Message from the President and the General Manager 3

We raise confidence 5

A common vision becomes reality 8

Let’s talk about traceability 11

Putting people at the heart of our actions 15

Our services, presented by the managers 17

By the numbers 29

Attestra - An attractive organization 34

Many thanks to everyone! 36

Attestra 2022-2023 Activity Report

Legal Deposit, 2nd Quarter 2023

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec

Library & Archives Canada

ISSN 1705-6039

© Attestra 2023

© TARMAC - Damien Ligiardi holds the copyright to the photos
in this report (apart from those on pages 8, 11, 12 and 14).
Any unauthorized use is prohibited.








Cover photo:
Brigitte Fortin

Brigitte is one of the three employees hired when Attestra
was created and still working for the organization, 22 years
after it was founded in 2001.

Message from the President and the General Manager

For Attestra,
2022-2023 was
a “grand cru”

In oenology, the appellation “grand cru” is the most distinctive way to characterize
a wine made from exceptional grape varieties.

If Attestra were a grand cru champagne, the past twelve months would make it a prestigious vintage, a unique blend of effort and actions by all stakeholders in the organization that have produced exceptional results.

As a required part of our three-year strategic plan, Attestra’s active members, directors, and management team together reviewed the past 2019-2022 strategic plan and defined the orientations and actions that they will follow through to 2026. In a context where emerging diseases are of increasing concern, such as highly pathogenic avian influenza or porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome, traceability has never been so crucial in its role of monitoring, preventing, and alerting all concerned in such cases. This mission now extends out into new territories since, from an environmental point of view, the importance of traceability is no longer in question, as demonstrated by the issue of contaminated soil. Considering these well-thought-out strategic reflections, the fruit of teamwork carried out with rigour and collegiality, Attestra has unveiled its new 2023-2026 strategic plan.

The orientations for the next three years encourage mobilization and include stimulating objectives. Whether it is technological challenges or human resource issues, Attestra is tackling them with determination to ensure the sustainability of the system and the organization. Among the four major orientations, two are aimed at supporting and collaborating even more closely with our government partners, namely the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) and the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP), in order to put in place the conditions that will promote the continuous improvement of data quality and the optimal use of the various databases and traceability systems. On the other hand, these orientations are also intended to fuel the reflections of user groups in the context of initiating projects aimed at exploiting traceability data, particularly the analysis of metadata and the contribution of artificial intelligence.

In this perspective, the strategic plan anticipates contact with researchers, experts, and institutes. The ambitious project of an intelligent platform for the marketing of lamb, in which Attestra is participating, is a good example of the added value that can emerge from traceability data. Other projects, notably the development of a predictive model for epidemiological monitoring, are all great research opportunities that add even more value to our database. These approaches will also allow us to establish guidelines for the possible uses of the data, while preserving their protection, integrity, and confidentiality.

In addition to strategic planning, the Attestra team has been working on several large-scale projects with its partners. The development of a computerized solution for sharing and using data to monitor antibiotics in the animal health sector for MAPAQ, and the management of a traceability system for excavated contaminated soil with MELCCFP are both projects to which the Attestra team has devoted a great deal of time over the past twelve months.

At the same time, after evaluating and strengthening its information technology security plan, Attestra developed an implementation plan to comply with the obligations of the Loi modernisant des dispositions législatives en matière de protection des renseignements personnels dans le secteur privé (Bill 25) and began deployment.

Allflex’s computer system upgrade issues were almost completely resolved during the past year. This situation, which lasted for almost 18 months, consumed the resources allocated to the Administrative and Financial Services and the Customer Services departments, which both demonstrated great resilience.

In summary, Attestra has had a very busy year, both in delivering day-to-day services and in preparing for the future. Our employees have demonstrated their commitment and professionalism by successfully adapting to a changing business environment: they are the real vintners of this exceptional year.

The 2022-2023 Activity Report highlights the human factor at the heart of each of our activities. Although we talk more and more about information technology and artificial intelligence, the fact remains that our actions are based on great people.

