Message from the
President & CEO

Denis Caron

As we enter 2022, the world is getting close to marking the two year anniversary of a global shut down due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

When this began no one knew how long we would have to weather this storm or even what coping mechanisms would be required to survive as a business. Through Canada’s National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure, the Belledune Port Authority was quickly deemed an essential service and we were required to make adjustments to protect the health and safety of our people while continuing to operate.

Since then, I can honestly say that the challenges and changes brought about by Covid-19 have prompted our team to be creative and resourceful in all of their roles. Despite adaption to a new working norm, our growth plans continued to gain momentum. Phase 1 of our expansion project was completed in 2020 and 2021 brought impressive changes to both terminals 3 and 4. In 2022 we anticipate at least three more tenders for additional work to expand our Port.

In 2021, we continued our work on the Master Development Plan which is assisting us in determining our direction for the future. This plan looks to position the Port as an economic driver for the region and offers us the ability to understand how to grow, identify opportunities and partner.

Sustainability remains at the heart of everything we do. In particular, we are working with NB Power to understand the federal government’s requirements for reducing carbon emissions. We aspire to create a greener port and ensure the longevity of power generation in northern New Brunswick.

Our partnership with QSL continues to generate business opportunities at the Port. The construction of a multi-million dollar storage facility for wood pellets is capitalizing on the popularity of these pellets and on the increase in volume. We look forward to continuing our efforts on this project throughout 2022 with QSL.

As the community is aware, the Glencore clean-up has begun and I am encouraged by the level of collaboration and engagement between the parties. In fact, the end of 2020 saw the creation of a Tripartite Committee comprised of Glencore, the Belledune Port Authority and our First Nations neighbours. During 2021 we met regularly to discuss the decommissioning project and environmental impact assessment – creating a place for

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