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SEPT-ÎLES, May 1, 2020 – The Port of Sept-Îles acknowledges the judgment issued by the Superior Court of Québec in the district of Mingan in its legal case with Pomerleau Inc. regarding construction of the multi-user wharf. The court awarded a total of $13,313,671 in damages to Pomerleau in the ruling.

As indicated by the Court, Pomerleau initially brought proceedings against the Port of Sept-Îles on July 20, 2015, for a total of $68.3 million in damages. That figure was amended by Pomerleau on multiple occasions, down to a final $30.5 million at the end of the trial—significantly higher than the amount granted in the judgment.

The Port of Sept-Îles plans to go over the judgment with legal counsel before commenting or deciding on the next step.

About the Port of Sept-Îles

With its diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is North America’s largest ore-handling port, with a projected volume of close to 35 million tonnes in 2020. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

– 30 —

Source :

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

Sept-Îles, March 6, 2020 – The Port of Sept-Îles and INREST Northern Institute for Research in Environment and Occupational Health and Safety are proud today to welcome the Canadian Coast Guard’s research icebreaker Amundsen. The Amundsen carries the Odyssée Saint-Laurent research program’s third winter oceanography mission, collecting advanced data on the St. Lawrence Estuary ecosystem in winter.

Lead investigator Jean Carlos Montero-Serrano will come aground briefly with his 25-member research team from a dozen institutions, including INREST, to meet local stakeholders and media for a quick rundown of what the mission will be looking for.

That will include sampling at locations within the waters of the Port of Sept-Îles. Those samples will yield strategic winter results to complement the data already collected by the Bay of Sept-Îles Environmental Observatory.

“The Port and the Observatory are tremendously lucky to have this opportunity,” said Port of Sept-Îles president and CEO Pierre D. Gagnon. “The data we have access to as part of the Odyssée Saint-Laurent research loop will boost our understanding of this precious ecosystem and help us manage our operations sustainably.”

Sept-Îles’s port area is nationally and internationally recognized for maritime research, thanks to the tremendous amount of high‑quality data generated by INREST and its partners.

“We and our research partners,” said INREST director Julie Carrière, “have developed a host of resources, like the Environmental Monitoring Observatory for the industrial port area and the research chair on coastal ecosystems and industrial and maritime port activities. They make it possible for us to collaborate on this mission today and to really make a difference in the field of ecosystem conservation. And all this,” said Dr. Carrière in conclusion, “is only possible through the support of our funding partners, such as the Port of Sept-Îles.”

For Réseau Québec maritime, which is organizing the mission, today’s event really shows the benefits of collaboration in coastal environmental research.

“The future of the St. Lawrence Estuary depends on everyone pitching in,” said Réseau Québec maritime director Dany Dumont. “The only way to get a complete picture of the province’s marine industry is if researchers, industry, and the community all get together and share their expertise and resources.”

CCGS Amundsen’s 2020 winter mission runs until March 14. Follow it on the RQM or INREST Facebook or Twitter accounts.

About INREST

The Northern Institute for Research in Environment and Occupational Health and Safety (INREST) is a nonprofit organization investigating environmental and occupational health issues. INREST is internationally recognized for its industrial-port-area environmental monitoring station for marine ecosystem conservation—Quebec’s biggest—and its industrial port expertise division, CEIP centre.

About the Port of Sept-Îles

The Port of Sept- Îles is North America’s largest ore-handling port, with a projected volume of just under 35 million tonnes in 2020 going through diverse, state-of-the-art facilities. Its marine ecosystem observatory makes it a pioneer on the St. Lawrence system and shows how sustainability is firmly anchored in the Port’s values and actions.

About Réseau Québec maritime

Réseau Québec maritime is a network of 166 institutions founded in May 2016, connecting all the province’s marine sector universities, Cégeps, college centres for technology transfer, research centres, public and semipublic organizations, community organizations, and industries. It is hosted and managed by UQAR, tasked with making the province a world leader in sustainable marine development. RQM’s funding partners are Quebec’s Ministère de l’Économie et de l’Innovation and Fonds de recherche du Québec.

About Odyssée Saint-Laurent

Odyssée Saint-Laurent is an ambitious research program at Réseau Québec maritime. It focuses on three themes—Discovery, Applications, and Open Innovation—and receives $15 million in funding from Ministère de l’Économie de l’Innovation du Québec. The aim of the program is to add to our knowledge of St. Lawrence ecosystems, their biodiversity and environmental stress factors affecting them, and to develop tools, technologies, and new practices in sustainable marine development.