We would like to thank everyone - colleagues, directors, members, and partners, for your unwavering contribution and support.

It is a pleasure and an honour to work with you all.

Paul Doyon
President

Marie-Christine Talbot
General Manager

Portrait of Attestra

We raise
confidence

At the end of its 22nd fiscal year, Attestra is proud of the work accomplished at all levels of the organization. The preparation of this Activity Report is an opportunity to take stock of our accomplishments and to report on the achievements, issues and challenges that have been the daily lot of Attestra’s staff over the past 12 months. The overall picture for this fiscal year is more than positive, since several major projects have been initiated, processed, and completed, as you can read further on in this 2022-2023 edition of Attestra’s Activity Report.

Whether it was making organizational decisions, giving advice, innovating, being available to our clients, ensuring security or maintaining and improving services, each employee contributed with rigour and professionalism with regard to each of these missions. Behind the computer systems or the mobile applications, conscientious employees make informed decisions, assess the needs of our customers, and offer quality services. In an atmosphere of respect and mutual support, our team works methodically through structured processes established according to ISO 9001:2015 standards, each contributing according to their roles and responsibilities to the success of the organization. Our exceptional quality standards ensure the integrity of our service and raise confidence.

Our annual review is further enhanced by the three-year strategic planning exercise, which was conducted over a number of months in consultation with the organization’s leaders and decision makers. These strategic reflections consist of re-evaluating Attestra’s mission, vision and values, and ensuring that, over the next three years, the orientations identified reflect these foundations and correspond to our reality, particularly with regard to our human resources, finances, and various risks, while meeting the needs of our clients.

Our mission

Attestra develops, implements and manages identification and traceability systems while preserving the integrity and quality of the databases entrusted under its responsibility by ministries, sectors and organizations.

Our vision

Recognized for its unique expertise, technological know-how, rigour and personalized approach, Attestra is the partner of choice for developing and managing traceability solutions that raise confidence and enable its clients to achieve their objectives.

Attestra’s actions are driven and guided by these distinctive values

Excellence
and
professionalism

Versatility
and
responsiveness

Partnerships
and
collaboration

Achievement
and
having fun

Orientations to be addressed

An organization
that accomplishes
its mandate by following high quality
standards

... that strategically
values its know-how
and the data for which
it is responsible

... is financially solid

... is agile and
attractive

A common vision becomes reality

The original mandate

At the Rendez-vous de mi-parcours des décideurs du monde agroalimentaire (mid-term meeting of agri-food decision-makers) held in 2001, the Gouvernement du Québec and the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) set the objective of implementing an identification and traceability system for agricultural products. Born out of a partnership between the UPA, the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation du Québec (MAPAQ) and La Financière agricole du Québec (FADQ), Agri-Traçabilité Québec (ATQ), now called Attestra, was created. The first mandate given to ATQ was to implement an identification and traceability system in the cattle (dairy and beef) and sheep sectors, with the cervid sector being integrated a few years later.

The implementation of traceability as an agricultural practice in Québec was made possible thanks to the collaboration of a whole network of stakeholders, and it is essential that their efforts, at times constraining, continue in order to guarantee the effectiveness and reliability of the system. The objectives established in 2001 were to rapidly contain and eliminate a crisis, to trace back any identified animal to its herd of origin, to know its history, movements and location at any given time, and to improve diagnostic and monitoring capacity to reduce the risks associated with importing and exporting animals. To date, these objectives remain the foundation of the farm animal traceability system. Faced with these challenges, Attestra has continued to support stakeholders in their daily traceability obligations and to develop its products and services.

The evolution of the tools of traceability

Whether it is a matter of applying regulations, transmitting traceability data, ensuring the retention of identifiers or reading 15-digit numbers, the Attestra team has worked tirelessly since its inception to find solutions that facilitate the work of stakeholders and to improve the tools put in place over the years.

