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SEPT-ÎLES, June 22, 2016 – The Port of Sept-Îles served Champion Iron Mines Ltd. (Champion) with a notice of arbitration under the mechanism provided for in the Port’s multi-user dock contract (the Contract).

The purpose of the notice of arbitration is to compel Champion to fulfil its contractual obligations and to pay in full the buy-in payment of $19,581,000 plus interest agreed upon in the Contract.

The arbitration will take place in accordance with Quebec’s Code of Civil Procedure, which establishes the process for nominating the arbitrator and conducting the arbitration.

Five users signed the Contract in 2012 for the construction of the new dock. Champion’s refusal to pay in full the buy-in payment in 2013 unduly burdened the Port with significant and unexpected financial costs. In initiating these legal proceedings, the Port is seeking to protect its interests and those of the Contract’s other partners by reminding Champion of its responsibility to fulfil its contractual obligations.

Aside from its dispute with Champion, the Port intends to continue working closely with the Quebec government through its limited partnership with Société ferroviaire et portuaire de Pointe-Noire (SFPPN) to provide a quick stimulus to Pointe-Noire’s assets and make the multi-user dock operational.

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. 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

 

Sept-Îles, May 10, 2016 – Today the City of Sept-Îles and the Port of Sept-Îles submitted the Phase II report of the Environmental Observatory for the Bay of Sept-Îles.

The Phase II study, which included a sediment characterization of the bay, was conducted in 2014 and 2015 by INREST research institute for northern environment and occupational health, in collaboration with researchers from the St. Lawrence Global Observatory (SLGO), Institut des sciences de la mer (ISMER), and Université du Québec à Rimouski. The following parameters were studied in the second research phase: sediment quality (organic matter, particle size, physicochemical analyses), benthic community, water analysis, and the second phase of the study on brightness.

“At this stage, the data collected is not sufficient to conclude or rule on the state of the bay,” said INREST director and researcher Dr. Julie Carrière. “We need to complete the work to present a comprehensive overview of the Bay of Sept-Îles. The ideas and recommendations are intended to guide and target research in subsequent phases.”

Background of the study

The second phase of analysis is part of the larger Environmental Observatory for the Bay of Sept-Îles project, which sets out to:

• Understand the current state of the bay
• Measure and predict environmental impacts on the bay’s ecosystem
• Monitor the evolution of various components analyzed over the short, medium, and long term by setting up an environmental monitoring mechanism
• Provide stakeholders with the tools they need to make decisions and approach environmental management from a sustainable development perspective
• Respond to community expectations and concerns

Launched in 2013, this innovative method of characterizing the ecosystem of the Bay of Sept-Îles is a testament to the determination of the partners involved to work together on environmental and sustainable development issues. The initiative aims to provide an overall picture of the bay and develop a monitoring tool for the future.

“This integrated and ongoing scientific research method is a first on the St. Lawrence,” said Port of Sept-Îles president and CEO Pierre Gagnon. “It reflects the environmental leadership of the City and Port of Sept-Îles and will help protect our valuable marine ecosystems in the Bay of Sept-Îles, while ensuring responsible planning based on sustainable development values.”

“Phase II of the Environmental Observatory for the Bay of Sept-Îles will build on Phase I, which was completed in 2013,” said Sept-Îles mayor Réjean Porlier. “It will improve knowledge of the sector, so we’ll be able to determine what actions we need to take to maintain it over the long term.”

Phase III

Phase III of the study will begin in the spring of 2016 and will cost an estimated $650,000, to be funded jointly by the City and the Port of Sept-Îles, Société du Plan Nord, and private-sector company. An official announcement about when the work will start should be made in the coming weeks.

Phase I required an investment of $385,000, which was split among the Port of Sept-Îles, Corporation de protection de l’environnement, and Développement économique Sept-Îles. Phase II of the study cost $161,000, and was split equally between the Port and the City of Sept-Îles.

