03/19/2026
To mark our 50th anniversary, discover the history of TC Transcontinental. đ
On May 3, 1979, the acquisition of Imprimerie Chartier in Saint-Hyacinthe was finalized. Without realizing it, the partners had just laid the groundwork for TC Transcontinentalâs first expansion outside Quebec.
Indeed, a major opportunity arose: printing the "Globe" for the entire U.S. Market, the predecessor of which was the tabloid "Midnight", which ranked third in its category in the United States at the time. Québecor submitted a strong bid. Claude Dubois and Rémi Marcoux countered with an ambitious proposal: to build a state-of-the-art plant in Toronto, complementary to the one in Saint-Hyacinthe, both equipped with the most advanced technologies. The agreement was finalized in the summer of 1981, set to take effect in 1982.
But the situation was difficult. The company had no borrowing capacity due to the recent acquisition in Saint-Hyacinthe, its expansion, and the addition of a second press. The recession was raging, and interest rates were skyrocketing.
Never mind, the three partners took out personal loans, cut their salaries, personally purchased the future site of the printing plant in Brampton, and sold an asset. Still short by half a million, a supplier, the paper manufacturer Reed in Quebec City, lent them the sum in exchange for a future paper contract.
At the same time, to meet the demands of the "Globe" printing contract, the work organization was transformed: production shifted to a 7-day, single-shift schedule, generating 40% additional capacity. This model, first implemented at the Saint-Hyacinthe plant, was later expanded to the Saint-Laurent and Brampton facilities.
Beyond this expansion, this is above all the story of men and women who believed in a vision, faced uncertainty head-on, and demonstrated remarkable dedication. Fifty years later, this ambition continues to inspire us: to dare, to transform, and to growâtogether.