Québec’s expertise and success have also echoed outside of the province and today the system’s value contributes to the improvement of Canadian traceability, for example with the PigTRACE and DairyTrace systems. Attestra has also broadened its field of intervention and used the experience of its personnel and its technological advances in non-agricultural sectors.

The AGTWeb solution is a computer application entirely designed, developed and supported by Attestra, which allows for the management of identification and traceability data. The application has been created using a modular structure to allow for the management of several activities and to customize the application.

AGTWeb

Value-added
projects

•  Monitoring
of antibiotics

•  Agneau-info
platform

•  Sustainable Beef

•  Veau and
RegiVeau
passport

These tools, developed by Attestra, are used to meet the requirements of Québec government regulations

Regulation on the identification and traceability of certain animals

SimpliTRACE is a system designed to manage traceability data in Québec. With a user-friendly and secure interface, the application was developed to allow all producers and agricultural stakeholders in Québec’s cattle, sheep and cervid sectors to access their records online and file declarations electronically, thereby reducing the risk of human error and improving the quality of the information collected.

SimpliTRACE Mobile is an application for iPhone and Android devices that allows Québec producers to access the complete list of identifiers in their file and to make all types of traceability declarations: it is free, secure and versatile. Using SimpliTRACE Mobile offers a whole range of benefits. To encourage the adoption of this tool, our website offers guides and tutorials that detail how it works. In addition, five years after its launch, SimpliTRACE Mobile has been given a facelift. The navigation menus have been revised to make the transmission of declarations simpler and more efficient, even out in the field!

Vigitr@ce is a MAPAQ tool for using the data contained in the traceability database. The various Vigitr@ce functions are integrated into the SimpliTRACE technological environment. MAPAQ animal health users can therefore trace any animal identified at its farm of origin and intervene quickly and effectively in the event of a health crisis. The tool also allows them to verify the compliance of stakeholders with the regulations on animal identification and traceability.

Québec premises identification portal allows Québec stakeholders to apply for a unique premises number in a simple and secure manner. Each premises receives a unique seven-digit number and its geo-location coordinates are recorded in the SimpliTRACE database.

Regulation concerning the traceability of excavated contaminated soil

Traces Québec is a computerized system designed to manage the traceability of excavated contaminated soil. With a user-friendly and secure interface, the system tracks all movements of excavated contaminated soil away from the original site.

Let’s talk about traceability

What is the purpose of traceability?

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s definition, traceability is the ability to track the movement of a product or group of products, whether animals, plants, food products or ingredients, from one point in the supply chain to another, upstream or downstream.

In accordance with this definition, Attestra develops, implements, and manages customized identification and traceability systems.

For example, the traceability of farm animals is based on three pillars: identification of the animals, identification of the premises where the animals are located and tracking the animals’ movements. The primary objective is preventive: to ensure sanitary monitoring to protect human health, animal health and food safety. The traceability of excavated contaminated soil, through a soil monitoring system, aims to limit and control contamination caused or likely to be caused by excavated contaminated soils.

Protection of Animal Health

Traceability allows for the rapid control of a spreading disease and the tracking of the source of contamination or outbreak. By quickly identifying the source of a problem, the effects can be efficiently contained. This greatly improves diagnostic and monitoring capacity and reduces the risks associated with the importing and exporting of animals.

Why is animal traceability complex?

In an industrial setting, traceability is used to validate each point in a production chain in a linear fashion. Ensuring the traceability of livestock, on the other hand, is a more complex process since it relies on the multiple declarations of producers and stakeholders. Moreover, given that the regulations allow for a 7-to-30-day reporting period, the information is not known in real time, but rather in delayed time. In addition, it is not reported sequentially over time. This particularity of the database leads to incongruities: an animal may, for example, theoretically be on two premises at the same time or be declared dead before being born. The algorithms developed by Attestra make it possible, among other things, to identify and manage these inconsistencies.

Traceability from the farm to the table: what exactly are we talking about?

