Annual Activity Report 2019-2020

Exchanging energy

The Foundation’s employees do not hesitate to go above and beyond their professional responsibilities, always ready to rally in a show of solidarity.

March 16 was set aside for sharing ideas about our Social Action Day, when employees spend time supporting one or more organizations. Thanks to a survey conducted amongst 72 organizations, we collected information that pointed us to new ways of providing these organizations with relevant ad hoc assistance. Unfortunately, the event was postponed when the COVID-19 storm hit. However, in collaboration with Marc Robillard, owner of the Uniprix Julie Binette pharmacy in Valcourt, we were able to redirect the budget allocated for Social Action Day to purchase and donate two pallets of personal care products to Moisson Estrie.

Listen to the audio clip

Helping one another comes naturally

Our tradition of employee volunteerism is going strong.

Since 2010, close to $200,000 has been raised for 82 organizations as part of the Employee Volunteer Engagement Recognition Program.*

* The most popular volunteer activities are one-time events carried out by teams, for which the Foundation grants up to $2,000 per year per organization.

This year’s employee fundraising campaign is for the benefit of the Centre des femmes la Parolière in Sherbrooke, supporting women as they discover and develop their strengths and take on new challenges.

A history filled with love

France Dubois, Documentation Technician

“The pioneer of our Library retired after 48 years of dedicated work. France Dubois devoted her entire career to expanding access to culture, helping young people discover the joy of reading and finding ways to diversify services available to local schools. She truly loves people; it was obvious in the way she welcomed and cared for her community, always asking questions and showing interest for everyone. She left us quite a legacy: a history of love, a vast pool of knowledge and a lifetime of experience. France will always be an icon etched in the Library’s memory.” – Tribute from colleague Mélissa Petit

The ballad of…

Claudette Gravel, Assistant Director, Administrative Services

“It goes without saying that the Foundation got lucky 40 years ago when you joined our ranks. We are really going to miss you! But let’s look on the bright side: no more month ends, no more bookkeeping or intense budget periods… say hello to a permanent vacation! Your only goal now is to focus all your energy on a successful retirement. If you approach it with the same intensity you brought to your work at the Foundation, I’m not worried, it will be brilliant!” – Excerpt, tribute from colleague Sonia Labrecque

From one ecosystem to another

Just like helping one another, sharing knowledge is a key component of our organizational culture/ecosystem. Our staff proudly and enthusiastically attends external events where they share knowledge and expertise with others.

Listen to the audio clip

Fun, surprising, educational

The team is constantly renewing itself and never ceases to surprise us with its rich programming.

On the side of the Museum of Ingenuity

We held two Repair Café events—they were a huge success! Collaboration is key to this kind of event, and we just can’t help bragging about the excellent work done by some 20 volunteers. Once again, we relied on volunteers from the Maison des jeunes l’Initiative (youth drop-in centre), college students from the Electronic Audio/Video Equipment Repair program at the Centre de formation professionnelle 24-Juin (vocational education centre) and students from L’Odyssée secondary school, as well as members of the community.

The tourist season got off the ground with the first industry event organized in the Val-Saint-François region, Le Val se dévoile, which we organized in partnership with Tourisme Val Saint-François. Some 50 representatives from various tourist attractions attended. On the agenda: workshops on cross-marketing and social networking, a VIP tour of the Museum and the Cultural Centre, and a networking session.

In November, we hosted the team from Muséomix for a three-day creative marathon. Approximately 30 people from the arts, science, design, communications and digital sectors pushed the Museum’s limits to come up with innovative prototypes.

On the side of the Cultural Centre and Library Yvonne L. Bombardier

The Cultural Centre is also forging ties, broadening its horizons and discovering new talent. Our team is fortunate to be able to count on local partners such as the Maison des Jeunes l’Initiative and the Grand Valcourt cultural committee for a number of events, including activities for spring break.

In partnership with the Sporobole contemporary art centre, we welcomed artists Alexandre Castonguay and Mariángela Aponte Núñez for the unveiling of the creation they completed during their month-long residency at the Museum’s Fab Lab. The work was then showcased at the Cultural Centre.

We also had the chance to collaborate on two projects with Studio B-12, which offers creative residencies in Valcourt. Nine authors shared their unpublished works with us at a lively afternoon cocktail. Later, we hosted the second edition of our evening bistro event, giving eight students from the École nationale de la chanson de Granby, a school offering specialized training to singer-songwriters, the opportunity to share their talent with us after a one-week residency at the studio.

