CHARLOTTETOWN – April 23, 2025 – “We’re looking to recruit three francophone or bilingual PEI businesses, co-operatives or organizations to take participate in a free sustainable development process through our IMPACT DD support program,” says the project’s new coordinator, Julien Fournel. “A few potential clients have already shown interest, but we can accept applications until the new date of June 1, 2025, at which point we’ll make our selections.”

The coordinator explains that clients will receive around 16 hours of group training to learn how to analyze their current operations and practices (including from financial, human, material and human perspectives), determine their sustainable development (SD) objectives, set up an internal SD committee, consult with their partners/suppliers and prepare an SD plan. They will also receive 25 to 100 hours of individual coaching to guide them through the process. The whole process is worth approximately $15,000 per client. The program is expected to run from June 2025 to the end of March 2026.

The program, officially named “IMPACT: Towards Responsible and Sustainable Development in Atlantic Canada”, has been operated in this province by RDÉE Prince Edward Island for the past two years. The first year, it supported the Société acadienne et francophone de l’ÎPÉ (SAF’Île), Urbainville Farms and Double Hill Cidery. In the second year, which is almost over, the French Language School Board, Buyers Canada, Fromagerie PEI and Famous Peppers/Pathfinder Foods benefited from the program. The RDÉE hopes to be able to support three new clients in this third (and possibly final) year of the program.

BENEFITS

In the medium term, participants should see a reduction in their operational costs, maximization of their productivity and innovation in the way they do things as they experiment with new ways of doing things. They should also see an improvement in their reputation and in their employees’ well-being at work, and should be able to better attract and retain employees. They will be able to better manage their risks. All this as they reduce their environmental footprint and resource consumption and increase the social benefits of their activities.

Further details and a short video testimonial of the program can be viewed (in French) at www.rdeeipe.net/impact. Fournel can also be contacted at julien@rdeeipe.org.

Those interested in participating are asked to complete a short application form at https://forms.gle/WqjAkqiw4mWL5ZSP9.

The IMPACT DD program, funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, is delivered in partnership with the Centre québécois de développement durable and RDÉE Canada.

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PHOTO: The new IMPACT DD program coordinator, Julien Fournel, invites francophone and bilingual businesses, co-operatives and organizations to apply to participate in the sustainable development support program by June 1.

 

For further information, please contact

Julien Fournel
Coordinator
IMPACT DD Program
(902) 978-1572
julien@rdeeipe.org