On April 6 and 7, the Regional Director for the Communities visits Montreal, Canada, to take part in the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of Caisse Desjardins Portugaise, an institution founded in 1969 by a group of Portuguese emigrants residing in this city.
The Caisse Desjardins Portugaise, currently chaired by Azorean emigrant Emanuel Linhares, has played a key role in supporting associations, clubs, schools and other Portuguese organisations and entities in the Canadian province of Quebec, in addition to granting several scholarships in recent years.
With about 6,000 members, mostly Portuguese, this banking institution, a subsidiary of the Desjardins Group, was the recipient of the Medal of Merit of the World Council of Houses of the Azores in 2015 during the presidency of the House of the Azores of Quebec.
In the context of these celebrations, the Regional Director for the Communities will attend the Gala marking the institution's anniversary and the show "All in Music" at Théâtre St. Denis, which will feature António Pinto Bastos and Alexandre da Costa, among other artists.
In this visit to Canada, Paulo Teves also meets with the Board of the House of the Azores of Quebec, chaired by Alfredo Ponte, who has recently taken over the leadership of this entity that represents the community of Azoreans and Azorean descendants residing in this Canadian province. The promotion of the Azores and the preservation of their cultural values in the most diverse areas is the main mission of this institution.
Founded in 1978, the House of the Azores of Québec is a founding member of the World Council of Houses of the Azores and develops various activities through the "Reviver" Day Centre, the "Recordações" Folk Music Group and the "Ilhas de Encanto" Folk Dance Group.