Welcome to our caisse
75 years serving municipal employees
In 1945, brothers Achille and Albert Rémillard—one a firefighter, the other a civil servant with the City of Montréal—created savings cooperatives to help their colleagues join forces and build financial independence.
Long after the Rémillard brothers had passed, the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal and the Caisse populaire Desjardins des fonctionnaires municipaux merged in 2004 to form a single institution after more than 60 years of charting their own course.
Today, our caisse proudly serves more than 18,954 municipal employees* across Quebec, from firefighters and blue-collar workers to civil servants, professionals, and managers.
*Data as of December 31, 2024.From then until now, our mission has stayed the same: enriching municipal employees, individually and collectively!
Our founders
Mr. Albert Rémillard
Treasurer, Association des pompiers de Montréal Inc.
Our founders
Mr. Achille Rémillard
City of Montréal Employee
Cooperatives built in their image
About group caisses
In the early 1940s, worker associations and union groups began founding savings cooperatives, institutions shaped by and for the people they served. Deeply embedded in the workplace, these cooperatives were built around the needs and interests of the workers they represented.
In 1945, after lengthy negotiations, Montréal’s firefighters won significant wage increases. Their advisor, Maître Sylvestre, turned to the firefighters’ union treasurer, Albert Rémillard, and said: “Together, you are wealthy. Pool your savings!” That very year, the Caisse d’économie des pompiers was born. Other worker groups took inspiration and founded their own institutions, laying the groundwork for the first French-language network of savings cooperatives in Quebec.
In 1979, these savings cooperatives joined the Mouvement Desjardins. Today, our group caisse delivers the full range of Desjardins products and services, along with exclusive, tailored support tailored to the specific needs of municipal employees.
Our story
A look back in picture
Caisse d’économie des pompiers
1945
The founding assembly of the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal was held on March 16. Its first offices were located at the firefighters’ union hall at 750 Saint-Gabriel Street.
Caisse populaire des fonctionnaires municipaux de Montréal
1946
The Caisse populaire Desjardins des fonctionnaires municipaux de Montréal was founded on May 14. The first offices were located in the basement of the Montréal City Hall.
The Caisse populaire Desjardins des fonctionnaires municipaux de Montréal was founded on May 14. The first offices were located in the basement of the Montréal City Hall.
1947
Payroll deduction secured for firefighters and municipal employees (a joint effort by the Caisse populaire Desjardins des fonctionnaires municipaux de Montréal and the Caisse d’économie des pompiers).
1965
Opened the head office at 2600 Saint-Joseph Boulevard East.
Moved to the Artisans building at 305 Craig Street East (Saint-Antoine).
1966
The service centre at 5836 Saint-Hubert Street opened.
1968
The Caisse populaire Desjardins des employés municipaux de Montréal was renamed.
1970
The National Cash Register (NCR) electronic system was launched, with Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa in attendance.
1979
The Fédération des caisses d’économie du Quebec and its affiliated caisses, including ours, joined the Mouvement Desjardins.
1998
Joined the Fédération des caisses d’économie Desjardins du Québec and adopted the new name Caisse d’économie Desjardins des employés municipaux de Montréal.
2001
Ahead of a planned merger, the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal and the Caisse d’économie Desjardins des employés municipaux de Montréal began operating under joint management.
2002
The North service centre moved to 8457 Papineau Street, home of the Syndicat des cols bleus regroupés de Montréal.
2004
The Caisse d’économie Desjardins des pompiers de Montréal and the Caisse d’économie des employés municipaux de Montréal merged to form the Caisse d’économie Desjardins des Pompiers, des Cols bleus et des Cols blancs.
2009
Adopted the new name Caisse Desjardins du Réseau municipal.
2013
Unveiled a monument in honour of Quebec firefighters who died in the line of duty.