What is the objective of setting up a farm-to-table traceability system? This question comes up regularly, and 22 years after the creation of Attestra, it is still not easy to answer. This traceability system involves commercial expectations since it involves being able to identify the origin of an animal when purchasing a food product, and remains complex to develop given the structure of the affiliated sectors.

There is, however, traceability from farm to table, which is carried out, on the one hand, in terms of protecting the health of animals and the general population, and on the other hand in terms of the safety of products intended for consumption. These two forms of traceability are governed by separate regulations which, among other things, allow for effective product recalls, an efficacy that we have been able to demonstrate in the context of pilot projects.

However, the meshing of these two systems does not allow for the reconciliation of batches of meat and the identification number of the animals that make up these batches, at least not easily. The separate sources of supply, slaughtering and butchering are the main reasons for this situation.

Products with a designated origin or short marketing circuits make it easier to ensure stricter controls between the number of the animals and the batches of the meat cuts, and therefore complete traceability from the farm to the table. The choice to implement such traceability is up to producers and the industry. However, the financial viability of such an exercise depends on the monetary value of the product at the end of the chain. To this end, Attestra continues to reflect on this matter and conduct research to support these groups of producers.

Attestra’s mandate

Traceability from farm to slaughterhouse

Traceability along the supply chain

Traceability of excavated contaminated soils

Developed by Attestra, the Traces Québec governmental system tracks soils containing contaminants from human activity, from the site of origin to the final receiving site, regardless of their concentration. This monitoring tool helps the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP) to better supervise the management of contaminated soils and to counter their illegal disposal, which is harmful to the environment and to the industry that manages contaminated soils.

Putting people at the heart of our actions

The humans behind “the machine”

Attestra’s eight values are excellence and professionalism, versatility and responsiveness, partnerships and collaboration, and achievement and having fun. These values shape our corporate spirit and represent the set of beliefs and principles shared by members, directors and personnel. They influence our actions and inspire our behaviour. Artificial intelligence had better beware: at Attestra, it is humans who pull the strings; the systems and their algorithms are under our control and programmed to do what we expect them to do. The most important assets at Attestra are the men and women behind all our services, expert people, dedicated to their work, who give their best every day. Our systems and tools are designed, developed and used by seasoned professionals who know how to use their judgment and are committed to communicating and offering a professional and personalized service.

Stakeholder contributions reinforce the human aspect of our processes. In addition to populating the database, their compliance with reporting deadlines and rules is essential to ensure the quality of the reporting.

The humans behind the actions

Attestra is governed by a seven-person Board of Directors, appointed by the members of the corporation. These dedicated directors work together in an exemplary manner, sharing their knowledge of the agricultural community and the government apparatus, and drawing on their experience acquired from other organizations.

The Board of Directors met several times during the year to reflect on and discuss governance, administrative, financial and human resource issues. The discussions take place in a friendly atmosphere and in a well-structured context. The directors can therefore make informed decisions to ensure accountability and guide the actions of management within the framework of Attestra’s obligations. Their contribution is both essential and remarkable.

Two directors are designated by the Ministère de l’Agriculture, des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ), four are designated by the Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA) and one is designated by La Financière agricole (FADQ).

Norman Houle
2nd Vice-president

Maurice Lamontagne
Director

Stéphane Alary
Director

Paul Doyon
President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee

Pascal Forest
Director

Pierre Lessard
Director

Sonia Simard
1st Vice-president

Marie-Christine Talbot has been Attestra’s General Manager since 2011. To support her in her mission to meet the objectives set by its Board of Directors, Attestra is composed of a structure that includes the following departments:

• • Customer Service and Partner Relations, led by Vanessa Fontaine
  
• • Administration and Finance, led by Richard Pelletier
  
• • Projects and Development, led by Claudia Bérard
  
• • Information Technology, led by Mark Alexandre Allen-Lefebvre

Our services, presented by the managers

In this period of widespread labour shortages, Attestra can be proud to count on personnel that have a great deal of expertise related to the system and who have been with the organization for many years. Here we present our teams and the highlights of their activities.