-30-

Sources :

Réseau Québec maritime

Mathieu Dumulon-Lauzière

Communications Advisor

581-337-1435

INREST

Julie Carrière

Executive Director

418-968-4801, ext. 5720

Port of Sept-Îles

Pierre D. Gagnon

President and Chief Executive Officer

418-968-1231

Sept-Îles, February 17, 2020 – It is with great pride that the Port of Sept-Îles and Recyk & Frip recently announced a partnership to support the improvement and ongoing development of Recyk & Frip’s goods recovery and resale services in Sept‑Îles, Uashat mak Mani-utenam, and the surrounding areas.

Spread over two fiscal years, the $60,000 contribution from the Port of Sept-Îles will be used to renovate and maintain the Recyk & Frip building and make it a safer and more enjoyable place for staff and volunteers to work. This partnership is a great fit with the Port of Sept-Îles philosophy and its donations and contributions policy, which aims to improve the well-being of families in the community.

Recyk & Frip plays an increasingly important role in the community, supporting and helping people in different kinds of emergency situations and meeting important needs. The organization also plans to ramp up its education and awareness‑building efforts.

NEARLY EVERYTHING FOR EVERYONE!

The two partners invite people from the local and regional communities, and anyone else, to access this incredible resource for recovering, reusing, recycling, and sharing items of all kinds and, especially, for finding new ways to shop and give objects a second life.

Sources :

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

Maryse C. Gagnon
General Manager
Recyk & Frip
418 960-5553

Québec, February 5^th, 2020 – The Université Laval, the Institut Nordique de Recherche en Environnement et en Santé au Travail (INREST), and the Port of Sept-Îles have announced today the launch of the Research Chair in Coastal Ecosystems and Industrial, Port and Maritime Activities. The event took place in the presence of the Minister for Transport and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, Chantal Rouleau, and the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister Responsible for the Côte-Nord Region, and acting Minister Responsible for the Capitale-Nationale Region, Jonatan Julien.

The Chair’s mission will be to further the knowledge on coastal ecosystem functions in industrial port zones, in order to identify practices that will ensure a sustainable management of these environments.

“It is estimated that coastal regions account for over three quarters of the economic value of the world’s ecosystem services, i.e. the benefits to human populations that arise from ecosystems, particularly through the fishing, tourism, and transport industries, or flood protection”, said biologist Philippe Archambault, professor at the Faculty of Science and Engineering of Université Laval, and one of the founders of the project. “However, there is still little data on these environments, hence the necessity to establish a research structure that will allow us to better understand the complex interactions that take place in them.”

Specifically, the Chair’s objectives will be:

To measure the footprint of human activities associated with industrial port zones;

• To describe and quantify the effects of these activities on different coastal sectors;
• To develop methods and tools to distinguish the main natural environmental changes from those associated with human activities;
• To advise and guide organizations in planning and establishing sustainable solutions in order to adapt to the issues that will have been identified.

This Chair is made possible thanks to a $1 M contribution over five years from INREST ($500,000) and the Port of Sept-Îles ($500,000).

“It is with pride that we support the Université Laval and INREST in this partnership to establish this Chair”, declared Pierre D. Gagnon, President and CEO of the Port of Sept-Îles. “Having initiated the first observatory in the St. Lawrence and the Bay of Sept-Îles in partnership with INREST and the City of Sept-Îles in 2013, it is with conviction and without the slightest hesitation that the Port Authorities support the creation of an innovative Chair that will develop fundamental research to further our knowledge about our precious coastal ecosystems. There is no doubt that this initiative will stimulate the creation of numerous research projects, partnerships, and collaborations in various regions of our majestic St. Lawrence.”

“The launch of this new Research Chair is a significant moment in INREST’s history and that of its partners”, added INREST’s Executive Director, Julie Carrière, PhD. “This project, which will allow us to develop tools that are adapted for port, industrial, and maritime activities, was initiated by Philippe Archambault and myself, while we were working together on the Environmental Monitoring Observatory for the Bay of Sept-Îles and on projects from the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONe II), which were partly funded by the Port of Sept-Îles. The collaboration between INREST and the Chair will allow the Institute to increase its reach throughout the scientific community, as well as the port and industrial communities, at provincial, national, and international levels.”