Caisse d’économie
des pompiers
- Chairpersons
- Benoît Bourque, 1945 to 1946
- Albert Rémillard, 1946 to 1948
- Charles Dollard Gladu, 1948 to 1960
- Florent Bédard, 1960 to 1963
- Jacques Gascon, 1963 to 1979
- Jean-Guy Gignac, 1979 to 1982
- Michel Parent, 1982 to 1986
- René Thibault, 1986 to 1988
- Camille Bourque, 1988 to 1993
- Michel Parent, 1993 to 2001
- Sylvain Blanchette, 2001 to 2008
- Jacques Forget, 2008 to 2012
- Benoît Jobin, 2012 to 2020
- Ronald Martin, 2021 to today
- General managers
- Albert Rémillard, 1945 to 1972
- Charles Dollard Gladu, 1972 to 1980
- Michel Rajotte, 1980 to 1981
- Gilbert Parent, 1981 to 1987
- Gérald Richard, 1987 to 1988
- Jean-Pierre Aubin, 1988 to 1989
- Marcel-André Charest, 1989
- Sylvie Desroches, 1989 to 1991
- Marcel Charest, 1991 to 1994
- Serge Dufresne, 1994 to 2001
- Michel Parent, 2001 to 2003
- Richard Goudreault, 2004 to 2008
- Robert Castonguay, 2009 to 2024
- Mathieu Girard, 2024 to today
Caisse des
employés municipaux
- Chairpersons
- Benoît Rajotte, 1946
- Charles-Édouard Longpré, 1947 to 1956
- Benoît Rajotte 1956 to 1967
- Christian Dagenais, 1967 to 1971
- Valbert Christie, 1972 to 1973
- Gilles Desroches, 1973 to 1975
- Raymond Régnier, 1975 to 1977
- Gilles Lussier, 1977 to 1980
- Benoît Doyon, 1980 to 1981
- Henri Gérin Lajoie, 1981 to 1982
- Jean Chartrand, 1982 to 1991
- Daniel Lacroix, 1991 to 1994
- Rodrigue Fournier, 1994 to 2001
- Octave Paradis, 2001 to 2003
- Sylvain Blanchette, 2004 to 2008
- Jacques Forget, 2008 to 2014
- Benoît Jobin, 2012 to 2020
- Ronald Martin, 2021 to today
- General managers
- Roger Ratté, in office in 1946
- Marcel Latouche, in office in 1953
- Armand Couture, in office in 1956
- Ernest Régnier, in office in 1957
- Valbert Christie, in office in 1963
- Achille Rémillard, 1964 to 1972
- J.-G. Maréchal, 1973 to 1976
- Jean-Pierre Désy, 1976 to 1982
- Ronald Gil, 1982 to 1983
- Maurice Gendron, 1983 to 1999
- Sylvie Robert, 1999 to 2001
- Michel Parent, 2001 to 2003
- Richard Goudreault, 2004 to 2008
- Robert Castonguay, 2009 to 2024
- Mathieu Girard, 2024 to today
Vision
A story of partners and builders
The history of our group caisse is one of partners and builders who proved that our strength lies in working together. From past to present, a spirit of understanding and solidarity drives our team members, whose greatest commitment is to the financial well-being of municipal employees.
The Rémillard Brothers
Our pioneers
Albert Rémillard
Founder and Manager, Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal
The founder and manager of the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal, Albert Rémillard served on its board of directors from 1945 to 1972. Over those 27 years, he also served as the caisse’s general manager.
“Faced with the sight of hundreds of firefighters hounded by crippling debt, Albert Rémillard, then an ordinary firefighter, came up with a simple idea: found a bank for his fellow workers. They were drowning in debt and resignation, sinking deeper into the clutches of finance companies eager to profit from their misfortune. Something had to be done, and quickly, because many of them, slipping further each day, were at risk of losing their jobs. ”
A body was needed to manage firefighters’ savings. That was the situation that gave rise to the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal.
Source: Le Petit Journal, week of October 1, 1961 (unofficial translation)
Citation
“And yet I know, better than anyone, how modest our beginnings were. Our caisse had its head office at Fire Station 14, on rue St-Dominique. The caisse was, at the time, a small cabinet holding a few booklets, a few accounting ledgers, and an ordinary cash box containing deposits—deposits of twenty-five cents, sometimes even ten cents. But, as the saying goes, mighty rivers begin as small streams. And today, those coins that our fellow firefighters managed to set aside from each paycheque, together with dollars saved over the years, have grown into assets of 14 million dollars.”
Albert Rémillard, General Manager
Source: Annual report of the Caisse d’économie des pompiers, 1970
Achille Rémillard
Founder, Caisse des fonctionnaires municipaux
A municipal civil servant and brother of Albert, Achille Rémillard served on the board of directors of the Caisse des fonctionnaires municipaux de Montréal from its founding. He went on to serve as its manager from 1964 to 1972.
Uniting our strength to serve
one another collectively
“In the years leading up to the founding of the municipal employees’ savings and credit cooperative, city employees had become a prime target for finance companies. Their job security and stable income made them easy prey for financial exploitation. These companies would lend them money—at an exorbitant cost, of course. Many senior officials were aware of the growing problem and decided to found their own savings and credit cooperative. The space made available to them, in the basement of City Hall, was used from 1945 to 1965.”
Source: 49th annual report, 1996 (unofficial translation)
The Caisse
today
Proud of its roots and history, today’s caisse brings together more than 18,954 members, while continuing its mission to foster their financial autonomy and well-being. It keeps innovating, day after day, by supporting municipal employees with services tailored to their needs and working closely with associations and municipal authorities.
Key facts
18,954
individual and business members
individual and business members
$1.72 B
in assets (2024)
in assets (2024)
Present throughout Quebec
Members employed in the municipal sector
Members employed in the municipal sector
$2.66 B
in assets under management (2024)
in assets under management (2024)
$375,493
invested in 2024 to support causes, projects, and activities that matter to municipal employees
invested in 2024 to support causes, projects, and activities that matter to municipal employees
57 employees
Across 3 service centres
Across 3 service centres
15 directors
Firefighters, blue-collar and white-collar workers
Firefighters, blue-collar and white-collar workers
Our history
in images
1945 Annual General Meeting
Montréal Mayor Camilien Houde attended the founding meeting of the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal in 1945 (front row, far right). The following year, he was the first to sign the founding declaration of the Caisse des employés municipaux. He and other city mayors served as honorary president of both caisses.
