Publications

Yearly Carte Proximité Program Reports

Launched in 2020 to test and document increasing household purchasing power of local food through a digital food coupon system, Carte Proximité has now proven its impact. The program is currently expanding to various regions of Quebec. Learn more about the impressive impact of this innovative, community-based program through its annual reports, published each year by the regional coordination team.

Research Reports

Collaboration with the Department of Dietetics at McGill University – 2024 to present

Since 2024, we have been fortunate to host master’s students from McGill University’s Department of Dietetics. These students have significantly advanced our understanding of the impacts of Carte Proximité. We invite you to explore their research stage projects:

Collaboration with the Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique – 2021

Evaluation being at the heart of this pilot project, a partnership was created with a research team, thanks to substantial financial support in 2021. To document and evaluate Carte Proximité in its second year, Carrefour Solidaire CFC was fortunate to collaborate with a research team led by Geneviève Mercille, affiliated with the Centre de recherche en santé publique (CReSP). The research team was coordinated by Myreille Hébert, with assistance from Elsie Harb. 

Read the CReSP study report (in French)

Media Coverage

Timeline of Carte Proximité’s Development

2020 – The pilot project was launched with the support of the Direction Régionale de Santé Public, as the pandemic took hold in Quebec, exacerbating existing food insecurity issues. The project was therefore initiated in a context of increased needs and reduced community resources. The program quickly demonstrated incredible effectiveness and impact, with very promising initial results.

2021 – The success of the project’s first year provided significant momentum for its second year. More partners, a greater number of households reached, and numerous fruitful collaborations marked this second year of expansion, which was not without its challenges, for Carte Proximité. A research collaboration with the CReSP (Regional Centre for Public Health) helped to document its impact.

2022 – Carte Proximité launched a 12-month annualized program, with support from the Quebec government’s Metropolitan Area Outreach Initiatives Fund and the Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security, Feed Innovation.

2023 – Implementation of a new transactional card management platform, Tomat, in partnership with Collectif Récolte, which enabled the program to achieve unprecedented efficiency. Program expansion to Laval!

2024 – The fifth year of Carte Proximité was marked by a positive response to a major funding request from the Public Health Agency of Canada, ensuring stability and growth for the next three years. Several program developments took place in 2024, including: the creation of an Inclusion Charter, an in-depth analysis of data from the Tomat transactional platform, and a first pilot project in Outaouais.

2025 – Program expansion to the Eastern Townships!

2026 – Program expansion to Lanaudière and Lévis! Launch of a major research project with Centraide of Greater Montreal and the University of Montreal – more information coming soon!

Carte Proximité’s Charters

Local Sourcing Charter
Inclusion Charter