Our Annual General Meeting was held virtually on June 17th. Our organization’s active contributors, which included donors, partners and privileged friends of the Foundation, were invited to attend. The Presiding Officer, Mr. Claude Poirier Defoy, had the privilege of declaring the following persons elected to the Foundation’s Board of Directors for a 2-year term:
A Special Meeting of the Board of Directors was then held to elect the following officers for the period ending June 2022:
I am very eager to take over the presidency of the Board of Directors of the Gatineau Health Foundation but first I would like to acknowledge and thank the outgoing president for her outstanding work. For the past six years, Louise Poirier has governed skilfully and confidently. She has left us with a solid organization supported by healthy governance structures, finances and human resources.
I have accepted this responsibility because of the members of the Board of Directors with whom I have worked for the past six years, as well as the new members who are joining our team. Their remarkable commitment and enthusiasm instill me with confidence that together, we will be able to achieve anything we put our minds to. In fact, the Foundation’s entire staff facilitated my decision – we have a competent, professional team led by a Director General who is an expert in the field of philanthropy and whose leadership and commitment are appreciated.
In our drive to improve health services, I believe our passion and our unwavering commitment to the core underlying issues are the fundamental assets that will enable us to achieve our goals. Great challenges await. As President, my objectives are to maintain sound governance within the organization and to ensure the Foundation focuses its efforts on actions that can help meet the population’s needs.
It goes without saying that the past year has been a difficult one. The pandemic confined us to virtual work, of course, but shifting circumstances also led the Foundation to divest itself of its parking lot management activities, its convenience stores and its snack bars. These structural and service-delivery changes led to a major rethinking of the organization and management of our services. Faced with adversity, some see the glass as half empty; at the Foundation, we decided to see the glass as half full. Confronted with these changes, we have chosen to make them into an opportunity to focus on our mission, our raison d’être: philanthropy.
We are therefore entering a pivotal moment in the organization’s journey. After 36 years of being a multifaceted enterprise, simultaneously managing philanthropic and commercial activities, the Foundation will now focus solely on fundraising – which, after all, is its primary mission. This singular vocation will allow us to pour all our efforts into fundraising to achieve a positive impact on the well-being and health of the Outaouais community (CISSSO).
The timing for that realignment couldn’t have been better, as one of the largest and most important health projects in the region, the construction of a new hospital, will be developed over the next few years. We intend to take an active part in this project, in collaboration with our donors, volunteers and partners. The goal is not only to build a hospital, but to build the very best hospital and develop the best health and social services network right here at home! The Foundation is ready to assume a leadership role in this major project and to foster community interest and mobilization by rallying the Outaouais population and stakeholders.
The Foundation’s Board of Directors has set ambitious goals for itself and wants to play its role as a partner of the CISSSO to improve health and social services. We must now give ourselves the means to match our ambitions. The realization of such a major project can be a powerful catalyst to bring the region a long sought-after sense of pride in its health services.
We believe we have the opportunity to make a difference. We can make this dream come true! I hope we can count on your generosity.
Everyone at the Foundation joins Mr. Cadieux and the members of the Board of Directors in warmly thanking Ms. Louise Poirier for her dedication to our organization and our cause over the past 10 years. Her professionalism and leadership have driven us to strive for excellence and we are grateful for all that has been accomplished under her guidance. We would also like to thank Ms. Sophie Lemaire, Mr. Charles Beaudoin and Mr. Mario Leblanc for their years of involvement with our Board. Their valuable advice and involvement in various committees have been a real asset to the organization. We wish the four of you every success in your future projects!