To consult the report

The full Phase II report and a summary presentation will be available online at www.baie.septiles.ca, and on the Port of Sept-Îles and City of Sept-Îles websites. As in Phase I, the public can submit questions by completing the questionnaire provided for this purpose by June 10, 2016. All questions received will be compiled and the answers published on this site. The response time will depend on the number and complexity of questions received.

Paper versions are available for on-site consultation at the Louis-Ange-Santerre Library, the Wilfrid-Gallienne Centre in Moisie, and the Marguerite Community Centre in Gallix.

About INREST

INREST is an organization affiliated with Cégep de Sept-Îles. Its mandate is to manage the Cégep’s occupational health and environment research unit. Its mission is to conduct research in environmental and occupational health sciences with regard to activities carried out in a northern environment. INREST’s objectives are to develop innovative applicable projects that take sustainable development concerns into account, to provide scientific data to aid decision-making, and to measure impacts on public health and the safety of workers. INREST encourages its partners to pool their resources to find solutions to the challenges posed by northern development.

Sources:

Patsy Keays
Director, Corporate Affairs
Port of Sept-Îles
Tél. : 418 961-1235

Amélie Robillard
Communications Advisor
City of Sept-Îles
Tél. : 418 964-3344

For interviews:

City of Sept-Îles
Réjean Porlier, Mayor
Tél. : 418 964-3211

Port of Sept-Îles
Pierre D. Gagnon, President and CEO
Tél. : 418 968-1231, poste 223

INREST
Dr. Julie Carrière, Director and Researcher
Tél. : 418 962-9848, poste 369

Sommaire du rapport de la phase II de l’Observatoire de veille environnementale de la baie de Sept-Îles

ACPA welcomes the recognition in the Federal Budget of the importance of infrastructure in creating good, well-paying jobs and delivering sustained economic growth, but notes that greater clarity is needed in defining the opportunities for ports within this funding envelope.

Ports can continue to be powerful trade enablers for Canada, but to do so we have to be flexible and able to adapt to changing market forces. Greater autonomy, enhanced commercialization and the removal of barriers to financial flexibility would give port authorities the power to pursue trade-related opportunities and reduce current restrictions that may serve as obstacles to growth.

An ACPA – Transport Canada¹ study of port infrastructure requirements found a capital investment requirement of $5.8 billion to meet growing demand. Of this, $1.9 billion (or 33%) is related to the rehabilitation of existing port assets. This public funding of strategic port infrastructure is needed to assist in maximizing Canada’s economic output.

We look forward to engaging with the Government of Canada to clarify phase 2 efforts to deliver fast, efficient trade corridors and enable ports to help Canada capitalize on the potential of global trade. ACPA will also seek to integrate immediate funding needs of $1.9 B for port rehabilitation within the New Building Canada Fund. Ultimately, an investment in port infrastructure will have a multiplier effect on the Canadian economy. The initial injection will go into supporting the local economy and labour force while the secondary bounce will come from the ability of the port to grow its cargo.

About the Association of Canadian Port Authorities
The Association of Canadian Port Authorities was founded in 1958 and groups together ports and related marine interests into one national association. ACPA represents all Canadian Port Authorities, various government entities and companies doing business in the marine sector. It is the leading Association for the advocacy and advancement of the Canadian Port Industry. ACPA members contribute significantly to the local, regional and national economy of Canada, responsible for more than 250,000 direct and indirect jobs and handling more than $162 billion worth of goods annually.

For more information, please call:
Wendy ZatylnyPresident,
Association of Canadian Port Authorities
Cell: (613)407-6022
Office: (613) 232-2036 x201
www.acpa-ports.net

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¹CPCS Transcom, Canada Port Authority Infrastructure Study: PortInfrastructure Investment Needsand Plans, Association of Canadian Port Authorities, Ottawa, 2011

SEPT-ÎLES, March 2, 2016 – Institut nordique de recherche en environnement et en santé au travail (INREST), the City of Sept-Îles, and the Port of Sept-Îles are pleased with today’s announcement in St. John’s by the Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Small Business and Tourism, of funding for Phase II of the Canadian Healthy Oceans Network, aka CHONe II, directed by Dr. Paul Snelgrove of Memorial University, Newfoundland. A $5 million five-year grant will be made through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), with an additional $1 million from Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

The Bay of Sept-Îles area and surroundings are among CHONe II’s research sites. The bay was selected for its combination of northern marine conditions, freshwater inflow, and ongoing industrial, municipal, recreational, and tourist activities. The data collected will go into a marine biodiversity database for Canada’s three surrounding northern oceans and for all northern global regions and will serve as a valuable source of information for future generations.