“The creation of this Research Chair is fully in line with the initiatives that our government wishes to see come to life as part of Quebec’s new maritime vision for 2035”, highlighted the Minister for Transport and Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, Chantal Rouleau. “This maritime vision, which is currently under development, will constitute a flagship element that will guide the government in order to reconcile economic, social, and environmental progress in Quebec.”

“As Minister Responsible for the Côte-Nord Region, I am very happy about the active participation of two institutions from Sept-Îles in this Chair”, commented the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister Responsible for the Côte-Nord Region, Jonatan Julien. “As acting Minister Responsible for the Capitale-Nationale Region, I am proud to see these two regions, which I have had the privilege of representing, work together on a common project. And as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, I feel even happier, considering the importance of the natural resources sector in the regional economy.”

About INREST

The Institut Nordique de Recherche en Environnement et en Santé au Travail (INREST) is a non-profit organization that focuses on matters relating the environment and occupational health and safety. INREST stood out on the international scene by establishing the largest environmental observatory in an industrial port zone for the conservation of Quebec’s marine ecosystems, as well as by creating the Centre for Industrial Port Expertise (CEIP), a division of INREST.

About the Port of Sept-Îles

Boasting diversified and cutting-edge facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is the largest ore-handling port in North America, with an anticipated volume of close to 35 million tons for 2020. A pioneer in the St. Lawrence with the establishment of the first environmental observatory for its marine ecosystem, sustainable development is firmly anchored in its values and its actions.

Source :

Jean-François Huppé
Relations médias
Université Laval
418 656-7785
jean-francois.huppe@dc.ulaval.ca

SEPT-ÎLES, January 16, 2020 – Flying the flag of Portugal, the M/V Hinrich Oldendorff from Rotterdam, Netherlands, was the first ship of 2020, with arrival in Sept-Îles recorded at 1:54 a.m. on January 1. The ship was in ballast and had to remain at anchor until January 14 before leaving two days later for Japan with a cargo of 170,000 tonnes of iron ore from the IOC Rio Tinto company. Built in 2016, the 300-metre-long bulk carrier has a total cargo capacity of 209,113 tonnes. The ship is owned by the Oldendorff Carriers company and is operated by a crew of 25 sailors.

Captain Yvan Dikiy was presented with the prestigious Port of Sept-Îles cane by Port of Sept-Îles President and CEO Pierre D. Gagnon last night during the Port of Sept-Îles New Year’s cocktail reception at the HMCS Jolliet in the presence of members of the Sept-Îles business community.

Now in its 33rd year, the tradition marks the arrival of the first ship of the year to call at the port. To be eligible, the vessel must come directly from a foreign country and be bound for a foreign destination.

ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

With its diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is North America’s largest ore-handling port, with a projected volume of more than 35 million tonnes in 2020. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

 

Source :

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

SEPT-ÎLES, January 16, 2020 – The Port of Sept-Îles is proud to announce an increase of more than 15% in volume handled at the port in 2019, at 29,292,000 tonnes compared to 25,363,000 tonnes the year before. This is the fourth best year since the record-setting 34,948,000 tonnes handled in 1979, and the best year since the Sept-Îles Port Authority was created in 1999. In 2019, 481 ships anchored in Sept-Îles Bay—53 more than in 2018.

THE YEAR IN REVIEW

The multi-user dock accommodated 45 vessels for a total of 7,776,000 tonnes handled, a 40% increase over 2018. Québec Iron Ore began shipping last year, and a new user, Tacora Resources Inc., brought in another 917,000 tonnes. IOC Rio Tinto also carried out split cargoes on vessels chartered by Tacora. Another major milestone—10,000,000 tonnes handled at the multi-user dock—was reached in August.

In June the Port welcomed the Honourable Marc Garneau, Minister of Transport, and Jonatan Julien, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Minister Responsible for the Côte-Nord Region, to a traditional ground-breaking ceremony in confirmation of the equal participation by the two levels of government to the cost of the Pointe-aux-Basques terminal modernization project, for a total of more than $13.3 million, or two-thirds of an estimated investment of $20 million.

The year 2019 also marked the 20th anniversary of the Port Authority’s financial autonomy and local management. Two open house events were held for the public. The first was on May 25, and the theme was “cruise ship passenger for a day.” Participants got to experience what it’s like to be a visiting cruise ship passenger, with whale-watching tours, museum visits, local product tastings, traditional dances, and artisans. XXL Day was held August 10 in collaboration with Table Bioalimentaire and featured a wide range of activities such as yoga, cooking demonstrations, samples of local fare, contests, a public market, and the release of the commemorative Pointe aux Basques beer by Microbrasserie La Compagnie. With tremendous support from everyone involved and an enthusiastic response from the people of Sept-Îles, the event was a huge success.

