The MPA made strides on its major expansion project, the construction of a new container terminal in Contrecœur that will eventually handle 1.15 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) and create 5,000 jobs during the construction phase of the terminal and 1,000 jobs during the operation phase.
A Request for Qualification was launched in the summer to initiate the procurement process for the design and construction of the terminal, leading five consortia to apply to participate in a Request for Proposals (RFP). In early 2021, three groups were selected from these five consortia:
- Ancre Contrecœur, represented by Dragados Canada, with which AECOM Consultants is associated,
- CAP Contrecœur, composed of the companies Eurovia Québec Grands Projets, Janin Atlas, Soletanche Bachy International and VINCI Infrastructure Canada, with which GHD Consultants, COWI North America and CH2M Hill Canada are associated, and
- Kiewit-Pomerleau, composed of Construction Kiewit and Pomerleau, with which CIMA+, Englobe, Hatch and Solmatech are associated.
The team also continued its work with the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) to obtain environmental permits. The IAAC’s draft environmental assessment report was released in the fall. It concluded that “taking into account the implementation of mitigation measures, the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.” Following the report’s release, the MPA reaffirmed its commitment to implement stellar mitigation and compensation measures, and to keep working closely with the IAAC, the various authorities involved and the First Nations to minimize the impact on human, aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Throughout 2020, the MPA also pursued various other project aspects: finalizing design and engineering, conducting geotechnical analyses, relocating cable networks, and preparing contractual documents.
The team welcomed Paul Bird, replacing Ryan Dermody as Vice-President.