Port of Québec Deepwater Container Terminal Project. Port of Québec makes significant improvements to Laurentia  based on feedback received

Québec City, April 6, 2021 –The Port of Québec submitted its final documents to the Canadian Impact Assessment Agency (IAAC) today and provided a summary at a technical briefing of the mitigation measures and significant improvements it has made to the Laurentia project. The Port took to heart the feedback it received during the most recent consultation process, which began in November 2020. The current phase is in line with the spirit of continuous improvement that has guided the project since its inception, due in large part to input from the public.

Consultation process and meetings with stakeholders
The Canadian Impact Assessment Agency (IAAC) submitted a draft report on the Port of Québec’s deepwater container terminal project in November 2020. This was followed by a public consultation period during which citizens and interest groups weighed in on the impact of the future terminal. 

Since then, the Port of Québec has been carefully going through the 123 briefs submitted to identify stakeholders’ concerns and questions and meeting with citizen and environmental groups, local elected officials from all levels of government, and First Nations communities. Over a dozen meetings were held from January to March 2021, with more scheduled in the coming months.

Main issues raised
The in-depth analysis and meetings helped the Port provide clearer details on the four main issues raised by stakeholders and citizens. The four main issues revolve around increased atmospheric emissions, river ecosystems and biodiversity, traffic disturbances, and the protection of Beauport Bay. 

Proposed mitigation measures
In the final documents filed with the IAAC, the Port of Québec included around 40 additional mitigation measures as well as details on the significant improvements made to the Laurentia project. The Port also responded directly to each of the issues raised. The final environmental impact study submitted by the Port of Québec to the IAAC in September 2020 contained around 350 mitigation measures.

The main measures include: 

Strict criteria for the construction phase
In order to prevent environmental impacts during the construction phase, the Port plans to include a number of criteria in the call for tenders for the consortia that will submit proposals for the project.

In terms of air quality, in the vast majority of cases the Port will require contractors to use group 4 heavy equipment—equipment with engines that emit far fewer contaminants and particles—with the option of using hybrid trucks on site that switch from diesel to electric when idling, thereby reducing fuel consumption and air emissions including GHGs. 

Furthermore, to keep dust generated by the construction site from getting into the air of neighbouring sectors, the Port will ensure that the site is watered down and that dust suppressant is applied to road surfaces used by trucks according to site conditions. These measures will be adapted according to the nature of the work and the weather conditions. Road surfaces will also be partially and gradually paved during the course of the work. Trucks will be required to drive at reduced speeds on site and equipment will be cleaned frequently. Advanced technologies will be used to extensively monitor meteorological conditions so that work can be slowed down or even temporarily stopped if there is an increased risk to air quality in the surrounding neighbourhoods. More specifically, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology will be used to prevent any risk of overruns due to changing weather conditions. Finally, the Port will make air quality data available to the public via its Web platform or other means to be discussed with the Monitoring Committee.

To protect the marine ecosystem, the Port will require contractors to use materials that are free of aggregates smaller than 10 mm, to contain infill work with dikes, and to use air bubble screens to limit introducing suspended solids into fish habitats. The Port will also require workers to adhere to a construction sequence that complies with the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (2020) notice stipulating that interventions in the water are only permitted outside of restricted activity periods to protect fish. 

To sum up, the Port will apply all targeted mitigation measures and employ a robust oversight and monitoring program to make sure the project does not exceed any standards or criteria that apply to the area. 

Equally important operational improvements
Electrification of the dock 
During port calls, ships typically use diesel generators to provide power. Laurentia will provide shore-side power so ships in port can connect to an electrical power supply rather than use their generators. In addition to reducing noise, this will reduce NO2 air pollution and GHG emissions compared to using a standard dock.

More efficient ground transportation – Use of more efficient locomotives and electric trucks
Approximately 90% of containers that pass through Laurentia will be transported by rail. Only group 4 locomotives will be used to transport containers between the new terminal and the Beauport yard, which will significantly reduce atmospheric emissions. CN has also confirmed that a significant portion of the intermodal locomotives already in operation in Quebec are group 4. CN will continue its effort to reduce emissions and GHGs by installing more efficient engines and using more biofuels. 

CN is currently working with the Port and other public and private partners to ensure it is feasible to implement Canada’s first electric locomotive service in La Cité-Limoilou. Once it has been deemed feasible, the project will be presented in detail to the public.

The Port is also working with a number of partners including COOP Carbone and Propulsion Québec to electrify part of the truck fleet for the Laurentia project as well as to analyze all other options for trucks and heavy vehicles serving the Port of Québec.

A carbon neutral project
The Port is committed to carrying out a carbon neutral project in both the construction and operational phases. A number of factors have been considered to achieve this, including supplying electricity for docked ships (as explained above), working with electric or hybrid trucks and construction equipment that uses innovative technologies, and using group 4 locomotives.

