It’s now official. Five projects are to be fast-tracked under the prime minister’s promise of building new infrastructure in Canada. The expansion of the Port of Montreal in Contrecoeur, Québec comes at an important juncture when exports and imports of produce are important to food security. Even before Hon. Dominic LeBlanc was on the ground for the September 11 announcement, preparatory work on the new South Shore container terminal was scheduled to begin as early as Sept. 29. 

On the day of the federal announcement, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association was holding a Logistics Summit in Montréal with Tony Boemi, senior commercial advisor, Montreal Port Authority on the agenda.  

“Looking at ports in general, a lot of investment will be needed,” said Boemi, further commenting on the need for intermodal connections. “If the supply chain is not good between ports and railways, it won’t work.” 

The Montreal Port Authority has proposed to increase the Port’s container capacity by nearly 60 per cent. The project would include the construction of a 675-metre wharf with two berths to accommodate vessels from 39,000 to 75,400 deadweight tonnes. The project would also include the development of a seven-track rail yard, a container storage and handling area, an intermodal rail yard, support buildings, rail and road access, and a truck control area.

The remaining projects referred to the Major Projects Office include:  

LNG Canada Phase 2, which would expand the liquefied natural gas export facility at Kitimat, B.C; modular reactors at Ontario’s existing Darlington Nuclear Generating Station; Saskatchewan’s Foran McIlvenna Bay copper mine project; and the Red Chris Copper and Gold Mine expansion in B.C.

Source:  Staff