BLAINVILLE, QC, June 3, 2013 /CNW/ - The Business Block Parent program celebrated a milestone in Quebec today with the launch of the first group of Business Block Parents in the province. All 20 advisors' offices of The Co-operators throughout Quebec have been certified as Business Block Parents, helping make their communities safer places. Recognizable by the red and white sign in the front window, Business Block Parents open their doors to people in need, offering them assistance and refuge from danger or severe weather.

The Co-operators has been the national sponsor of the national Block Parent Program for 12 years. This year, The Co-operators teamed up with Parents-Secours in Quebec to make each advisor's office a Business Block Parent, providing safe locations in business areas of a number of towns and cities where there might not be residential Block Parent locations. Each office has placed the red and white sign in its window, letting people know that they can come into the agency during business hours if they feel they're in danger, are lost or hurt, or trying to escape severe weather.

"The Co-operators is proud that our advisors are the very first Business Block Parents in Quebec. Our business is focused on safety, and we're pleased to have a partnership with such an outstanding organization that is committed to making communities safer for everyone," said Christianne Dostie, Vice-President, Quebec Region for The Co-operators. "A community in the truest sense of the word is one whose members look out for one another. And that's just what the Block Parent program is all about."

The Co-operators and Parents-Secours officially launched the Business Block Parent program today with an event at the Blainville office, one of the newest Co-operators offices in Quebec. Community members joined Co-operators advisors and Vice-President, Quebec Region Christianne Dostie; Parents Secours general director Pierre Chalifoux; and Blainville's police service director Linda Ouimet, to kick-off the Business Block Parent program in Quebec.

About The Co-operators:
The Co-operators Group Limited is a Canadian-owned co-operative with more than $34 billion in assets under administration. Through its group of companies it offers home, auto, life, group, travel, commercial and farm insurance, as well as investment products. The Co-operators is well known for its community involvement and its commitment to sustainability. The Co-operators is listed among the 50 Best Employers in Canada and Corporate Knights' Best 50 Corporate Citizens in Canada. For more information visit www.cooperators.ca.

BACKGROUNDER

The Co-operators offices in Quebec that are now Business Block Parents are:

SOURCE: The Co-operators