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2026-2027 fundraising campaign

Intolerance divides: our stories unite

In recent months, it’s been hard to escape news headlines reminding us that intolerance toward LGBTQ+ communities is still very much alive. From Val-David to Berlin, hostile acts and rhetoric all too often make the headlines. Most recently, right here in Montreal, a young student was arrested after planning an attack at a high school targeting members of the LGBTQ+ and visible minority communities. In the schools we visit, we also see that prejudice and discomfort regarding sexual and gender diversity are on the rise and dividing students. This is very concerning, but there are also reasons for hope, because our stories have the opposite effect: they bring people together. 

Every day, our volunteers show us that by sharing their stories and answering young people’s questions—simply and without judgment—it’s possible to spark dialogue, break down prejudices, and bring together people who otherwise might never cross paths.

To continue this vital work, we need your support. The goal of our 2026-2027 campaign is $400,000. With only a fraction of our funding coming from the government, your generosity is essential to enable us to train our volunteers, continue our school-based programs, and reach even more young people. In this climate of intolerance and division, your contribution has the power to bring young people together through stories filled with authenticity and openness to others. 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for believing in our mission and in a brighter future for everyone!

GRIS's goal

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Testimonials

Cabinet of Campaign 2026-2027

Discover the members involved in our campaign team. Thanks to their conviction and their large network, they help us raise a large part of our funds.

 Co-president

Gautier Péchadre

Raymond Chabot Grant Thornton

Gautier Péchadre is a Partner in the Turnaround and Insolvency Group at RCGT in Montreal. Specialized in the accompaniment of companies in difficulty, he enjoys challenges and knowing that he is making a difference in his community. Member of the Board of Directors of the Joseph-François Perrault Music School Foundation and involved in the United World College movement, he is convinced that education is the key to making our world a better place. As Nelson Mandela said, "None of us, acting alone, can achieve success". With GRIS, we aim to eliminate prejudices one by one, taking one step at a time, one donation at a time.

 Co-president

Annabelle Cadieux

Novaconcept

With a degree in organizational management, Annabelle Cadieux has over 20 years' experience in business management, team management and organizational development consulting. Passionate about developing people's full potential within companies, her mission is to transform workplaces into healthy, fulfilling, productivity-enhancing spaces. Through the projects she leads, she works to create inclusive corporate cultures where everyone feels respected and valued, whatever their origins, gender, sexual orientation or abilities. An agent of change, Ms Cadieux works with GRIS MTL to help promote acceptance of sexual and gender diversity, and to reach out to a clientele at the heart of our future society: youth.

 

Marc-André Nantais

Jarislowsky Fraser

 

Dominic Chaîné

Oktodev

Dominic Chaîné joined Oktodev in 2024 as Vice President and Operating Partner. He actively contributes to the company's growth by structuring operations, overseeing investments, and collaborating on developing relationships with partners and investors. Dominic has nearly 15 years of experience in the real estate industry. Before joining Oktodev, he held various positions at Ivanhoe Cambridge, where he served as Chief of Staff to the President and CEO, supporting international operations and strategy. Deeply involved in the business community, Dominic lends his expertise to initiatives aimed at making real estate development more sustainable and inclusive, particularly through his involvement in the non-profit side of real estate development, with a focus on affordable housing. Passionate about innovation and collaboration, he is interested in how the private sector can contribute to solutions with a social impact. Dominic holds a Master of Business Administration (Real Estate) from Laval University in Quebec City.

 

Nicholas Blach

Stikeman Elliott

Nicholas Blach is an attorney at Stikeman Elliott LLP and a member of the Tax Group since 2016. He is involved in his law firm's National Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, where he has been actively involved since 2020. Recently, he helped found the "Pride Alliance," a national affinity group for people at Stikeman Elliott who identify as members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community to share issues affecting the community in an informal forum. For the 2022 Montreal Pride Festival, Nicholas helped organize the Stikeman Elliott Spinning for Pride event, with all proceeds going to GRIS-Montreal. In this role, Nicholas seeks to contribute to the development and implementation of various DCI initiatives, including those aimed at promoting greater understanding and acceptance of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in the workplace. Nicholas' commitment to 2SLGBTQIA+ causes is rooted in a deep sense of empathy and a desire to make a difference in the lives of those who have traditionally been marginalized and excluded.