A new urban park in the Beauport Bay area
The Port of Québec also plans to develop a new urban park in the Beauport Bay area. This project, estimated at over $2 million, will be developed at the same time as the Laurentia project and could be open to the public as early as 2024. The Port will provide new, family-friendly recreational spaces for residents and will plant several hundred trees and shrubs to create green spaces on over four hectares of land in the recreation and tourism zone to meet regional public health authorities’ recommendations to improve air quality in central neighbourhoods by greening certain buffer zones. This project is in addition to the $7 million already announced for the Beauport Bay facility improvements. 

Laurentia Fund dedicated to supporting community organizations
The Port of Québec also recently announced the creation of a fund to help finance community and social projects in La Cité-Limoilou. The fund will be topped up annually with revenues generated by Laurentia. The Port will provide a minimum annual contribution of $50,000 per year and will increase this amount by an additional $200 per direct job generated by Laurentia, up to a maximum of $150,000 per year. Laurentia is expected to generate approximately 500 direct jobs per year. The fund will be administered by a committee made up of La Cité-Limoilou residents, community representatives, and QPA employees who live in the area. 

New air quality report and recommendations
In addition to the work done on possible mitigation measures to improve Laurentia, the Port of Québec commissioned a more detailed study on air quality risks related to the project. The conclusions of this new study are unequivocal: the Laurentia project will have an insignificant and negligible impact on health risks resulting from atmospheric emissions of gaseous and particulate pollutants. The report from this new study recommends periodic ambient air sampling for NO2 and PM2.5 to ensure that the Laurentia project’s impact on air quality remains low and to check the predictions of the atmospheric dispersion model. 

Establishment of a Laurentia Monitoring Committee and reporting to the IAAC
The Laurentia Monitoring Committee is a key measure proposed by the Port of Québec to create a space for dialogue and exchange during the design and construction phases and also once the project is up and running. The committee will encourage discussion about the evolution of the project’s design and urge those in charge to adapt oversight measures to the realities of the project. The committee will be one of the main ways QPA works with the local population to remain transparent and help make Laurentia a better project. Like the Port, the Committee will be asked to file its own independent report with the IAAC to show that the Port is meeting its commitments. The Committee will continue to report to the IAAC for a period of 10 years following the opening of the new terminal.

Support for the Laurentia project grows
Based on the feedback it has received and the many mitigation measures suggested over the past few months, the Port of Québec has noted that support for the Laurentia project has increased in the greater Québec City area. The most recent survey on the project showed 70% support among locals who shared their opinions. 

In addition to garnering popular support, the Port of Québec is proud to have maintained a dialogue with a number of First Nations in the Québec City area and is pleased to have in particular the support of the Huron-Wendat Nation. Recently elected Grand Chief Rémy Vincent reiterated the Huron-Wendat Nation’s support for the Laurentia project, emphasizing the importance of the environmental protection efforts and the economic potential of the project for his community. 

As announced in November 2020, over 188 cities and municipalities in Quebec support the Laurentia project. Most of the RCMs in the central and eastern regions of Quebec will become significantly more competitive as soon as Laurentia goes into service in 2024Furthermore, the Laurentia container terminal will eliminate seven million kilometres of trucking annually on Quebec roads alone, which will also result in a significant reduction in GHG emissions. 

Quotes
“Since last November, we have analyzed the IAAC’s findings, listened to the recommendations, and reached out to the local population. We read the 123 submissions and comments from stakeholders and found new ways to further limit the impacts of the project. Our response to the IAAC report is clear: we have improved the Laurentia project and it is now very strong in terms of environmental compliance. Laurentia will be a model of economic development firmly rooted in its environment. We are very proud to table this report.”
—    Hugues Paris, Director of the Laurentia Project, Québec Port Authority 

About Laurentia 
With a joint $775 million investment from Hutchison Ports, CN, and the Port of Québec, Laurentia will be the greenest deepwater container terminal in North America. It will provide the fastest and most cost-effective access to North American markets by opening a new marine highway between Southeast Asia and the Port of Québec as of 2024. 

With Laurentia, the Port of Québec is making good on its strategic vision to build the port of tomorrow to satisfy the maritime industry’s new standards and the growing trend of electrified transportation and technologies. The Laurentia project will create 7,000 direct, indirect, and induced jobs (equal to 1,750 full-time jobs per year) in Canada during the 2021–2024 construction phase and another 1,000 indirect, induced, and high-paid direct jobs in Canada once commissioned. It will also improve and secure the supply chain and create export opportunities for Quebec and Canada as a whole, where maritime transport accounts for over 85% of international trade. 

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Source: 
Frédéric Lagacé 
Québec Port Authority
418-929-5031
[email protected]

For more information:
Laurence Gagnon
418-690-9716
[email protected]