The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) today announced that a new phase is underway to complete its major expansion project in Contrecœur, as three bid respondents qualified. The selected bid files are from (in alphabetical order):
- Axium Infrastructure Canada and Pomerleau Capital
- Ports America Holdings
- Terminal Investment Limited (TIL)
The international Request for Qualifications (RFQ) was issued on November 23, 2021, using the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Maintain (DBFOM) model. Five compliant bid packages were evaluated. Bidders were required to show experience in the design, construction, and operation of new port infrastructure, as well as in generating new shipping volumes and their engagement with local and regional stakeholders, among other criteria. The conditions specified in the Decision Statement issued by the Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Canada also have to be met.
“The Request for Qualifications process confirmed the strong interest in our project locally, nationally and internationally. Citizens, consumers and the business community can look forward to yet another milestone towards the successful completion of this green and modern container terminal, especially in a global context where we need more resilient supply chains. Thank you to the MPA teams who helped move the process forward so far! This expansion will consolidate the Port of Montreal’s role as a driver of development for Quebec and Canada,” said Martin Imbleau, President and Chief Executive Officer of the MPA.
The three qualified finalists will be invited to submit bids in the Request for Proposals (RFP) phase, which will begin in the coming weeks and last approximately 12 months. Announcement of the private partner is slated for the second quarter of 2023, with financial and commercial closing in the third quarter of 2023, for a start of construction within the year. The terminal is expected to be commissioned by the end of 2026.
Significant benefits for Quebec and Canada
At a time when Montreal’s facilities will soon reach maximum capacity, this expansion project will result in increased efficiency and competitiveness for the businesses served by Montreal’s port facilities. This investment, estimated at between $750 and $950 million, will generate close to 8,000 direct, indirect and induced jobs during construction and 1,200 permanent jobs during operation. In total, it is expected that approximately 80% of the economic benefits will be in Quebec.
Working with Investissement Québec
Building and operating the future container terminal in Contrecœur will provide numerous business opportunities for companies. The Port of Montreal is committed to providing solid support for local socio-economic development as part of this extensive project, and will work with Investissement Québec to gradually roll out several initiatives aimed at maximizing economic benefits in Quebec.
“The Port of Montréal’s expansion project in Contrecœur will be an important lever of economic development for years to come. Investissement Québec is pleased to support the Montreal Port Authority in its efforts to maximize the local economic impact of this major project. We look forward to using our expertise to ensure that Quebec companies are informed about and understand the facets of the project where they can contribute, and to attract activities to the region that are complementary to establishing a container terminal,” said Guy LeBlanc, President and CEO of Investissement Québec.
About the Port of Montreal’s Contrecœur expansion
Located in an industrial zone, the Contrecœur land reserve was acquired 30+ years ago by the Montreal Port Authority and has been the focus of careful collaborative planning to support the development of the supply chain in Quebec and Eastern Canada. With the support of Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Government of Quebec, the Port of Montreal and its partners plan to develop a new state-of-the-art container terminal able to handle up to 1.15 million containers (TEUs. (Image from Port of Montreal)
Our spring 2022 edition highlights two special features plus the editor’s First Watch column that covers the eventual potential impact on Arctic developments of Russia’s deplorable invasion of Ukraine. One feature examines the expansion of shortsea shipping developments on Canada’s east and west coasts. The other is our annual review of growing opportunities for shippers, multimodal carriers and key Canadian ports in the strategic Midwest market – Canada’s biggest regional trading partner in the United States. And on the Arctic front, Vladimir Putin’s actions have, among other things, prompted seven Arctic states, including Canada, to assess security and sovereignty risks and to “pause” all cooperative activities of the Arctic Council.
