Montréal, April 4, 2007 – Videotron is pleased to be playing an active role in the Earth Day environmental campaign. This year, Videotron and its Earth Day spokesperson, singer/songwriter Daniel Boucher, will urge the company's 1.6 million customers to do something practical for the environment by switching to online billing. That could save up tens of tonnes of paper. Moreover, for each Videotron customer who decides to subscribe to online billing, the Earth Day – Québec organization will plant a tree here, in Québec.
Concrete action for the environment
"All of us must do something to help save the environment," said Robert Dépatie, President and Chief Executive Officer of Videotron. "Videotron has decided to do its part by taking concrete action that will have a measurable impact. If most of our customers opt for online billing, that will make a real contribution to sustainable development."
"Earth Day is pleased to be working with Videotron and the entire Quebecor family on this exciting and exceedingly cool project," said Jacques Languirand, spokesperson for Earth Day - Québec. "I have always wished that business people, whose job is to create wealth by applying their creativity and inventiveness, would use their talents to help save the planet. Today we are witnessing the birth of a new movement, which will reconcile economics and ecology. That is a win-win proposition for everyone: businesses, individuals, and most of all the Earth."
"We all live on the Earth," said Daniel Boucher," Videotron's spokesperson for Earth Day. "We need to listen to the Earth, take care of it, and cherish it. I agreed to be part of this project for two reasons: first, because online billing will save tonnes of paper and save trees, and secondly because I thought it was a great idea to plant a tree for every customer who subscribes to this way of billing."
Rallying customers to the cause
To help change the minds of as many clients as possible and therefore, plant an impressive number of trees thanks to the switch from printed invoices to online billing, Videotron is launching an advertising campaign featuring Daniel Boucher. He will be seen on television and on most of the company's communications tools urging Videotron customers to make the change.
While the campaign will encourage all Videotron customers to migrate from mailed invoices to online billing, the main focus will be on the 805,000 subscribers to Videotron's Internet access service.
Becoming a partner to help the environment
Videotron's green campaign, launched today by Quebecor, was given impetus by the partnership with Earth Day, an organization dedicated to practical action for the environment. The idea of planting a tree for every customer who agrees to receive his or her Videotron invoice electronically instead of by mail grew out of that partnership.
Earth Day-Québec will plant the trees as part of a project to create windbreaks along Québec highways. In addition to reducing winds and improving road safety, the natural protective belts will help sustain biodiversity by providing breeding grounds, resting places and feeding grounds for many species of animals.
"We know our customers care about the environment" said Robert Dépatie. "We are confident they will embrace online billing."
To do the switch from paper invoices to on-line billing, Videotron customers are invited to visit the Company's Web site at videotron.com/onlineinvoice
Earth Day (www.jourdelaterre.org) encourages individuals and businesses to take action to save the environment – on April 22 and every day of the year. Each year, more than 500 million people in 184 countries celebrate the environment by doing something practical on Earth Day, the largest participatory environmental movement in the world. In Québec, Earth Day has been celebrated since 1995 and a growing number of activities are organized each year. The campaign's goals for 2007 are to raise awareness of environmental issues, to educate people about what they can do on a daily basis to help the environment, and to encourage people to think, to act, to exchange ideas and change their habits.
Videotron Ltd. (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access services, cable telephony and wireless. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its illico interactive television system and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of December 31, 2006, Videotron was serving 1,572,000 cable television customers in Québec, including 624,000 illico subscribers. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 805,000 subscribers to its cable modem and dial-up services. Videotron also offers wireless phone service to 12,000 customers. As of January 15, 2007, Videotron was providing residential telephone service to 400,000 Québec households.