It’s more fun together!

The Museum and Cultural Centre joined forces for special events to expand their offer, much to visitors’ delight!

Some 1,500 visitors attended the Mordus de l’hiver event; it was a thrilling day! All the classics were there: the snowmobile parade, the antique snowmobile exhibition, snowmobile rides and snow tubing near the Museum. The crowd also enjoyed a presentation by author and celebrated snowmobile specialist Pierre Pellerin about his favourite antique snowmobiles. Trep Freestyle was back for the second time with its snowmobile and ATV freestyle display. At the Cultural Centre, visitors had fun playing a seek and find game, part of the Le cycle de la vie (The Cycle of life) exhibition. Toddlers were treated to two magic shows and a temporary tattoo workshop. Our activities were enhanced through partnerships with the Optimist Club, the City of Valcourt and IGA Ouimette Fille et Fils.

Cartonville set up camp at the Museum for spring break for the second year in a row. Lorraine Dagenais, featured artist at the Cultural Centre, led three workshops related to her work, adding details and a touch of finesse to our visitors’ constructions. At the Cultural Centre, visitors attended a workshop on insects, a conference given by YouTuber PL Cloutier, a cinema club where they watched the movie Royal Corgi and a storytelling hour.

Listen to the audio clip

Customized responses

The archives team processed 430 historical and technical information requests this year.

Various archival projects, acquisitions and two exhibitions mounted for the display window all contributed to showcasing the archival fonds. The year was spent meticulously researching, documenting, analyzing and writing.

Three major requests kept the team busy this year:

• The 50th anniversary of BRP Design Listen to the audio clip
• The 100th anniversary of BRP-Rotax® Listen to the audio clip
• The episode on Joseph-Armand Bombardier in the series titled Dans les pas de… broadcast on the Historia channel Listen to the audio clip

Gearing up to share history

The expression "perfection lies in the details" is well known to the team members who take great care of History in all its forms.

Here is a glimpse of their secrets:

• Updating the history training offered to new Foundation employees
• Digitizing 35 technical publications of industrial vehicles available at no cost on the Museum website
• Drafting a catalogue of the descriptions and records in the archives to optimize research
• Lightening the load of 382 boxes of archival material, reducing the risk of injury
• Replacing 358 metal 16-mm film cases with plastic cases for improved preservation
• Weeding out 22 boxes of press reviews to free up shelf space
• Processing of the Laurent Beaudoin fonds was completed: The description of more than 127 boxes of archival material was entered in the AtoM database; 300 cassettes containing 118 interviews with Laurent Beaudoin and his collaborators were digitized by an external firm and transferred to hard drives for preservation.
• Various archival activities were conducted by three students: More than 1,500 slides of recreational products were digitized; Several hundred documents from the J. Armand Bombardier fonds were digitized; The Rotax® fonds contained in 17 archival boxes was processed.

Life stories

Listen to the audio clip

Sharing knowledge

The Museum’s archives display window featured two exhibitions: Bombardier on two wheels! and 50 years of loyal service.

More than 80 documents from the archives were showcased, and a testimony was recorded to enhance the intangible heritage of the Bombardier archives. The department was also actively involved with the Réserve 2.0 project, which blossomed into the Conquest through innovation guided tour, a display of the vehicles in our reserve in chronological order. For the project, the team gathered and validated historical and technical content related to the vehicles exhibited, and compiled the information in a reference document for production projects.

The framework agreement signed with the Université de Sherbrooke last year yielded research and analysis that opened up promising avenues for the creation of future production projects related to the J. Armand Bombardier fonds.

Listen to the audio clip

Our expertise is much sought after for external projects and activities. We were actively involved in designing the Plaisirs d’hiver (Winter pleasures) exhibition presented at the Manoir Richelieu in Charlevoix.

Listen to the audio clip

Today, social media is the way to go to share expertise and expand our audiences. A total of 269,718 people listened to our history capsules. The most popular publication of the year was the video on the Montréal-New York Safari on Sea-Doo® watercraft in 1969 Montréal-New York Safari on Sea-Doo® watercraft in 1969..

Preserving our heritage

The team acquires, preserves and showcases an impressive collection of vehicles connected to one of Québec’s most prominent figures. A number of its finest specimens were featured in major exhibitions. Some of the items from the collection travelled as far as Austria, while others were relocated to give visitors a new experience. The collection was also enhanced with several striking acquisitions.

