As a follow-up to our Message to members of March 20, we would like to inform you that, last week, we forwarded an initial note detailing COVID-19’s impacts on your organization to the Ministère des Transports du Québec’s Department of Maritime and Air Transport and to various federal government departments.
We would remind you that the information we gather will be used to fuel their deliberations and will allow the different levels of government to have a list of maritime projects in hand to help relaunch the Québec and Canadian economies as soon as this exceptional situation is over.
To properly compile the information submitted, we would invite you to answer the three questions asked in writing, no later than Friday, April 3, to mathieu.st-pierre@st-laurent.org.
Port transfers
The Québec government recently announced that, on March 30, 2020, it would officially become the owner of four ports (Gaspé, Gros-Cacouna, Matane and Rimouski) transferred by the Government of Canada.
You are invited to consult the Ministère des Transports du Québec website for more information on applying for berths and advance notice of arrival, declarations of arrival and departure, and any other relevant information linked to these different measures.
Beginning of the Great Lakes season
The Montréal-Lake Ontario section of the Seaway will open on April 1, 2020.
To consult official information, especially during the pandemic, please click here.
Your collective efforts we would like to highlight
In concluding, for several weeks now, you, your teams and your loyal partners have shown resilience and dedication to ensure that the Québec and Canadian logistics chain is maintained.
On your social networks, many of you have spotlighted the efforts made by members of your organizations in this time of crisis, which affects all work teams. We take great pride in sharing them in order to highlight the exemplary work your teams do every day. Collectively, we can be proud of the work done thus far and the permanent SODES team is available at all times to support you.
For any comments, please feel free to contact us.
Mathieu St-Pierre
President-CEO
St. Lawrence Economic Development Council (SODES)