the area, with Ericsson most recently set-
ting up a $1.3 billion investment in the ter-
ritory’s principal town of Vaudreuil-Dorion.
The tourism industry is also lucrative in
supporting economic gains because of
the region’s natural beauty and ease of ac-
cess. Given that the area is only a short
drive from downtown Montreal and sur-
rounded by water, Vaudreuil-Soulanges
acts as a getaway retreat from city life, of-
fering ideal trails for hiking and biking as
well as being surrounded by breathtaking
landscapes. As Turcotte explains, “It’s gor-
geous, even for a couple of hours if not
a couple of days.” Despite the efforts to
grow and expand industry within the re-
gion, Turcotte recognizes the importance
of protecting the beauty of Vaudreuil-Sou-
langes’ natural environment by creating
a “Cleantech and Life Sciences” sector
within the CLD. The idea, he says, is to “do
business without having negative impacts
on the environment.”
CLD’s clean technology goal is developed
by private partners such as Gaz Metro, the
main distributer of natural gas in Quebec
NOVEMBER 2015
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business elite canada
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