
VertCité is a non-profit organization that was created on March 25, 2004, by a group of citizens and the borough of Saint-Laurent. Originally known as the Centre de recherche et d’action pour le bien-être environnemental (C.R.A.B.E), the organization changed its name in 2012.
VertCité manages projects and offers sustainable development services while acting as a resource for the population on this subject. The organization runs the Éco-quartier program in the boroughs of Saint-Laurent and Pierrefonds-Roxboro.
VertCité develops and manages a variety of educational projects about environment, greening waste management, urban agriculture, food security, urban biodiversity and active transportation.
The organization also manages and develops other projects such as the Érablière Urbaine spring event, Cultivons Saint-Laurent, the biodiversity Day and the Saint-Laurent Harvest Fest.
OUR TEAM

GUY DÉZIEL
Director
Graduated from the University of Montreal in organic chemistry. After 35 years in the private sector, specializing in management and optimization of operations, I have been working in the community sector for 10 years. More specifically at the helm of VertCité since June 2011, I have been transferring knowledge and expertise within a direction focused on transparency, the search for efficiency and teamwork.

UDAVI CRUZ MARQUEZ
Coordinator of the éco-quartier Pierrefonds-Roxboro
Since 2015, I have been involved in different projects to protect natural resources (our Mother Nature). I strongly believe in joint collaboration for collective well-being including all plants, animals, fungi and microorganisms on the planet. I am a biologist and master in tropical ecology, passionate about physical practices for health (yoga) and indigenous ceremonies of North America. Since the end of 2021, I have taken over the projects of the Pierrefond-Roxboro eco-quartier, happy to collaborate with my colleagues from VertCité.

PHILIPPE MARCHAND
Project coordinator at the éco-quartier Saint-Laurent
My curiosity has transported me through more than 10 years of experience in the community world, ranging from international solidarity to culture, obviously including the environment. Rooted in Saint-Laurent since my childhood, it is with pleasure that I drive the Éco-quartier Saint-Laurent program, the Quartier 21 project in the Chameran-Lebeau sector and the Érablière Urbaine.

CLÉMENCE BALLET
Urban Agriculture Project Manager
As a great lover of plants and nature, joining the wonderful world of urban agriculture seemed obvious to me after a 10-year career in marketing.
My main focus: accessibility to fresh and local products, make the cities greener and create social ties.

ALEXIS LEGARÉ-HAMEL
Environmental Education Project Manager
Interested for many years in the socio-cultural and ecological issues facing contemporary societies, I attach great importance to the impact of environmental issues on the quality of life in urban areas.
I am therefore pleased to be involved in the realization of projects that promote eco-responsible practices and the collective well-being of all residents of the Saint-Laurent borough, where I grew up and to which I remain deeply attached.

ALINE GUÉDÉ
Environmental Information Agent
With a degree in communication, I started a personal shift towards a more ecoresponsible life. Thus, raising awareness about the importance of protecting the environment was an obvious choice. The more we develop our knowledge about our beautiful planet, the more our interest grows and the more likely we are to protect it. My mission: to share the knowledge and tools necessary for citizens to save the environment at their level.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS

MATHIEU ROY-CAISSY
Chairman
Mathieu has served as a director at VertCité since 2019. He graduated from HEC Montreal in business intelligence, and from the University of Montreal in mathematics. He worked for four years in marketing before transitioning to data science in order to follow his interest in artificial intelligence.
Mathieu believes that the change towards healthier living practices must happen at the local level: urban agriculture, clean-up chores, solidarity market, etc. This is what drives him to want to contribute to the success of VertCité.

MAXIME ROUSSEAU TURENNE
Vice-chairman
Eager to become more involved in the development of the Saint-Laurent borough community, where he has resided for over twenty years, Maxime joined the Board of VertCité as a director in 2017.
A member of the Quebec Bar since 2016, he practices within the commercial litigation team of the Montreal law firm Lavery, de Billy. Maxime is convinced of the importance for a citizen to be socially involved in his community and has been involved in charitable organizations for many years in this capacity.
Maxime holds a law degree from the Université de Montréal.

TONY LAM
Treasurer
An accountant by training, Tony wanted to combine his professional skills with his personal interest in sustainability when he joined the VertCité Board of Directors as Treasurer in 2016. Tony has had a passion for sustainable development since his university education where he was successively project manager, secretary general and board member of HumaniTERRE, a student organization dedicated to raising awareness of sustainable development issues at HEC Montreal.
Tony is currently working as an audit engagement manager at KPMG. He holds a BAA and a DESS in Professional Accounting from HEC Montreal. He is in the process of obtaining his CPA Auditor designation.

SOPHIE COURVILLE
Director and Secretary
Sophie has served as a director and secretary of the VertCité Board of Directors since 2021. She strongly believes in VertCité’s mission to facilitate environmental projects in community settings.
Sophie is a lawyer practicing in litigation and dispute resolution with Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt in Montreal. She is very interested in the issue of climate change. As part of her studies, she wrote a master’s thesis on environmental litigation in Canada aimed at forcing the government to respect its commitments to reduce greenhouse gases.
Sophie completed a Bachelor of Laws degree at the University of Sherbrooke, a graduate program in common law at Queen’s University and a Master of Laws degree at Queen Mary of London University.

ISABELLE COUTURIER
Director
Isabelle has served as a director on the VertCité Board of Directors since 2022. With a bachelor’s degree in psychology (Université de Montréal) and a master’s degree in organizational development/human resources (HEC Montréal), she wanted to put her professional skills and knowledge to work for an organization like VertCité, and to participate in the realization of its mission and the communities it serves.
She believes strongly in VertCité’s mission, which includes teaching and raising awareness. Although environmental issues are not only played out at the individual and community level, she believes that these are important levers for mobilization.

CHRISTOPHER DUBÉ
Director
An architect by training, Christopher was looking to get more involved in the community on projects focused on sustainable development. While studying architecture at the University of Montreal, Christopher became interested in urban and ecological issues, and the role that citizens have to play in the fight against climate change. He believes that the quality of the built environment can only be guaranteed by decentralized citizen involvement.
OUR FINANCING PARTNERS
Thank you to all of our partners! You make our projects possible and help us guide Montrealers through their ecological transition.





