The Québec Port Authority (QPA) confirms that it has been notified that on April 29, 2026, the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC or Agency) received a request for designation under section 9 of the Impact Assessment Act (IAA) regarding a project by its port partner QSL.
This move comes in the wake of the Government of Canada’s recent designation of the Port of Québec as an international container port, acknowledging its strategic role in the country’s supply chains and economic development.
The QPA is cooperating fully with the IAAC and will closely follow the process as well as any recommendations the Agency makes.
The IAAC is currently conducting a preliminary analysis to determine whether section 9, and particularly section 9(7), of the Impact Assessment Act applies, and therefore whether it will need to designate the project by proponent QSL. This stage can take several weeks. Should the project be recommended for designation under the IAA, the Minister of Environment and Climate change will have a further 90 days to decide whether or not to designate it.
QSL was originally expected to submit its project notice in the coming days, but it has since informed the QPA that it will wait to do so given the Agency’s preliminary analysis. Consequently, the QPA will not begin its Impact Assessment and Mitigation Process (IAMP) until the analysis is complete.
Assessment mechanisms in place at the Québec Port Authority
The QPA notes that in accordance with its obligations under the IAA, and in its capacity as a federal authority, all potential projects on its territory are subject to its IAMP, a rigorous and transparent mechanism to examine projects’ social and environmental impacts while enabling dialogue with communities and stakeholders.
The QPA reiterates its willingness to cooperate transparently and constructively with the relevant authorities throughout the entire process.
(QSL rendering of container project)