Services

General Management

Our General Manager, Marie-Christine Talbot, who has been in her position since September 2011, is supported by an executive assistant with 14 years’ seniority and two technicians hired in the last two years. A tight knit, highly efficient and rigorous team at the service of all the departments and governing bodies.

Under the supervision of the General Manager, the Executive Assistant and the two Administrative Technicians and Communications Support ensure the smooth running of all cases from a logistical and administrative perspective. Under well-established leadership, they collaborate effectively in the circulation of internal and external communications within the organization and act as an effective link between the General Manager and the various departments.

Highlights

The development of the 2023-2026 strategic plan has been an important part of the General Manager’s activities over the past year. It began with the assessment of the last strategic plan and resulted in orientations for the next three years: a particularly enriching outcome. The development of our know-how being at the heart of the actions integrated into our new strategic plan, the years to come promise to be very motivational.

• •  The stability of personnel, their commitment and their motivation are certainly a highlight for Attestra.
  

“Since joining Attestra in 2021, I’ve been lucky enough to discover a team that is competent, efficient and rigorous all at once, and also wonderful colleagues.”

– Sarah

“After 14 years and counting, I can say that Attestra has seen it all and that the organization has always been able to adapt to the most complex situations, with everyone rolling up their sleeves when it’s time to do so. There is collaboration and trust within this great team.”

– Geneviève

Customer Service Department

Of the 15 employees in this department, three have 20 years or more of seniority and five have been with Attestra for more or less 15 years. The other personnel were hired over the last five years to fill retirements and the needs that arose following internal promotions. Vanessa Fontaine, Customer Service Manager, has held this position since December 2021.

The Customer Service Department is divided into two groups: Customer Service (CS) and Technical Support (TS).

The large CS team consists of 13 employees: a team leader, an administrative technician, a senior agent and ten customer service agents. Their common goal is to respond optimally to the requests of SimpliTRACE and Traces Québec stakeholders. Attestra’s sector of activity is complex for new recruits to master. There are many concepts and particularities to be assimilated in order to offer superior service and ensure the quality and accuracy of data. To promote autonomous workers, Attestra relies on a well-structured integration, training and support program that lasts six months.

“I’ve been part of this dynamic team for 17 years now: over the years I’ve helped to implement a number of changes and I still love working at Attestra. A great team, it’s well supervised and supported!”

– Louise

“The team spirit, the colleagues I’ve worked with and who are still here, is what encourages me to come out of retirement from time to time and contribute, with my experience, to supporting Customer Service during peak periods.”

– Josée P.

In order to optimize services, we have made new staff assignments. For example, two long-time call centre staff with extensive systems knowledge were promoted to Technical Support. This duo acts in a complementary fashion and actively collaborates with the other teams. Their strong background allows them to approach the work from a different angle in their new roles, and they contribute to improving and enhancing everyone’s processes.

Highlights & achievements
For Technical Support

• • Development of technical guides and tutorials;
  
• •  Conducting user tests in support of IT projects;
  
• •  Increased support for Traces Québec users in the context of a new regulation and new reporting tools;
  
• •  Ongoing support for SimpliTRACE and mobile tool users.
  

Highlights & achievements
For Customer Service

Attestra continued its activities in an exemplary manner throughout the year, despite the prolonged problems associated with the production of identifier orders.

• 
  
  
• •  Customer service for Traces Québec increased with the new phases of the Regulation being implemented;
  
• •  Continuous service assessed by quantitative and qualitative surveys.
  

Customer satisfaction survey 2022

Almost all respondents (99%) said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the welcome by and courtesy of the staff.

Similarly, 98% of respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with the guidance and information they received.

(A 4% increase in customer satisfaction compared to 2020.)

With regard to the speed of talking to an agent on the phone, 96.5% of respondents said they were satisfied or very satisfied with this aspect.

(An increase of 4.5% in customer satisfaction compared to 2020.)

