Month: October 2021

SEPT-ÎLES, October 27, 2021 – The Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu (DSIN) Board of Directors is very proud to welcome its new Executive Director, Suzanne Cassista. She will take up her position on December 6, 2021.

Ms. Cassista holds a Bachelor of Business Administration and a DCS in arts and media technologies. She has been the Executive Director of L’Élyme des sables palliative care hospice since 2009. She began her career in the media industry as a journalist from 1988 to 1997, went into politics as an assistant at the Office of the Manicouagan MP from 1997 to 2006, and worked in the education sector as an executive assistant at Institut d’Enseignement de Sept-Îles (IESI) from 2006 to 2008.

Since March 2021, DSIN has been operating without an executive director, with board members handling the transfer of responsibilities and ensuring the continuity of ongoing projects.

Ms. Cassista arrives at the helm of the organization at a crucial moment, when health measures must be overhauled to comply with regulations and ensure the safety of cruise ship passengers. Eight ships have already confirmed stopovers at Sept-Îles in 2022.

“Recruiting a professional with great work experience, an extensive network of contacts, and a passion for the cruise industry is a big win for us,” said Serge McKenzie, DSIN Administrator. “Ms. Cassista will build upon the extensive work already undertaken and take us even further in our exciting work with international cruise lines. The entire Board of Directors welcomes her to the team.”

ABOUT DESTINATION SEPT-ÎLES NAKAUINANU

Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu (DSIN) is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2007 whose mission is to promote Sept-Îles as a tourist destination with international cruise lines. DSIN has welcomed nearly 80,000 international visitors to its port since 2009. Sept-Îles is one of the nine ports of call on the St. Lawrence River. On a larger scale, it is part of an alliance under the aegis of Cruise Canada New England umbrella.

Source :

Patsy Keays
Director
Destination Sept-Îles Nakauinanu
418 961-1235
pkeays@portsi.com

SEPT-ÎLES, October 25, 2021 – Two ministers were at the Port of Sept-Îles today to announce the new maritime infrastructure investment program for the Quebec government’s Advantage St. Lawrence vision: Chantal Rouleau, Minister for Transport and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, and Jonatan Julien, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for the Côte-Nord Region. The ministers also attended a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completed refurbishment of the Pointe-aux-Basques terminal, which serves as an inland gateway and supply hub for isolated villages on the Lower North Shore.

The $20 million project was awarded to LFG Construction in May 2020 and financed in equal parts by the federal government’s National Trade Corridors Fund (NTCF), Ministère des Transports du Québec’s maritime transport infrastructure investment support program, and the Port of Sept-Îles. It was delivered in September 2021, on time and on budget. It took over 150 workers at the height of construction to build a high-quality structure that is now better equipped for maritime and intermodal transportation, as well as climate change.

Speaking on behalf of the greater maritime region of Port Cartier and Sept Îles at the announcement that preceded the brief ceremony, the Port thanked the Government of Quebec for choosing to unveil its new Advantage St. Lawrence vision at the Port of Sept Îles, a maritime hub for major shippers such as IOC Rio Tinto, ArcelorMittal, Aluminerie Alouette, and Quebec Iron Ore and the biggest port at the mouth of the St. Lawrence River. With the combined volumes of the Port of Sept Îles and ArcelorMittal’s biggest private port in Canada standing at nearly 80 million tonnes, the tonnage that transits through the region is twice as great as the tonnage shipped through the St. Lawrence Seaway to the Great Lakes.

Said Pierre Gagnon, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Port of Sept-Îles, “The reopening of the Pointe aux Basques terminal during Maritime Employment Week, which promotes maritime professions at sea and on land, is extremely timely. This intermodal facility is an excellent alternative for sustainable transportation in the region and a logical and convenient bypass for the heavy road traffic on Route 138.”

“I am honoured to be in Sept-Îles to inaugurate the Pointe aux Basques terminal and announce that my government has earmarked $100 million to modernize the province’s maritime infrastructure,” said Chantal Rouleau, Minister for Transport and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region. “This terminal is a perfect example of the type of projects that we want to support as part of the Advantage St. Lawrence vision. Proper infrastructure will make our ports more competitive and bring greater prosperity along the St. Lawrence River.”

ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is one of North America’s largest ore-handling ports, with a projected volume of nearly 40 million tonnes for 2022. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. The Port of Sept-Îles established the first environmental observatory in the St. Lawrence marine ecosystem. Sustainable development is a cornerstone of its values and actions.

Source :

Patsy Keays
Director, Corporate Affairs
Port of Sept-Îles
418 961-1235
pkeays@portsi.com

Sept-Îles, October 20, 2021 – The Port of Sept-Îles and Tourisme Sept-Îles are delighted to announce the reopening of the legendary Hermel boat exhibit. The Hermel was the boat that Mylène Paquette used in 2013 to row solo across the North Atlantic, becoming the first person ever to accomplish the exploit. This reopening after a yearlong pandemic shutdown has been a resounding success. The summer 2021 season saw more than 3,400 visitors come to gaze upon the mythical Hermel and learn more about the now-famed sailor’s Atlantic sea voyage.

Paquette rowed this boat across the Atlantic Ocean. The 129-day odyssey was the first of its kind and drew worldwide media attention.

The Port of Sept-Îles acquired the Hermel in April 2014 and created a permanent exhibit space for it in the Sept-Îles marina that stands in tribute to her captain’s determination and the strength and tenacity the boat symbolizes for the community of Sept-Îles.

“This feat of courage, tenacity, and determination is in perfect symbiosis with the values of the Port of Sept-Îles,” said Pierre Gagnon, president and chief executive officer of the Port of Sept-Îles. “The Hermel exhibit is now a big draw for the community, schools, visitors, tourists, and cruise ship passengers. We are very proud of it. We are grateful for the invaluable work of the Tourisme Sept-Îles team to showcase this valuable piece of history.”

About the Port of Sept-Îles

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is North America’s largest ore-handling port and the third largest in the country, with an expected volume of close to 36 million tonnes in 2021. It is also recognized as the largest primary aluminum port terminal in the Americas in terms of business volume. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. The Port of Sept-Îles established the first environmental observatory in the St. Lawrence marine ecosystem. Sustainable development is a cornerstone of its values and actions.

About Tourisme Sept-Îles

Tourisme Sept-Îles is a non-profit organization which, for more than thirty years, has organized, developed and designed, in partnership with local stakeholders, the tourism industry in Sept-Îles.

Sources :

Josy Anne Dufour
Communications and Marketing Officer
Tourisme Sept-Îles
Tel. 418 962-1238 #2582

Patsy Keays
Director, Corporate Affaires & Corporate Secretary
Port of Sept-Îles
Tel. 418 961-1235 | Cell. 418 965-7434
pkeays@portsi.com