The news is never really happy. But here, it must be said, it is reaching new heights.
Polarizing American elections, historic floods in Spain, bogged down wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, a crooked federal parliament and arguments over immigration. To balance things out a bit, let’s take a look at some businesses that work.
All united for Victory!
The best remedy for gloom is often a unifying sporting event. Do you have your tickets for the women’s hockey game on January 19 at the Videotron Center? I do! And I consider myself very lucky to have bought them early, because it’s heading towards an amphitheater filled to capacity.
I’m really looking forward to this first duel in Quebec between La Victoire de Montréal and La Charge d’Ottawa. The enthusiasm of the fans (and fans!) reflects the interest in women’s hockey, which is on the rise after a convincing first season for the team of Marie-Philip Poulin and Ann-Renée Desbiens.
Especially since, as colleague Mikaël Lalancette wrote on Wednesday, the response of the Quebec public on January 19 will guide Quebecor in its decision whether or not to submit an application for an expansion team of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (LPHF) in Quebec.
The FEQ, the best in Quebec
Another piece of good news for the capital may not have made the headlines, but last week the Festival d’été de Québec was crowned winner of Event of the Year at the Quebec Film Industry Gala. ADISQ whose main gala is held on Sunday evening.
At BLEUFEU, we were rightly jubilant.
Post Malone’s show was one of the highlights of the 2024 Summer Festival. (Caroline Grégoire/The Sun)
“This award demonstrates the commitment and passion of all those who work tirelessly to offer festival-goers a unique and unforgettable experience,” said President and CEO Nicolas Racine.
That sets the bar high for next summer. The compulsive festival-goer in me is already looking forward to it.
A future museum in good hands
On the provincial scene, we must also highlight the successful appointment of the former mayor of Gatineau, author and analyst Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin as the first general director of the future National Museum of the History of Quebec. The opening of this museum is planned for spring 2026 in the Camille-Roy pavilion of the Séminaire de Québec.
Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin will be the first general director of the future National Museum of the History of Quebec. (Archives Le Droit, Simon Séguin-Bertrand/Archives Le Droit, Simon Séguin-Bertrand)
Respected, nuanced, Mr. Pedneaud-Jobin will undoubtedly know how to surround himself well to launch this new institution. “That absolutely does not make me a historian,” Mr. Pedneaud-Jobin told Olivier Bossé a few hours after his appointment by the Minister of Culture and Communications, Mathieu Lacombe.
It must be said that the CAQ government really needed a nomination that would generate support for this project that survived the flop of Espaces Bleus, a project of 17 regional museums and a parent company in Quebec.
The announcement of this network in June 2021 was poorly put together and the CAQ finally abandoned it after an explosion in costs. The future museum has also been the subject of criticism regarding the choice to talk about history since Champlain. The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador (APNQL) said it hopes that the museum leaves room for the history of the First Nations.
It remains to be seen whether the work of Maxime Pedneaud-Jobin will live up to the good reception of his appointment.
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