A portion of every Pointe aux Basques beer sold is donated to L’Envol–Maison de la Famille. In early December the Port and Microbrasserie La Compagnie presented the charity with the $2,000 raised.

Under its new donations and contributions policy aimed at supporting community organizations that help families, the Port has contributed to a number of local community-minded organizations, including Centre d’Action Bénévole Le Virage, Hommes Sept-Ils, l’Élyme des Sables, Station Gallix, Festival des Hivernants, Salon du Livre de la Côte-Nord, Ensemble Folklorique Tam Ti Delam, Vieux-Quai en Fête, Maison Alouette (MOCSI), L’Envol–Maison de la Famille, Comptoir Alimentaire de Sept-Îles, Âtre de Sept-Îles, Marée Motrice (Vieux Poste Hanté et Vieux Poste de Noël), Recyk et Frip, and Chantier Jeunesse Loisirs. In all, the Port invested more than $100,000 in the community in 2019.

It was also a record-breaking year for cruise ships, with the Port welcoming 18,655 passengers and crew members. The season included seven planned calls, including the grand Queen Mary 2 on two occasions, and one unplanned call by the Serenade of the Seas seeking safe harbour from Hurricane Dorian. The ship came in to port with less than 24 hours’ notice and stayed for 34 hours, to the delight of local residents and retailers.

”We are glad that we found such fitting ways to celebrate the Port’s first 20 years of autonomy and local management with our community, our people, our partners, and our users, who are the reason for everything we do. Recently, there has been sustained growth since the multi-user dock was commissioned, so the next 20 years look very bright for the Port Authority of Sept-Îles and the regional economy as a whole,” said Carol Soucy, Chair of the Port of Sept-Îles Board of Directors, and Pierre D. Gagnon, Port of Sept-Îles President and Chief Executive Officer.

ABOUT THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

With its 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 more than 35 million tonnes in 2020. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

 

Source :

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

Sept-Îles, January 15, 2020 – The Marée Motrice collective and the Port of Sept-Îles will proudly inaugurate the Patinoire du gardien skating rink at Vieux Poste at 9 a.m. on Saturday, January 18. Residents are invited to lace up their skates and enjoy fun for all ages at the unique facility.

This exciting partnership aims to offer families in Sept-Îles and the community of Uashat mak Mani-Utenam opportunities to have fun and socialize in a safe and enchanting historic environment, complete with a touch of magic.

Port of Sept-Îles has provided over $16,000 under its donations and contributions policy to help build and maintain the rink and provide services to enhance the skater experience. This partnership is part of the festivities marking the Port of Sept-Îles 20th anniversary as an autonomous entity.

The partners invite residents to take full advantage of the unique facility with family and friends and groups.

For information on the rink schedule, visit the Marée Motrice, Gardien du Vieux Poste, and Port of Sept-Îles Facebook pages.

About the Port de Sept-Îles

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is North America’s largest ore-handling port, with a projected volume of more than 35 million tonnes for 2020. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

About Marée Motrice

Marée Motrice’s mission is to create cultural experiences that bring people together and enhance the reputation of the Sept-Îles area and the North Shore in general. The Marée Motrice collective brings together partners and volunteers to promote and develop City of Sept-Îles and Uashat mak Mani-Utenam infrastructure and institutions by producing non-partisan performances and temporary and permanent installations primarily intended for the general public.

 

Sources :

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

Alex Rodrigue
Marée Motrice
418 409-3243
maree.motrice@gmail.com

Sept-Îles, December 11, 2019 – On August 10, at the Port Day event at Mgr-Blanche wharf, the Port of Sept-Îles and Microbrasserie La Compagnie proudly unveiled a brand new beer called “Pointe aux Basques.” The new brew is the result of a joint initiative to mark the local port authority’s 20th anniversary.

For each beer sold, the Port of Sept-Îles and Microbrasserie La Compagnie pledged to make a donation to a community organization that supports families in Sept-Îles. The first organization to benefit from the partnership is Maison de la famille l’Envol, a family support centre.

With the holiday season approaching, and given the many needs in the community, the Port of Sept-Îles and Microbrasserie La Compagnie are pleased to announce a $2,000 donation to Maison de la famille L’Envol family support centre, after just four months of sales.

