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Le Port de Sept-Îles répond à Cliffs / Wabush

Sept-Îles, October 7, 2013 – In response to the lawsuit filed on July 29 by Wabush Mines and its managing agent, Cliffs Mining Company, the Port of Sept-Îles filed a Statement of Defense with the Superior Court of the District of Mingan today in order to set the record straight and state its case.

The Port still believes that the parties need to reach an agreement on opening up Pointe-Noire port facilities to accommodate other companies that wish to use them.

Since 1998, the Port has invested over $33 million in the Pointe-Noire dock in order to increase the port’s capacity to accommodate Wabush Mines and also to honor requests from other companies that would like to use the port. The Port has also joined forces with private partners and the Canadian government to invest $220 million to build a new port terminal for the Quebec and Labrador mining industry.

Port president and CEO Pierre D. Gagnon would therefore like the parties to come back to the negotiating table so that Wabush Mines and the Port can meet their respective goals and assure that Pointe-Noire port facilities can be developed to accommodate new users and boost the economies of Quebec and Labrador.

Out of respect for the court, the Port of Sept-Îles will not be granting interviews regarding this case.ABOUT

THE PORT OF SEPT-ÎLES

Boasting a variety of state-of-the-art facilities, the Port of Sept-Îles is the leading iron ore port in North America, with an annual volume of nearly 30 million tons. Sept-Îles’ port facilities play a vital and strategic role in the operation of many businesses from the region’s primary sector. The Port’s annual economic impact is estimated at nearly $1 billion, with some 4,000 direct and indirect jobs. Through its activity, the Port of Sept-Îles therefore remains a significant source of wealth creation in Quebec and the rest of Canada.

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