* Coscient Group has announced the formal resignation of Richard Laferriere as president and chief operating officer. The terms of the agreement stipulate Laferriere and vice-chairman Laurent Goudreau have signed a production and distribution agreement with Coscient while Laferriere remains a member of the board and Goudreau holds on to his position of vice-chairman of the board.

President and ceo Guy Crevier assumes interim responsibility for operations. Laferriere and Goudreau founded what is now Coscient in the early 1980s.

* Gavin Wise has left Blake, Cassels & Graydon’s entertainment law division to join Sullivan Entertainment as counsel, business and legal affairs.

* Chum Television has named Paul Gratton vp/gm of Space: The Imagination Station, now in its second year on-air. Gratton replaces Marcia Martin, who launched Space in September 1997, and who is heading up the September 1999 launch of Star Television. Gratton, meantime, will continue as station manager at sister Chum network Bravo!

* Francois Messier has been named vp programming at Reseau des Sports, Quebec’s top-rated specialty channel.

Most recently, Messier was production and development director with Serdy Video. He was also an operations coordinator at both the Barcelona and Lillehammer Olympics. Messier replaces Jacques Boucher, who has retired. His apppointment is effective June 7.

* L’Association des Producteurs de Films et de Television du Quebec has elected Marie-Josee Corbeil chairperson of its board of directors. A lawyer, vp and executive producer with Cinar Corporation, Corbeil was elected at the apftq’s annual general meeting in Montreal, May 25.

The new board is composed of Groupe Pixcom chairman Jacqueline Bouchard and Cirrus Communications president Jacques Blain (tv), Groupe Coscient vp Claude Joli-Coeur (animation), Avanti Cine-Video vp Luc Wiseman, (variety), Cinemaginaire International president Denise Robert and Productions du Regard president Jean-Roch Marcotte (feature films), InformAction Films president Nathalie Barton (documentary), and Jet Films president Jacques Langlois (commercials).

Raymond Breard is the association’s new president and director-general and is also a member of the board. Breard replaces Louise Baillargeon, who completed her term as president and director-general of the producers association on May 27. A major personality in the Quebec and Canadian production industry, Baillargeon served the apftq for 14 years.