Port of Montréal Passenger Terminal, and most recently, the redevelopment of Block 2 in Ottawa’s Parliamentary Precinct. He has also contributed to the design of certain city projects, such as the Louis-Hippolyte-La Fontaine Tunnel and the new Samuel-de-Champlain Bridge. The Reception Pavilion at the Quebec National Assembly, a project where he worked as the Assistant Designer, received numerous distinctions. In 2022, the project was awarded the prestigious Governor General’s Medal in Architecture from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts. Learn More

EMBA graduate from McGill and HEC Montréal with a Bachelor’s in Communications and Political Science, Pierre Choquette is the Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at the Société de développement Angus. He also held the position of Vice President at Edelman, the largest independent marketing communications agency in the world. Prior to that, he was the co-founder and Senior Partner at Mondea Inc, a business strategy and communications consulting firm. Between 2007 and 2013, he was Senior Director of Public Affairs – Canada for AbitibiBowater, now known as Resolute Forest Products. Between 2003 and 2007, Pierre was successively a press agent for influencial ministers from the Ministères des Ressources naturelles, de l’Emploi et de la solidarité sociale, du Développement économique and des Finances, before becoming the Communications Advisor at the Office of the Premier of Quebec.

Christian Yaccarini is the President and CEO of the Société de développement Angus (SDA), a company that was founded in 1995. He has developed expertise in the areas of urban revitalization, sustainable development and developing projects with proven economic, social and cultural impact on the community. The creation of the Technopôle Angus reflects this unique development vision. Today, the Technopôle Angus has 70 businesses and institutions, employing over 3,000 workers. For several years now, under Christian’s leadership, the SDA has expanded its urban revitalization service area to other devitalized or fragile sectors, including East Montréal. His numerous contributions to the community were recognized with the awarding of the PDG-Vert (Green CEO) award and he has held the Medal of the National Assembly since 2012. He is also known for his volunteer work with several cultural and community organizations.

Karima Brikh is currently a columnist for the media magazine ​“Samedi et rien d’autre” on ICI Radio-Canada Première. UQAM graduate in journalism, also attending the Université Paris VIII, she began her career at TQS. She later worked at TVA and LCN as a weekend anchorwoman and reporter, in addition to being the host and producer of the public affairs show ​“Mise à Jour Montréal” on MATV for 5 years. She has participated in several shows, such as La Voix, Gravel le matin, Cap sur l’été, Ma Première Place-des-Arts, Dessine-moi un dimanche, etc. In 2018, she released her first documentary, ​“Amour Cougar: au-delà du mythe,” on Radio-Canada, as producer and screenwriter. She recently produced ​“Consentement,” a documentary series of six podcasts that explore the notion of sexual consent in intimate, legal and social terms. Learn More

Nadine Gomez, a UQAM graduate, was completing her Master of Communication at the School of Media in 2008 when she discovered her passion for urban issues. Her first feature documentary, The Horse Palace, was released in 2012 and follows a city’s transformation along with its connection to the site’s history. In 2015, she won the ​“Regards sur Montréal” award (CAM, NFB, SODEC), which she used to direct Métro, a short documentary essay that offers a new perspective on Montréal’s underground grid and its unique and impressive architecture. Her second full-length feature, Exarcheia, le chant des oiseaux, follows the nocturnal and philosophical comings and going of birds in a mythical district of Athens. The film was released at the 2018 Montréal International Documentary Festival and was featured at the Thessaloniki International Festival in 2019. Since then, she has created and developed many projects on several different platforms, including the 2019 J’aime Hydro podcast, produced by Théâtre Porte-Parole and co-directed by Alexandre Lampron. Nadine is actively involved in her community and, since 2018, she has been sitting on the Board of the Conseil des arts de Montréal as the film committee president.

Philippe David Gagné grew up in La Baie, Saguenay region, and holds a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies in Film. Since his first feature, the documentary SUR LA GLACE, his films have received several awards and have been shown around the world. He has since directed and produced dozens of internationally acclaimed feature stories and documentaries for TV and the internet. In fiction, BLEU TONNERRE, appeared in the 47^th edition of the DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, followed in 2017 by CRÈME DE MENTHE at the 49^th edition of the DIRECTORS’ FORTNIGHT. He has been a SODEC, CCA and CALQ fellow several times and now sits on multiple boards and juries, where he always endeavours to promote cinematographic production in rural areas. He co-founded La Boîte de pickup in 2015, which produces documentary and fictional short films and full-length features.  Learn More

Marie-Laurence Rancourt has a degree in anthropology and sociology. In 2016, she co-founded Magnéto, a creative firm that brings to life artistic projects that feature an awareness of speech, language and listening in a variety of different forms. This was the starting point from which she began writing and giving life to audio documentaries (L’écorce et le noyau, La punition, La nuit Myra Cree, Les travaux et les jours, Gemellus), plays (AALAAPI, L’écoute d’une émotion), stage performances (RADIO LIVE) and narratives (AALAAPI, O.R), etc. Learn More

Maude Petel-Légaré is passionate about the world of sound and strongly believes that historical audio accounts send a powerful message and provide listeners with interpretive freedom. She has directed several documentaries and audio series, in partnership with CBC/Radio-Canada, Louie Media, Magnéto and Transistor. Her most recent work was on the series SYNTHÈSES: Le cas Catherine Daviau , which investigates the unresolved murder of Catherine Daviau and exposes femicides in Quebec. She has a Master’s in International Journalism and has also completed an internship in Jerusalem with Agence France Presse, a written media internship in Lebanon, studied political science in Morocco, and became a Correspondent for the Lebanese diaspora in Montréal. She has also visited several countries whose history and politics have always fascinated her, including Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkey. She also completed several feature stories on these trips, which, to this day, continue to help her better understand identity issues, a subject she has long been passionate about. Learn More