On thursday, june 4, la Coop Unifrontières, newly Uniag cooperative, held its third annual general meeting for the fiscal year ended november 30, 2019. The board of directors announced a consolidated surplus for the year of more than $3.5 million. While 2019 was a particularly difficult and challenging year for farmers, the board is pleased and proud to pay a total patronage refund of $1,371,514 to its members.

For the very first time, in the exceptional circumstances related to the pandemic, this meeting of members was held virtually, thanks to the support of a multimedia firm. More than 60 people participated in this unusual experience. In spite of the constraint of distancing, the procedures of the deliberative assemblies were literally followed.

“We can be proud of our co-op in 2019. Three years after the merger of Uniforce and Les Frontières and the arrival of Agriest, the expected synergies of the consolidation are evident, with a significant net equity on the balance sheet of nearly $60 million. Great things happened for Unifrontières last year. The major event of the year was, I believe, the integration of Norseco into our vegetable seed business. The pooling brings us significant savings, expertise and opportunities that further consolidate us as a leader in the vegetable sector throughout Quebec. “says Sylvain Brault, president of the board of directors.

“Like last year, the co-op is in excellent financial health and is well positioned to meet the many challenges that lie ahead. Our primary objective is to contribute to the success of our members by offering products and services that meet their needs in an ever-changing market. “says Jean-Sébastien Leblanc, General Manager.

At the General Meeting, four positions on the Board of Directors were up for election. Thus, under the supervision of Mr. Sylvain Brault, President of Elections, Ms. Louise Isabelle and Ms. Jenna Soesbergen, as well as Mr. Marc Quesnel were re-elected to their respective positions. Mr. Gabriel Van Winden was also elected for the position of sector 2 – MRC Jardins-de-Napierville, a seat that was left vacant following the departure of Mr. Daniel Lemieux earlier this year. The contribution of Mr. André Giroux (30 years of service) and Mr. Luc Leroux (10 years of service) as directors for the cooperative was also recognized, as their terms ended this year, as was expected with the abolition of their seats.

It is a tradition that the assembly is punctuated by the presence of speakers. However, for this first videoconference experience, it was agreed to stick to the essential elements of the agenda.

One of the major points of the meeting was the official adoption of the new name: Uniag Cooperative. The transition from La Coop Unifrontières to Uniag Coopérative will take place gradually over the next few months. Another decision was to change the date of the fiscal year, which now ends on the last Saturday of October, in order to conform to that of Sollio Groupe Coopératif.

For those who wish to obtain the 2019 Annual Report of La Coop Unifrontières in English or French, it is available in digital format on the website at the following address : https://unifrontieres.coop/en/cooperative/ . Some printed copies are also available on request by writing to communication@unifrontieres.coop.