A number of research projects will be conducted in the Sept-Îles area in partnership with INREST. The earth and its oceans are on the verge of a biodiversity crisis that will likely present challenges just as complex as those presented by climate change. The many types of threats to the health of our oceans make development of a new framework for protecting them an urgent priority. Just as importantly, this framework must encompass university and government scientists as well as the officials who develop policy.

CHONe II is a strategic partnership made up of 39 researchers from 11 Canadian universities, numerous government researchers at federal research labs, and partners such as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Oceans Canada, and INREST, representing the City of Sept-Îles and the Port of Sept-Îles. CHONe II is there to meet the need for scientific guidelines to conserve and use marine biodiversity resources sustainably.

The Port and City of Sept-Îles have already committed to $1 million in joint funding for INREST so it can collaborate on research in the region and on the North Shore, and represent them within CHONe II. Of this funding, INREST is to pay $250,000 into CHONe II research directly, with further support contributed in kind. This investment in scientific research is an essential contribution to the work of the research teams in the Sept-Îles area and other Canadian regions so they can develop indicators and management tools for use in preserving northern marine biodiversity.

We also salute the appointment of Dr. Julie Carrière to the CHONe II board of directors as representative of INREST, the Port of Sept-Îles, and the City of Sept-Îles.

Sources:

Julie Carrière Director Institut nordique de recherche en environnement et en santé au travail 418-962-9848, ext. 369 julie@inrest.ca

Patsy Keays Director, Corporate Affairs Port of Sept-Îles 418-961-1235

Denis Clements Assistant to the Director City of Sept-Îles 418-964-3201

SEPT-ÎLES, February 2, 2016 – The Port is pleased with the decision handed down on February 1 by the Superior Court of Québec approving the agreement concluded on January 26 between the Port and Wabush for the sale of land in Pointe-Noire collectively called “Block Z” subject to proceedings initiated by Wabush under the Creditors Arrangement Act.

Block Z represents over 400 hectares of land along almost five kilometers of the southern edge of the Alouette Smelter access road. With the existing spaces in Pointe-Noire, this new acquisition will allow the Port to fulfill its mission of being a positive force for economic development by connecting the three port facilities it owns—the Pointe-Noire dock, La Relance dock, and multi-user dock. These new spaces will also make way for additional growth opportunities for a sector already recognized as a strategic platform in the Plan Nord.

The Port will work closely and efficiently with the Quebec government, the new owner of the land, equipment, and rights associated with rail, storage, pelletizing, and transshipment in the Pointe-Noire sector. The Port will spend the coming days finalizing the documentation needed to close the transaction in a timely manner.

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 an annual volume of close to 25 million tonnes. 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

SEPT-ÎLES, January 27, 2016 – The Port of Sept-Îles has reached an agreement, subject to judicial approval, regarding its acquisition of land in the Pointe-Noire area. The land is currently subject to proceedings initiated by Wabush Iron Co. and Wabush Resources Inc. under the Creditors Arrangement Act.

The motion hearing for a transaction that would see certain Pointe-Noire assets sold to Investissement Québec has already been set for February 1. The motion will be amended so that the Port’s intended acquisition of land in the Pointe‑Noire area can be approved during the hearing. For more details on the upcoming transaction with the Port, visit the auditor’s website at http://cfcanada.fticonsulting.com/bloomlake/.

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 an annual volume of close to 25 million tonnes. 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