The Huffington Post is expanding its Canadian footprint – and continuing its global expansion – with the launch of Le Huffington Post Québec.
A mix of aggregated and original content, social engagement tools, a commenting forum and blogger contributions, the French-language site went live Wednesday and includes news and opinion pieces.
Bell Canada is on board as advertising partner for the launch with its media agency, Media Experts. The site features ads for new TV service Bell Fibe TV.
The launch is part of the continued expansion of the Huffington Post brand, which is part of AOL’s Huffington Post Media Group. The Huffington Post Canada launched last May and was the Huffington Post’s first international edition. A U.K. version of the site also launched last year.
And Le Huffington Post France, the first French-language version of the site, launched last month. Next up will be El Huffington Post Spain, which is slated for a March launch, and also L’Huffington Post Italia.
But back in our own backyard, where Arianna Huffington, president of Huffington Post Media Group and currently in Quebec to promote the launch, said in a release that the Quebec product will encompass “all things Quebec and run by a strong local team.” Said team will work closely with the existing English Canadian team, she added.
HuffPo QuĂ©bec will reflect the province’s “vital issues, rich history, and unique cultural identity,” said Huffington.
Graham Moysey, general manager of AOL Canada, noted that the Quebec site debut was a logical next step after the HuffPost Canada launch. “The Huffington Post sees more than 2.2 million unique visitors a month in Canada; 268,000 UV’s from Quebec alone and the huffingtonpost.ca site has grown 162% since launch,” he said.
The new site’s Quebec-based editorial team is led by its managing editor, Patrick White. Other editorial staff include news editor Jean-Philippe Cipriani and managing blog editor Tamy Emma Pepin. Contributing bloggers will include Michel Martelly, Anne Marie Withenshaw and Yves-François Blanchet.
The site made headlines recently when several left-leaning politicians and activists who had signed on to write blogs for free reportedly quit amid controversy. The free blogs raised concerns that the contributions would weaken local journalism and drive down worker salaries.
