Wednesday April 26 2017 – The Trois-Rivières Port Authority (TRPA) has provided a positive assessment of the benefits of Quebec’s Marine Strategy, almost two years after it was launched. Mr. Gaétan Boivin, President and CEO of the TRPA is delighted with the projects they have completed in Trois-Rivières:
- Development of a maritime terminal – Project valued at $ 630,000 funded by the City of Trois-Rivières ($ 382,000), the Government of Quebec ($ 168,000) and the TRPA ($ 80,000);
- Creation of an industrial port area and preparation of its development plan – Up to $ 125,000 funded by the Government of Québec along with $ 53,000 from local partners;
- Development of a new outdoor storage area on nearly 40,000 square metres of property – $ 10M project funded by the TRPA ($ 7.5M) and the Government of Quebec ($ 2.5M);
- Study conducted on the optimization of road traffic in the Port – This project, carried out in partnership with the UQTR, was funded by the TRPA ($ 32,000) and the Government of Québec ($ 32,000);
- Expansion and development of Pier 10: Project valued at $ 14.8M funded by the TRPA ($ 6.3M), the Government of Quebec ($ 4.8M) and the Government of Canada ($ 3.6M).
Beyond these projects, the Government of Québec’s Maritime Strategy is a powerful instrument for mobilizing economic forces in order to take full advantage of the development potential of the St. Lawrence. It allows a port such as Trois-Rivières to better support the development of the regions it serves. Indeed, the Port of Trois-Rivières is an important economic development tool not only for the Mauricie region, but also for several other regions of Quebec. It collaborates with many regional companies in the shipment of their products and in the supply of their raw materials. As Mr. Boivin explains: “Nearly 60% of the port’s traffic is related to the activities of companies located within 100 km of its facilities. This reveals the close relations between the Port and its regional environment and the role it plays in the development of businesses and surrounding communities. The Maritime Strategy helps us fulfill this role even better”.
The Port of Trois-Rivières handles over 3 million metric tonnes of traffic and generates close to 900 direct jobs. It accommodates 55,000 trucks, 11,000 railcars and more than 200 merchant and cruise ships annually originating from over 100 different ports in more than 40 countries around the world.
As part of the 18 Canadian Port Authorities and active since 1882, the Port of Trois-Rivières offers a wide range of facilities and services to the maritime industry throughout the year. It is an important player in regional, national and international economic development for major industrial sectors such as aluminum, mining and agri-food.