“We couldn’t have hoped for better results from this partnership with Microbrasserie La Compagnie,” said Pierre D. Gagnon, President and CEO of the Port of Sept-Îles. “We have the same philosophy on the importance of helping those in need in our community—it’s a responsibility we take on proudly. L’Envol makes a very valuable contribution to our community and we are more than happy to help, especially at this time of year.”

“We are very proud of our partnership with the Port of Sept-Îles,” said Billy Dumas, Co-owner of La Compagnie. “We created Pointe au Basques for two reasons: to make a meaningful contribution to our community and to highlight an important milestone in our industrial history—the beginning of port operations in Sept-Îles.”

We want to thank fans of Pointe aux Basques and hope the holidays will be a good opportunity for more people to give it a try. That way, we can provide even greater support for L’Envol and the families it serves. A donation will be made for each Pointe aux Basques beer sold until August, a full year after the beer was launched.

“To boost fundraising even further, we have decided to offer Pointe aux Basques in cans, so those who are feeling extra generous can proudly stock it in their fridges at home,” said Billy Dumas.

About the Port de Sept-Îles

Boasting diverse, state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is North America’s largest ore-handling port, with a projected volume of close to 30 million tonnes for 2019. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

About Microbrasserie La Compagnie

Microbrasserie La Compagnie is a craft brewery that makes and sells beer inspired by the industrial history of Sept-Îles. The company opened its doors at 15 rue du Père-Divet in December, 2018, and sells its beer in a pub adjacent to the brewery. The pub also boasts a menu of simple and original dishes showcasing the flavours of the North Shore. La Compagnie has become a must-visit attraction in the region.

 

Source :

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

Billy Dumas
Co-owner
Microbrasserie La Compagnie
418 961-2337

Québec City, September 19, 2019 – The St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (SODES) and the Human Resources Sectorial Committee of the Maritime Industry (CSMOIM) are proud to present the very first edition of Maritime Employment Week, a virtual marine-sector careers promotion campaign that will run September 23-29, 2019.

This 100% virtual, joint SODES/CSMOIM initiative is aimed at making the general public aware of the different jobs available in the Québec maritime industry by disseminating relevant information and demystifying certain popular beliefs about the industry through catchy posts on social networks.

In a human resources shortage context, Maritime Employment Week is extremely pertinent as it seeks to promote exciting careers that the public often knows little about and to ensure a new generation of marine-sector workers for the years to come. To reach the different target audiences, the week’s theme-based messages will be posted on both associations’ Facebook pages. To conclude Maritime Employment Week, a contest will be launched on social networks, enabling participants to test their knowledge of the industry. The winner will receive a cruise on the St. Lawrence River, courtesy of Croisières AML.

Maritime companies join forces

To maximize the campaign’s visibility, SODES and CSMOIM have called on various marine industry companies to share the posts on their own social networks. Many maritime organizations throughout Québec have agreed to mobilize and re-post these messages to their own virtual communities. The involvement of these different Québec marine-sector players will allow Maritime Employment Week to have a significant impact and to considerably increase its audience.

Details

What: Maritime Employment Week
When: September 23-29, 2019
Where: On the social networks of various Québec marine industry companies

About the Human Resources Sectorial Committee of the Maritime Industry

The Human Resources Sectorial Committee of the Maritime Industry (CSMOIM) is a non-profit organization comprising maritime industry employers and workers. Since 2001, its mission has been to implement human resources and skills development projects and promote marine industry trades and occupations in order to help companies become more competitive and boost job growth in its activity sector.

About the St. Lawrence Economic Development Council

The St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (SODES) plays a key role in economic activity related to the St. Lawrence River. It is the voice of the maritime community, representing its interests and projects in all forums and before all authorities where our economic future is at stake. With its many members from all walks of life, SODES works to promote the development of the St. Lawrence River in keeping with sustainable development principles.

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 more than 35 million tonnes for 2019. The port facilities at Sept-Îles play a vital and strategic role in the economy of Eastern Canada. Annual economic impacts are estimated at nearly $1 billion and almost 4,000 direct and indirect jobs.

 

Sources and informations :

Laurence Jolicoeur
Communications Officer
Human Resources Sectorial Committee of the Maritime Industry (CSMOIM)
418-694-9059, ext. 223
ljolicoeur@csmoim.qc.ca

Cassandra Fortin
Communications Coordinator
St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (SODES)
418-520-9892, ext. 203
cassandra.fortin@st-laurent.org

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