“Barn Dance” at Mount Royal Chalet
In the late 1940s, the municipal employees’, firefighters’, and police caisses jointly requested payroll deductions from the City of Montréal. This service simplified loan repayment and contributed to the growth of these caisses. When its assets surpassed $2 M in 1956, the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal hosted a “Barn Dance” celebration at the Mount Royal Chalet.
50th anniversary of the Caisse (1945)
To mark the Caisse’s 50th anniversary, dignitaries were treated to a crane ride (from left to right): Mayor Pierre Bourque, Caisse President Michel Parent, Desjardins Group President Claude Béland, and Benoît Bourque, first Chair of the Board of Directors in 1945.
Father Morin becomes firefighters’ chaplain
In the early 1950s, Jesuit Father Morin became chaplain to firefighters and their Caisse d’économie. He appeared on the cover of the 17th annual report. In the background, the renovated offices, located in Fire Station 26. Father Morin retired in 1990 after 40 years of service.
Two decades at City Hall
During its first two decades, the Caisse des employés municipaux operated out of the basement of Montréal’s City Hall. Pictured here is the team in the late 1950s. As with the firefighters’ caisse, employees were recruited from among the members.
The Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal’s first logo
The Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal adopted a logo that endured for decades. At its centre, a squirrel symbolizes savings, surrounded by chain links representing member solidarity and maple leaves symbolizing Canada. A firefighter’s helmet crowns the Latin motto “Nostrum et Nostro,” meaning “Ours and Ours.”
Insurance services launched in 1954
Initially offering only savings and credit services, the Caisse began offering life insurance in 1954 through Desjardins Life Insurance, including savings life insurance and loan protection coverage. As advertised at the time, savings were doubled in the event of death, up to $4,000.
The Caisse at Station 26 (1956)
In 1956, growth prompted a reorganization of the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal office at Station 26 (2151 Mont-Royal Avenue). At the time, Caisse employees were also firefighters. Pictured at centre is Charles Dollard Gladu, President from 1948 to 1960 and General Manager from 1972 to 1980.
Leaving City Hall (1965)
In 1965, the Caisse des employés municipaux left the basement of City Hall but remained nearby, relocating to the Artisans Building at 305 Craig Street East (now Saint-Antoine).
The Caisse’s head office
The Caisse Desjardins du Réseau municipal’s head office was built in 1965. The building’s bold architecture originally housed the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal.
New service centre (1966)
In 1966, the Caisse des employés municipaux inaugurated its service centre at 5836 Saint-Hubert Street. Pictured far right are brothers Achille and Albert Rémillard: Achille served as manager of the Caisse des employés municipaux (1964–1972), while Albert served as manager of the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal (1945–1972) and President (1946–1948).
New name for the Caisse
In the late 1960s, the Caisse populaire des fonctionnaires municipaux slightly modified its name to become the “Caisse des employés municipaux”. In the following years, its Craig Street premises were fully renovated.
New era of computing (1970)
The Caisse des employés municipaux entered the computer age when it deployed the système intégré des caisses (SIC), developed in partnership with IBM in 1970. The SIC terminal became part of daily operations for tellers.
Introduction of the NCR electronic system
On August 27, 1970, the Caisse d’économie des pompiers de Montréal entered the digital era with the introduction of the National Cash Register (NCR) system, in the presence of Quebec Premier Robert Bourassa.
The Caisse in the 1980s
The Caisse des employés municipaux’s service centre on Saint-Hubert Street in the early 1980s. A security officer is visible in the background.
Renovation of Saint-Antoine Street Offices
In the mid-1990s, the Saint-Antoine offices were completely renovated, with only the vault door left unchanged. Telephone and internet banking arrived in 1996, expanding accessibility and transforming how members interacted with the caisse.
The Caisse des pompiers’ employees (1990s)
Caisse employees in the mid-1990s, following major renovations to the head office. At the time, in-branch transactions still represented a significant share of services. Telephone and internet-based AccèsD services launched in 1996, broadening accessibility.
50th anniversary celebration (1995)
A celebration was held at the Mount Royal Chalet, featuring a concert by the Montréal Firefighters’ Philharmonic, founded in 1921.
50 years of history and collaboration
To mark the anniversary, dignitaries were treated to a crane ride (from left to right): Mayor Pierre Bourque, Caisse President Michel Parent, Desjardins Group President Claude Béland, and Benoît Bourque, first Chair of the Board of Directors in 1945.
120th anniversary of Desjardins Group (2020)
In December 2020, Desjardins Group celebrated its 120th anniversary. The first credit union was founded on December 6, 1900, in Lévis by Alphonse Desjardins, with the help of his wife Dorimène Desjardins and about one hundred fellow citizens. Workplace credit unions followed, with Montréal firefighters among the first groups to establish one.
© 2016 Caisse Desjardins du Réseau Municipal