The Museum gives visitors the chance to explore ingenuity through a hands-on experience that includes multimedia shows, surprising artifacts and immersive displays. Thanks to funding awarded to our operations by the ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation (MÉI), we will be able to continue our mission. The year was filled with collaborative projects, such as working with Sherbrooke’s Musée de la nature et des sciences for our travelling exhibition on biomimicry.

Navigating the exhibitions

A tight-set project management: exhibitions are thought through at least 3 years before the date of the inauguration. Three years to generate ideas, consult experts and partners, script, write, research, acquire or borrow artefacts, design interactives, panels, etc.

Funded by the Canadian Heritage Museums Assistance Program, the tour of the Inspiring NATURE, inspired TECHNO: biomimicry & transport exhibition in British Columbia came to an end in August 2020. A new tour scheduled for next year will be managed by Sherbrooke’s Musée de la nature et des sciences.

The Fab Lab community exhibition ran until March 2020, giving an overview of the philosophy of sharing that fuels the Fab Lab movement. Participants got a glimpse of some inspiring and enthusiastic members of the international movement as well as the network here in Québec. The greatest challenge consisted in gathering 10 projects from around the world, some of which were completed at the Museum’s Fab Lab:

Certains ont été réalisés au Fab Lab du Musée:

• 3D printer from Africa
• Puppet theatre from Asia
• Woody bike from Europe

The teams were kept busy designing the Comfortable? Test your Transport exhibition. All of the interactive displays were designed and put in place by our own people, a major feat for our exhibition and IT team! Our partners, BRP, Bombardier and the Université de Sherbrooke, gave us a hand developing some of the displays and lent us objects for visitor testing activities. The exhibition—the most interactive produced by the Museum since it was renovated and reopened—presents elements taken into consideration by the transport industry to measure and improve passenger comfort, including sound, light, space and comfort as perceived by the human senses.

A collection in motion

Twenty-five objects from the collection circulated, giving the Museum good visibility.

Some of the institutions that benefited from the items were:

• BRP Valcourt – loan of vehicles and clothing for the 50th anniversary celebration of BRP Design
• BRP-Rotax®-Austria – loan of motors for the exhibition mounted for the 100th anniversary of Rotax® held in Austria
• Charlevoix Museum – loan of Bombardier clothing and accessories for the Plaisirs d’hiver exhibition held in partnership with the Charlevoix Museum, Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu and BRP

Other items travelled to Valcourt to enhance the collection:

• A Puch Maxi-S moped
• A Daytona Spyder concept vehicle
• A Bombardier Cargo

The time had come to reorganize the Museum’s reserve with a view to enhancing the collections. Fifty-six small vehicles and 14 large tracked vehicles were displayed in a 441 m² area in the Museum, a major challenge that the Museum team and colleagues from maintenance met with flying colours and in record time. Although three weeks were allotted to move the vehicles into place, the mission was accomplished in only four days. The historic Bombardier vehicles were placed in chronological order to provide a better understanding of the technical evolution of the vehicles as part of the Conquest through innovation tour.

A warm welcome

Skilled and friendly, the team also has a talent for multitasking: leading visual art tours at the Cultural Centre, developing Fab Lab workshops, designing unique expeditions into the world of Joseph-Armand Bombardier at the Museum and guiding BRP plant tours.

This year we had more visitors than ever, a clear indication that the enhanced visitor experience was a real hit among Museum-goers. Our unique approach to draw in new audiences, in particular organized groups, yielded positive results. We also noticed a significant increase in school groups:

• 2,840 elementary school students, a 19% increase
• 62 groups
• 514 visitors in one day, a record for a day of regular programming
• A very popular booth at the Festival Eurêka in the Old Port of Montréal attracted 3,350 visitors.

A survey conducted by the Museums of Québec (SMQ) in summer 2019 revealed that:

• 97% of visitors recommend our Museum
• 97% of families like the activities at the Museum
• 98% of visitors are satisfied with the activities/displays
• 99% of visitors are satisfied with the way they are welcomed and with staff courtesy

“I work for the Réseau muséal de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue (regional museum network) as Assistant Coordinator. The Museums of Québec gave us training on how to welcome families to the museum, and they cited the Museum of Ingenuity J. Armand Bombardier as a good example. I wanted to let you know, because it’s always nice to get positive feedback :)”
– Audrey Desrochers, former student guide

Thinking outside the box

The Cultural Centre and Museum pooled their resources to develop different educational programs and activities in the areas of science, technology and the arts:

• A decoding activity, part of the Fab Lab Community exhibition: Children learned about projects from Fab Labs from various continents through experiments, games and challenges. Together, they used digital tools to create their own game of snakes and ladders. A total of 1,326 young people participated in the activity.
• An educational program for each visual art exhibition at the Cultural Centre: Introduction to glass working and engraving techniques and a seek and find game inspired by the fascinating artwork, to name but a few.