 

Tatiana Lamoureux Gauvin

McGill University

Passionate about teaching and training, Tatiana designs and delivers training courses for a variety of organizations, on a wide range of human resources and management topics. Tatiana is also a lecturer and EDI Associate at Desautels, McGill's Faculty of Management. She teaches a variety of courses including human resources management, multicultural management, organizational behavior and others. Tatiana is dedicated to providing her students with a learning experience that is optimal for their learning process and development. Through her discussions of EDI in her training courses, she sees how intolerance and prejudice often stem from a lack of knowledge, and therefore how education brings a powerful potential for change. She also sees how sexual and gender diversity is still often misunderstood, leading to the all-too-frequent marginalization of people from these communities. So it was with hope and a strong conviction that GRIS can really make a difference that Tatiana chose to get involved this year.

 

Guillaume Sans

iA Financial Group

Guillaume Sans is a communications and marketing specialist. He has been with iA Financial Group since 2022, where he also holds the role of President of the LGBTQ+ Employee Resources Group. Having evolved in several industries including luxury tourism, urban commercial development and the financial sector, Guillaume has always been committed to helping companies implement an ethical, diverse and inclusive culture. Always involved and motivated, Guillaume believes in working collaboratively and educating groups and individuals to live in a better world where everyone can be themselves, without fear of physical or mental abuse. Getting involved with GRIS-Montréal is important to him in order to combat prejudice and help create tomorrow's society.

 

Anne B-Godbout

Concertium

Anne B-Godbout has been working in communications and marketing for over 15 years, with a strong focus on all things digital. After working at GRIS-Montréal as communications manager in 2013-2014, she stayed on as a volunteer for a few years. She is happy to be back and involved with this organization that is dear to her heart, this time as a member of the fundraising cabinet. Now that her children are grown, she has noticed that the climate is completely different from when she was previously at GRIS-Montréal. This is a sign that we must never take social progress for granted and must not slacken in the essential work that GRIS-Montréal does.

 

Francis Lafortune

 

Renaud Gravel

BLG

Renaud is a lawyer and manager of professional recruitment and student programs at BLG (Montreal office). Committed to diversity and inclusion, Renaud sits on the board of directors of the Canadian LGBTQ2S+ Lawyers Association and is also a member of the organizing committee for the Prisme conference, an annual inclusive and collaborative forum for discussing current issues facing 2SLGBTQ+ individuals in the legal profession. He has also served as president of the Montreal chapter of Start Proud (formerly Out On Bay Street), a national organization that supports the professional development of LGBTQ2S+ students and young professionals by ensuring a successful transition from academia to the job market.

 President emeritus

François Leclair

Groupe Leclair

Participating in classroom interventions since 2012, I have been able to see the difference that each encounter can have in the lives of young people, regardless of their orientation or gender identity, by demystifying an often taboo subject and putting a face and experience on our reality. I have also been able to see, over the years, the changes in society's mentality and the work we still have to do. It is a privilege for me to join, for an eleventh year, a team of men and women committed to making a difference in the fight against homophobia, transphobia, intolerance and ignorance that still exist. I invite you to generously support us.

 President emeritus

Claude Marchand

LCI Education Network

Since 2014, Claude Marchand is the President and CEO of the LCI Education network. He joined the organization in 2008, as Director of Marketing, and showed continuous commitment to LCI Education’s vision of growth through numerous acquisitions and successful partnerships with the primary mission of connecting people to opportunity through high-quality education. With now over 3,000 people in the organization as well as thousands of students who graduate from local and international campuses yearly, Claude envisions the LCI Education to become the leader in private education around the world.