Montréal, October 1, 2012 – Unlike most telecommunications companies, Videotron has decided to take an environmentally responsible approach, with the help of Earth Day Québec, and to cover the environmental costs arising from new recycling requirements for the vast majority of the products it carries. Videotron is meeting new Government of Québec regulations1 by conducting its own electronic equipment recovery program, extending the successful Allo la Terre program, operated by Videotron and Earth Day Québec. Over the past four years, Allo la Terre has recovered nearly 86,000 cell phones and accessories.
In keeping with its commitment to corporate citizenship, Videotron is taking numerous green initiatives to reduce its environmental footprint, said Robert Dépatie, President and CEO of Videotron. We are very proud to be able to say that we are fulfilling our environmental responsibilities when it comes to recycling and we are pleased to be working with a highly respected organization and with all Quebecers. Our priority is to take concrete action without adversely affecting our customers.
The management of electronic wastes is a major issue in Québec and globally, said Pierre Lussier, Executive Vice President of Earth Day Québec. The Allo la Terre program has been reducing those wastes for four years. Today, thanks to our strong partnership with Videotron and Quebecor, rooted in a determination to take concrete action, it is possible to meet the new regulatory requirements without charging eco fees.
Easy to do, close to home
Quebecor and Videotron encourage consumers to bring mobile handsets and other small electronic equipment (cables, chargers, remote controls, tablets, batteries, etc.) to any Videotron, Le Superclub Vidéotron or Archambault location. Starting July 2013, set-top boxes, digital receivers and modems will also be accepted.
All proceeds from Allo la Terre go to Earth Day Québec to fund its community projects.
To find the nearest drop-off point, visit http://www.jourdelaterre.org/2011/03/comment-participer/
Earth Day Québec's mission is to support the efforts of individuals, organizations and companies to protect the environment by celebrating practical action on April 22 and every day of the year. In Québec, Earth Day has been celebrated since 1995. Since that time, the level of voluntary participation in environmental activities has grown steadily in Québec. Around the world, over one billion people in 192 countries now take action every year on Earth Day, the largest participatory environmental movement in the world. Every year, many Quebecers express their convictions and demonstrate new ways to shape the Québec of the future. Earth Day is an opportunity to highlight the hopes of millions of people who aspire to live in a world governed by respect for ourselves, others and the Earth's ecosystems.
Videotron (www.videotron.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, and Internet access, cable telephone and mobile telephone services. Videotron is a leader in new technologies with its interactive Digital TV service and its broadband network, which supports high-speed cable Internet access, analog and digital cable television, and other services. As of June 30, 2012, Videotron was serving 1,837,900 cable television customers, including 1,425,000 subscribers to its digital service. Videotron is also the Québec leader in high-speed Internet access, with 1,341,100 subscribers to its cable service as of June 30, 2012. As of the same date, Videotron had 347,600 subscriber connections to its mobile telephone service and was providing cable telephone service to 1,223,400 Québec households and organizations. For the seventh consecutive year, Videotron was named Québec's most respected telecommunications company by Les Affaires magazine, based on a Léger Marketing survey.
Quebecor Inc. (TSX: QBR.A, QBR.B) is a holding company with a 54.7% interest in Quebecor Media Inc., one of Canada's largest media groups, with more than 16,000 employees. Quebecor Media Inc., through its subsidiary Videotron Ltd., is an integrated communications company engaged in cable television, interactive multimedia development, Internet access services, cable telephony and mobile telephony. Through Sun Media Corporation, Quebecor Media Inc. is the largest publisher of newspapers in Canada. It also operates Canoe.ca and its network of English- and French-language Internet properties in Canada. In the broadcasting sector, Quebecor Media Inc. operates, through TVA Group Inc., the number one French-language general-interest television network in Québec, a number of specialty channels, and the SUN News English-language channel. Another subsidiary of Quebecor Media Inc., Nurun Inc., is a major interactive technologies and communications agency with offices in Canada, the United States, Europe and Asia. Quebecor Media Inc. is also active in magazine publishing (Publications TVA Inc.), book publishing and distribution (Sogides Group Inc. and CEC Publishing Inc.), the production, distribution and retailing of cultural products and music streaming (Archambault Group Inc. and TVA Films), video game development (BlooBuzz Studios, L.P.), DVD, Blu-ray disc and videogame rental and retailing (Le Superclub Vidéotron ltée), the printing and distribution of regional newspapers and flyers (Quebecor Media Printing Inc. and Quebecor Media Network Inc.), news content production and distribution (QMI Agency), multiplatform advertising solutions (QMI Sales) and the publishing of printed and online directories, through Quebecor MediaPagesTM.
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1 Under the Québec government's new regulations on extended producer responsibility (EPR) for electronic equipment, which have been in force since July 2012, first suppliers are responsible for recycling the materials used in the manufacture of the products attributed to them. For more details, see: http://www.mddep.gouv.qc.ca/matieres/valorisation/0803-REP_en.pdf
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