At the Fab Lab, we extended the activities available to Valcourt schools:

• Les mardis tous garnis (all-dressed Tuesdays) de la Chanterelle One afternoon a month, students came to the Fab Lab to participate in two activities: initiation to computer-assisted 3D drawing and 3D printing.
• Learning profile activities for L’Odyssée Thanks to a partnership with the Foundation, we were able to offer students a four-session “Fab Lab –robotics” learning profile.

Fuelled by an ongoing desire to renew itself, the team brought us three major projects:

• J.-A.: What a swell fella
• Conquest through innovation
• A new itinerary at the BRP plant Listen to the audio clip

Developing innovative practices

Sunnybrook Health Science Centre – technology that is revolutionizing the treatment of neurological diseases

For 10 years, Sunnybrook has been a world leader in ultrasound research, using focused ultrasound with micro bubbles to penetrate the blood-brain barrier. Although this barrier protects the brain against toxins, it also blocks potentially helpful agents such as chemotherapy and antibodies.

This technology marks the beginning of a new era that is extremely promising for patients living with brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s, as well as for treating mental health problems such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

In 2011, the Foundation supported the creation of the first focused ultrasound machine now in use by various hospitals including the McGill University Health Centre in Montréal.

This year we committed to the production of a next-generation device. The new machine is more portable and cost-effective, and can be used in doctors’ offices, giving more people access to the technology.

Création et partage de savoirs

HEC Montréal – Un pont entre l’école de gestion et le secteur social

The IDEOS hub was created in 2011 by four HEC Montréal professors to support organizations whose main goal is to improve social issues in the community and in cultural, social and environmental settings.

The primary mission of IDEOS is to raise student awareness of management issues faced by organizations working in a context where financial resources are often unstable and/or where expenses grow faster than revenue.

IDEOS is structured around various projects: support, knowledge transfer, training and applied research. These actions share a common goal: to strengthen the management and governance of non-profit organizations.

This kind of heightened connection between different sectors of activity is vital to creating a more resilient ecosystem for social impact organizations.

Mobilisation d’une communauté

Théâtre Prospero – Un espace de réflexion et d’exploration théâtrale

The Théâtre Prospero was established in the Centre-Sud neighbourhood of Montréal as an anchor for developing new outlooks on theatrical creations as well as a meeting place for audiences and creators.

It is a place where current issues in theatre and society are embraced through close dialogue with artists and authors of diverse cultural backgrounds; a place where conventional thought is challenged.

Prospero’s founding company, Groupe La Veillée, hosts and supports 10 theatre companies with whom it shares space, resources and expertise. This pooling of resources leads to improved practices and contributes to the development of a theatre culture that is original, unique and accessible.

Renforcement des capacités

Partageons l’espoir – Aux premières loges du développement social

Inspired by the vision of a vibrant community where everyone has the opportunity and the means to achieve their dreams, Share the Warmth aims to help young people succeed, and to provide access to healthy food and health for all, as well as training in preparation for employment.

In recent years, the organization has shifted away from charity toward a capacity-building approach, with the aim of bringing more significant and long-term impacts to its community. Traditional front-line programs such as the food bank and the community thrift store have not been abandoned, since they meet basic needs. But actions are now focused on greater autonomy and engagement among participants.

The organization is still in the process of transforming. The neighbourhood is undergoing significant gentrification, bringing with it many challenges and the need to reflect. For instance, how can we create an environment conducive to the development and participation of all amid the growing gaps between participants?

Our scholarship programs

The philanthropic activity team manages these programs internally, using its own expertise while surrounding itself with experts as members of the various juries.

