Montreal Gazette Sept 30, 2014 Article This is major news, will include the development of a port for the DAN-V Project.......The pieces of the puzzle are coming together! abet slowly!!!
The Plan Nord strategy will be fleshed out this fall when Energy and Natural Resources Minister Pierre Arcand tables a new bill to set up the Société du Plan Nord, a provincially-owned corporation that will co-ordinate all aspects of development in the north.
The Liberals are picking up the northern theme first articulated by former premier Jean Charest three years ago.
At that time, resource prices were high and Charest envisioned about $80 billion in private and public investment over 25 years, aided by access to cheap hydro power in Quebec.
But then prices for metals and other commodities turned down, just as the provincial government increased royalty rates on mining projects.
The mining boom began to flag and when the PQ took power it threw Charest’s plan into the ash bin, maintaining just a token interest in northern development.
Couillard has dusted off the Plan Nord at a time when the provincial economy badly needs a new push. Jobs and economic growth have stalled and the government needs new sources of revenue if it wants to preserve Quebec’s generous social programs, he said.
But he was careful not to toss around the kind of big dollar figures that Charest routinely touted under the original plan.
Times have changed. Commodity prices have yet to recover and investment capital for mining firms is harder to find than it’s been in decades.
And while the government is embarking on new cuts to a wide range of public services, it can’t be seen doling out massive sums to corporate interests.
Still, Couillard defended his decision, saying that now is the time to act so that Quebec will be ready when the inevitable uptick in commodity prices occurs.
He said there’s plenty of interest right now from foreign investors and there could be even more after he leads a Quebec economic delegation to China in the fall.
Investors want to know if the right infrastructure is in place in the north — not only cheap and abundant energy but also adequate roads, rail lines and port facilities, he said.
Besides the Stornoway diamond mine, other major projects in the north include the FerroAtlantica silicium project in Port Cartier, the Raglan mine in Nunavik and the Arianne Phosphate project north of Saguenay