Some testimonials from our customers:

“The agents have always listened to me.”

“My requests were always well answered.”

“No waiting time, almost immediate response.”

“What I like about working at Attestra is the spirit of cooperation between colleagues and teams. It’s a healthy work environment, full of respect and courtesy. Every day is a learning opportunity. I appreciate that professional development and ongoing training are valued.”

– Priscilla

“As a new employee, I was really well received by my superiors and colleagues: the Attestra team stands out for its ambience on a daily basis, always full of humour and team spirit.”

– Marie-Eve T.

“In the 22 years I’ve been working for Attestra, the golden rule has always been to take a human approach to our clients, taking the time to listen and understand their issue, answering their questions, and even taking two minutes to talk about the weather, all the while keeping a smile on your voice.”

– Brigitte

Projects & Development Department

This young, dynamic team is made up of a new manager, Claudia Bérard, and a new project manager who has been with Attestra since 2008, both of whom were promoted internally, as well as two new project managers recruited externally, and an environmental consultant.

The members of this rejuvenated team are evolving our ways of doing things and are fully involved in the success of each project; they are all committed to excellence. Our project managers ensure a solid foundation for our business relationships and the team is strong with both varied and complementary expertise. As with the entire organization, information sharing and mutual respect are part of what unites the team.

The last few months have been marked, without a doubt, by the integration of new personnel and the consolidation of the team. We have all successfully met this challenge, while advancing several major projects.

Highlights & achievements

• •  Redesign of SimpliTRACE and PigTRACE mobile applications (ongoing);
  
• • Antibiotic monitoring project launched;
  
• • Continuous improvements to Traces Québec;
  
• •  Integration and adaptation of agile practices to our reality, i.e. client-centred and based on collaboration, flexibility and feedback.
  

“When I arrived at Attestra in November 2021, I was welcomed with great enthusiasm and professionalism. My integration went very well, and I quickly developed a sense of belonging to this dynamic and competent team.”

– Julie

SPOTLIGHT
on current and completed projects

Smart platform for marketing lamb

Mandated by Les Éleveurs d’ovins du Québec (LEOQ), Attestra is contributing to the realization of the “Agneau-info” project, which consists of developing a bilingual interactive data sharing platform for the Canadian sheep industry. It will provide better access to sales volumes and current and future weekly average prices of live lambs on the market, as well as to prices of lamb meat sold in grocery stores. The IT solution on which our team is working will allow secure access to the various data sources, the deployment of predictive models (designed by Université Laval) and the development of interfaces to visualize the historical data calculated using these models.

Adding value to
traceability data

The initiation of this project to exploit traceability data is very much in line with our strategic orientation. Paving the way for our future value-added projects, the challenges are great, and the teams are working together to meet them.

The continuation of the Producteurs de bovins du Québec’s (PBQ) Sustainable Beef project, carried out in collaboration with Attestra and Cargill, certainly deserves a special mention. This project has paved the way for using traceability data to benefit Québec feeder calf and steer producers. In fact, VPB+-certified producers have shared nearly $115,000 in financial rewards over the past two years.

Source PBQ – La minute bovine : Le programme Bœuf durable, oui ça rapporte !

Antibiotic monitoring project

MAPAQ has mandated Attestra to develop an IT solution that will make it possible to collect and store data on the use of antibiotics in animal production, data that will be collected as part of the implementation of an animal health antibiotic monitoring system. This project comprises several phases spread over a period of about ten years: the operational phase of the project is currently being carried out. The IT solution developed will have to communicate with the SimpliTRACE solution and also make the link with other traceability systems.

Continuous improvements to Traces Québec

Launched in September 2021, Traces Québec is a high-performance, state-of-the-art computer system designed and developed by Attestra for the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP) to manage traceability data on excavated contaminated soil. Over the past year, Attestra has continued to develop the solution, which makes it possible to collect, store, track and consult regulatory data. Various modules were added, including the Transporter module with GPS tracking. We have developed numerous guides and tutorials to help users learn more about how Traces Québec works.