The Foundation manages three in-house scholarship programs:

• The Yvonne L. Bombardier visual arts scholarship supports a student enrolled in a Masters of Art program with $10,000, an exhibition at a Montréal venue and the production of a video portrait. This year’s winner is Caroline Cloutier, who charmed the jury with her remarkable mastery of photography. In September, the work of our 2018 winner, Nicolas Dufour-Laperrière, was on display at the Momenta Image Bienniale exhibition at the Galerie POPOP. Listen to the audio clip
• The J. Armand Bombardier scholarships are reserved for full-time students living in the Valcourt area. This year the Foundation awarded close to $231,000 to 103 grantees. Listen to the audio clip
• The Grants for women entrepreneurs honour Janine Bombardier (cultural and creative sector), Huguette Fontaine (technological innovation sector) and Claire Beaudoin (processing and manufacturing sector). These $10,000 grants are awarded each year in recognition of three women entrepreneurs at the head of organizations in operation for fewer than five years. This year’s winners are:
  • Marie Delannoy from Cartel
  • Érica Lebrun-Gauvin from Mme L’Ovary
  • Ashwaq Al-Hashedi from Invicare

Listen to the audio clip

The most sought after nectar

Our partner organizations clearly expressed a need for training and development, which convinced us of the merit of offering a program targeting specific needs that changes year to year based on current issues. The program creates a space for sharing and learning, the chance to better understand the challenges of working in the field, and an opportunity to work with extraordinary people whose commitment is truly inspiring.

Three events really stood out this year:

The networking cocktail organized in partnership with the Junior Chamber of Commerce of Montréal was an opportunity for 126 participants from the business community and the social sector to meet and reflect on the theme of bias, prejudice and privilege. It was also a chance to forge stronger ties with community stakeholders, including speakers Fabrice Vil, cofounder and President of Pour 3 Points, and Lia Grimanis, founder and Executive Director of Up With Women; as well as La Tablée des chefs, which generously shared its kitchen at the Jean-Talon market with us and served up culinary delights.

The workshop: Social impact, adopting a strategic, collaborative and anchored approach in your ecosystem. Presented by Christian Bélair, cofounder and President, and Yann Pezzini, Content Leader of Credo, a consulting firm specialized in impact strategy, the workshop gave 50 participants, mainly executive directors, the chance to use concrete tools to explore their positions as actors for social change, as well as their strategic, holistic and collaborative postures.

The workshop: Social media. Led by Francis Jetté, trainer and expert in social media strategies, the workshop unlocked the secrets of algorithms and gave tips for enhancing digital communication. For the first time, the waiting list (57 people) surpassed the number of available spots (30 participants).

We are also concerned with reducing the pressures on our ecosystem. At our workshops, we encourage the transmission of electronic presentation materials, use the services of caterers who work to promote occupational reintegration, promote the use of real dishes and bottles and, if no other option is available, use compostable utensils.

Our perennials

This year, we had the privilege of hosting our sixth cohort, made up of fun, lively and communicative people. Executive directors from 11 organizations with a variety of missions and from diverse locations turned out to be very enthusiastic when it came to sharing and learning from each other’s experience.

Over the years, we have noticed just how important the trusted space created by the cohort is to executive directors. In our opinion, the success of the cohort resides in the following:

• The retreat allows participants to forge close ties that facilitate sharing vulnerabilities and transparency.
• The program is not set ahead of time: it adapts to participants’ interests, concerns and current situations.
• Emphasis is placed on co-development and reflecting together on real-life challenges.
• A combination of theory and concrete material is on the agenda.
• The techniques presented can be reproduced in organizations: ideation, prototyping, design thinking, etc.
• Organizations can benefit from around 10 hours of personalized support.
• Members of the philanthropic activities team help design the meetings, host and facilitate discussions, and create a sense of belonging to a community of learners.

Two unifying events

Imagined jointly with the Esplanade, Possibles is a series designed to bring together actors from different sectors who contribute to the transformation of our societies. Social innovation is its backbone.

Two events took place this year, each presenting a local project and an international project in the form of a master class and a lecture for the general public.

The first focused on tech for good, data at the service of communities. Hosted by Matthieu Dugal from the programme Moteur de recherche, the speakers, Jean-Noé Landry (Open North) and Paul Duan (Bayes Impact) shared the floor at the Planetarium.

The theme of the second event was the collaboration between philanthropy and cities in the face of the growing social, climatic, economic and mobility issues that already affect the cities. The discussions were fuelled by the example of the "Grand Bargain" or Detroit's plan to get out of bankruptcy, explained by Federal Judge Gerald Rosen, Mariam Nolan of the Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, and Rip Rapson of the Kresge Foundation, all three of whom are very involved in this initiative. Stephen Huddart of the McConnell Foundation also shared several lessons learned from working together on local projects. 200 people attended the conference.