In Laval, as elsewhere in Quebec, we are beginning to feel the economic slowdown. After record growth in gross domestic product (GDP) on the island in 2021 (12.2%) and in 2022 (10.2%), Desjardins forecasts that it will be 2.5% in 2023, compared to 2 .1% for all of Quebec. But the most proactive companies put in place strategies to thwart the drop in activity.
During the pandemic, it was crazy at Famille Fontaine, the largest veal and lamb producer in North America. “We were looking for employees, we were having trouble supplying, we were working six days a week,” recalls Alex Fontaine, who runs the company with his two brothers, Fabien and Donald.
But this summer, the economic slowdown made itself felt, so much so that the pressure on production subsided. “It must also be said that we now have robots in the factory and foreign workers have arrived, after more than a year of waiting,” he says. Currently, we no longer have a staff shortage, although some key positions remain difficult to fill. »
Famille Fontaine, which is also the largest beef producer in Quebec, is now focusing on its sales. In September, it will launch a transactional site. “A lot of people tell us that they like our veal chop, for example, but they can’t find it in the supermarkets,” says the entrepreneur.
The company of 1,800 employees, including those of the two American factories, will first offer in Quebec on its site about 25 vacuum-packed frozen products, then others will be added.
In addition, the company, which completed an expansion project a year ago in Laval, is working on a second. “Our sales have grown, so we already need more space and automation takes up space,” says Alex Fontaine.
Agri-food is important in Laval with 150 businesses and 4,600 jobs. “No less than 30% of our territory is agricultural, and it is a sector that has taken off with the pandemic, in the desire to develop Quebec’s food autonomy,” notes Lidia Divry, director of Laval Économique.
Laval is now looking to better support it and see how to develop other areas, such as greenhouses. “We are thinking about a new strategic plan to take the sector to another level within 10 years,” she said.
But if Laval is doing quite well despite the slowdown, it is partly because of its diversified economy. The life sciences and health technologies sector, with approximately 4,500 jobs, is also booming at the moment. The arrival of the vaccine factory of the American pharmaceutical giant Moderna at the Cité de la biotech de Laval, which is scheduled to open in 2024, will create 75 jobs.
Manufacturing companies, with their 22,000 jobs in Laval, also represent a major part of the economy. Work is being done on the territory to make them greener. In particular, the Laval Chamber of Commerce and Industry launched a support program in the spring to help businesses become zero waste by 2040 by focusing on the circular economy.
“We will also be launching an electronic tool this fall where companies can announce their rejections to find buyers,” said Caroline De Guire, President and CEO of the Chamber.
Upstream, a great deal of material characterization work had to be carried out. “It’s interesting for companies because some contractors require them to make concrete efforts to improve their carbon footprint,” explains the CEO. Then, companies have to pay a fortune to get rid of their rejects. Now they can sell them. »