Redesign of the SimpliTRACE and PigTRACE mobile applications

In order to meet current technological standards, the team redesigned the PigTRACE and SimpliTRACE mobile applications to make them more user-friendly. Users have been able to use the new mobile version of SimpliTRACE since November 2022. The PigTRACE mobile application will be available soon.

Operational and partnership projects

• • Canadian Pork Excellence
  
• • PigTRACE
  
• • PigSAFE
  
• • PigCARE
  
• • DairyTrace
  
• • Les producteurs de bovins du Québec
  
• • Sustainable Beef
  
• • RegiVeau
  
• • VIA Pôle d’expertise
  en services-conseils agricoles
  
• • VIAferti
  
• • VIAgritel
  
• • Alatrace

Information
Technology
Department

The IT team consists of 28 people: 21 permanent employees and seven consultants.

Of the permanent employees, seven have been with the organization for more than 10 years, and 14 for less than three years.

Mark Alexandre Allen-Lefebvre has been with Attestra for 15 years. He has held the position of Manager of Information Technology since 2018.

“The things I like most about working at Attestra, after about a year now: the competent team who are always ready to lend a hand, the varied and interesting tasks, and the flexibility of teleworking which offers work-life balance.”

– Francis R

“Four words to describe Attestra: rigour, humanity and good spirit.”

– Mihai

During the 2022-2023 financial year, the Information Technology Department underwent an adjustment to staffing to better reflect roles and responsibilities. Several profiles of expertise make up this carefully crafted team: two for management, five for infrastructure and 20 for systems development and maintenance. This team provides technical support to 27 different applications.

Highlights & achievements

The team has been particularly proactive in order to comply with the new Loi modernisant des dispositions législatives en matière de protection des renseignements personnels dans le secteur privé (Bill 25), which came into effect on 22 September 2022. A detailed plan was developed based on the stored information and exchanged in a regulatory framework with various partners.

Other Achievements

• •  A three-year IT security enhancement and risk management plan was implemented this year;
  
• •  An architecture committee was established to oversee the organization’s technology orientations;
  
• •  Two cloud-based projects on our new API development platform were started.
  

Administration & Finance Services Department

Under the direction of Richard Pelletier, in the position since 2017, this team includes two members with 21 and 16 years of seniority respectively. They are occasionally assisted by a third employee.

The team in the Administration and Finance Services Department is small, but it gets noticed! The manager is accompanied by an assistant accountant, an administration and accounting technician and, recently, an administrative technician who helps out during the busiest periods and covers during the holidays. The employees work in a climate of openness and mutual assistance, aiming to continually improve their service.

Highlights & achievements

The workload of the personnel in this department has increased considerably over the past year due to the difficulties associated with ordering identifiers.

• •  Maintaining our ISO 9001 certification through internal and external monitoring and audits;
  
• • Financial monitoring of the various projects;
  
• •  Preparation of financial reports to be presented to governing bodies.
  

“I think Attestra is a great organization and I’m proud to work with the UPA, MAPAQ and FADQ, our partners.”

– Richard

“I’ve been with Attestra since 2001 and I’m proud of how far I’ve come, both for myself and for the organization. I have been involved in the implementation of the client side of SimpliTRACE and I know it really well!”

– Isabelle

“I am happy to be part of this team of experienced professionals.”

– Maryse

By the numbers

Year after year, the information recorded by Québec’s traceability system demonstrates the extent of progress being made and the work accomplished by traceability stakeholders. Here is a portrait of the 2022-2023 year – by the numbers.

Livestock traceability

A producer or stakeholder is considered active if they have made a declaration or an order for identifiers in the previous two years.

