The governments of Canada and Quebec are providing $111.2 million to the Saguenay Port Authority for constructing a Mechanized Multi-User Bulk Transport System.
This conveyor, run entirely by electricity, will connect the Port to industrial storage spaces and rail yards located in Saguenay's industrial port zone (IP zone). It is anticipated to be in service in 2025.
The Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy and the Minister Responsible for the Metropolis and the Montréal Region, Pierre Fitzgibbon, made the announcement today, along with the Minister of Municipal Affairs and the Minister Responsible for the Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean Region, Andrée Laforest, and the member for Dubuc and Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Tourism, François Tremblay.
The Government of Canada contributed $55.2 million to the Saguenay Port Authority. The Government of Quebec, meanwhile, offered a loan, repayable through fees, of a maximum of $36.8 million from the Department of Economy, Innovation and Energy, as well as $19.2 million in financial aid from the Department of Transport and Sustainable Mobility.
The two levels of government reaffirm that the Port of Saguenay represents a central economic driver for development in the region of Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean.
The Saguenay IP zone was identified as a priority by the Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy since it has:
- large tracts of land available in an industrial zone;
- multimodal logistical infrastructure like rail access, the highway system, the deep-water port and this conveyor; and
- a qualified workforce in a university city.
In addition to the $111.2 million for the construction of a Mechanized Multi-User Bulk Transport System, Quebec previously committed $105.5 million to establish multi-use infrastructure for the Saguenay IP zone and also recently announced $20 million for enlarging the Marcel-Dionne Wharf.
