A productive mission to New York Minister of International Relations, La Francophonie and External Trade, Jean-Francois Lisée was in New York City in September to hold a series of high-level political and economic meetings aimed at strengthening ties between Québec and New York, Québec’s largest trading partner in the U.S.

Is everything we learned about security wrong? On September 19, the New York Institute of Technology hosted its 2013 Cyber Security Conference of which the Québec Government Office was a sponsor. The day-long event discussed a wide range of issues such as protecting individuals and organizations against cyber-attacks, computer security, biometrics and big data analytics as cyber defense tools, and cyber education.

Québec-New York relationship celebrated in Albany On September 10, Québec was the guest of honor at "Our Neighbors to the North: An Evening of Québec, » an event organized by the International Center of the Capital Region in Albany to celebrate the long-standing friendship between Québec and New York and the importance of regional collaboration.

In focus : fashion designer Iris Setlakwe Iris Setlakwe, an innovative and successful designer from Montreal, held private showings of her eponymous label, Iris, last month at Québec Government Office. In town to attend Fashion Coterie, Ms. Setlakwe and her team took advantage of the quieter and more intimate setting to show buyers her new Spring/Summer 2014 line.

New York State: Québec’s main American partner Economic growth was the theme of the talk given by Québec Delegate General in New York André Boisclair at the Lake Placid Institute in August.

Appointments Québec’s Delegate General to New York André Boisclair is pleased to announce the appointment of Cyril Gauchet as commercial attaché, effective July 22, and Peter Rose as government relations attaché, effective July 29.

Québec-New York trade gets a boost On July 8, Québec’s Delegate General to New York André Boisclair completed a mission to Albany with the President and CEO of the Fédération des Chambres de commerce du Québec (FCCQ) Françoise Bertrand. The objective was to meet with economic players of the region and provide a boost to the Québec-New York corridor.

Explosion Lac-Mégantic To help those affected by the explosions at Lac-Mégantic, donations can be made online through the Red Cross:

MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CIRQUE: July 3-14, 2013 After only three years of operation, MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CiRQUE has become the essential place to be in the circus world in July, the annual gathering for artists and professionals from the four corners of the Earth. First of its kind in North America, the festival takes over the city for 12 days of festivities with 14 shows, presented in 12 Montreal venues.

Québec tourism promoted in New York The Minister for Tourism, Pascal Bérubé, was on mission to New York from June 23 to 26 to promote Québec as a tourist destination and meet with economic players in the tourism sector.

The 46th edition of Festival d’été de Québec - July 4 to 14, 2013. The 46th edition of Festival d’été de Québec, Canada’s largest outdoor music event, will take place in historic Québec City from July 4 to 14, 2013.

Kate's Kids / Sing Me The Songs That Say I Love You at BAM Join Rufus Wainwright and Martha Wainwright, together with Norah Jones, Emmylou Harris, Mark Ronson, Jane McGarrigle, and Lily Lanken, for a benefit concert celebrating the rich career of their late mother, the inimitable folk singer-songwriter Kate McGarrigle.

Radio-Canada’s Histoires d’objets wins award in New York ”Histoires d’objets, ” a Radio-Canada program about objects and their role in our society, won the bronze award in the category “Information/Documentary” at the 2013 New York Festivals International Radio Programs & Promos Awards.

34th edition of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal to run June 28 to July 7 2013 The 34th edition of the Montreal International Jazz Festival runs June 28 to July 7.

Focus on Philadelphia On May 30-31, Delegate General André Boisclair led a multi-sector mission to Philadelphia where he met with aides of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett. Discussions focused on economic relations between the two regions, more specifically on the Greenbuild conference, the world's largest expo dedicated to green building that will take place in Philadelphia this fall.

New York delegates attend C2-MTL On the occasion of the second, sold-out edition of C2-MTL, an international conference on creativity and commerce that took place in Montréal in late May, the Québec Government Office invited and accompanied over 20 New York-based creative agencies and technology companies.

Symposium on the French Language: One Language, Many Cultures « One Language, Many Cultures, » a symposium on the French language was held at the SUNY Global Center in May. Divided in three panels – academia, governments and communities – the event reflected on the diversity and richness of Francophone cultures and on ways to promote and expand the teaching of French in New York.

Montréal-New York Challenge Welcomed by cheering friends and family, the 243 participants in the 8th edition of the Montréal - New York challenge, a relay marathon between the two cities, reached Times Square Sunday afternoon after running more than 378 miles in 72 hours.

From Québec to WantedDesign in NYC Some of the most celebrated new designs migrated south last month for FROM QUEBEC, a featured exhibition at the international event WantedDesign in New York City, May 18-20.

Ciel à Outrances, Madeleine Monette's first book of poetry Novelist, short-story writer and poet Madeleine Monette was born in Montréal and lives in New York City.