Number of active producers and stakeholders, by production, April 2017 to March 2023

Total number of declarations, by production and by year, April 2017 to March 2023

Origin of producer declarations stored in the database, April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023

Evolution of SimpliTRACE and SimpliTRACE Mobile usage as a means of declaration, 2019 to 2023

Number of participants, by account types and registered users, as of March 31, 2023

Number of declarations using SimpliTRACE

Statistics for using Traces Québec

To help Traces Québec users take advantage of this new platform, we offer several free training and information sessions.

To view the calendar and register for an information or training session, please visit our website page (in French only):
attestra.com/tracabilite/sols-contamines/formations/

Number of events declared using SimpliTRACE Mobile

Mobile platform  

Number of units activated since November 1, 2021

Number of receiving sites as of March 31, 2023

Status of projects created within Traces Québec as of March 31, 2023

As of March 31, 2023, 238,828 tracking slips have been used in the Traces Québec system, for the tracking of 3,941,535 tons of contaminated soil from their original site, from November 1, 2021, to March 31, 2023.

Requests received for SimpliTRACE and Traces Québec are processed at different levels.

Our Customer Service Department provides front-line support to producers and stakeholders. Requests are received by telephone or sent via email. Each message received by the latter method is processed by a system called OTRS, which ensures optimal follow-up. Level 1 (L1) corresponds to all requests handled by the Customer Service Department.

When the submitted request is of a technical nature, it is handled by the Technical Support team at Level 2 (L2).

Finally, Level 3 (L3) corresponds to all requests regarding information technology.

This categorization allows for optimal management by making appropriate use of personnel and their expertise to guarantee our users a rigorous and efficient follow-up to their requests.

Legend:

L1: Customer Service (CS)

L2: Technical Support (TS)

L3: Information Technology (IT)

Number of requests processed for the period April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023

Total requests processed for SimpliTRACE

Total requests processed for Traces Québec

Attestra - An attractive organization

A close-knit, agile and caring team

Attestra is a community of 50 people whose size makes it possible to offer a multitude of services and attract the best talents who are eager to learn and be challenged, while remaining open and responsive to encourage interaction and rapid decision-making.

As we have emphasized many times in this annual review of our activities, employee retention is a major strength at Attestra. In fact, we are fortunate to have personnel with remarkable experience and in-depth knowledge of our organization, which has allowed them to get to know each other well and build relationships of trust over the years. This dynamic, in addition to fostering fluid and effective communication, contributes to a better working climate and strengthens team spirit.

The organization has adopted a flexible hybrid work model that allows employees to take advantage of the best of both worlds: work from the Longueuil office to benefit from the presence of colleagues, exchange ideas and participate in various activities, or telecommute to optimize their focus and better reconcile work and family. Office hours are organized according to the needs of the various departments, at the discretion of managers and in consultation with employees. Attestra has always fostered a climate of trust with its employees, and teleworking was already commonplace before the pandemic for certain departments. The organization strongly believes that balancing work and family obligations is a collective responsibility. As an employer, Attestra is aware of its role in this area and feels compelled to act accordingly.

Training Opportunities

Giving value to training is a fundamental pillar of the organization. Our training component is part of an overall approach aimed at constantly improving the skills of our team and strengthening Attestra’s competitiveness in a constantly evolving labour market. In collaboration with their manager, each employee targets the most relevant training program to improve their knowledge, skills and attitudes. Our approach allows everyone to develop their full potential, and we are convinced that this translates not only into an individual benefit for each employee, but also into collective growth and success for the organization.

A corporate culture that gets better all the time!

Members of the Attestra team have formed a social committee and, in collaboration with management, various activities have been organized over the past year. In addition, the UPA’s Human Resources Management Department (DGRH) organizes social activities to which all employees are invited: this is a great opportunity to meet their colleagues who work at the UPA.

A Childcare Centre Planned for October 2023

In the coming months, the Maison de l’UPA, where Attestra’s offices are located, will be pleased to open its doors to the new L’Attrait mignon day-care centre, which will offer a warm welcome to no less than 80 toddlers aged three months to five years old. It is expected that the children of the UPA staff, and affiliated and related groups, of which Attestra is a part, will be given priority for enrolment.