The Port of Montreal named a “Creator of Biodiversity in Agriculture” for its support of the ALUS Montérégie environmental program.
Press release | For immediate release
Saint-Robert, August 27, 2020 — The Montreal Port Authority (MPA) is pleased to team up with the ALUS Montérégie program in connection with the expansion of its activities in Contrecoeur.
”We want to congratulate ALUS Montérégie for securing this new funding, and we want to thank the Port of Montreal for investing in ALUS in Quebec. Through this contribution, real environmental action will happen on the ground. Farmers can provide solutions to some of the biggest environmental issues of our time, and the ecosystem services they produce through ALUS—cleaner air, cleaner water, greater biodiversity—go far beyond the farm. These benefits accrue to our communities and benefit us all,” said Bryan Gilvesy, ALUS Canada’s CEO
Launched by the Montérégie UPA Federation in 2006, this program annually contributes to the preservation of ecosystems and supports farmers in their efforts to protect the environment. With this commitment, the MPA becomes a Gold Partner of the program.
“I would like to thank the MPA for its commitment to ALUS Montérégie, the only program in Quebec that offers financial compensation to farmers to support their environmental efforts. This contribution over five years will make it possible to actively fight climate change,” said Christian St-Jacques, President of the Montérégie UPA Federation
The Port of Montreal announces its support for the ALUS program. From left to right, front row: Yasmina Larbi-Youcef, ALUS Montérégie Program Coordinator; event host and ALUS participant Paul Caplette (Céréales Bellevue farm); François Thomas, UPA Montérégie’s Director of land use planning and development. Back row: Christian St-Jacques, UPA Montérégie President and ALUS Montérégie PAC Chair; Jean-Mathieu Bergeron, Manager of project development at Contrecœur; Sophie Roux, Montreal Port Authority’s Vice-President of Public Affairs; Paul Bird, Montreal Port Authority’s Contrecoeur Senior Project Director. (Photo: Sophie Caron)
A commitment to sustainable agriculture
Through its partnership with ALUS Montérégie, the Port of Montreal is proud to commit to preserving biodiversity and the quality of water, air and the environment. This partnership will make it possible to support the rehabilitation and environmental enhancement projects of several farms in the region. It is fully in line with the vision of sustainable development that has guided the MPA in its activities since it adopted a sustainable development policy in 2010.
“By joining forces with ALUS Montérégie, the MPA affirms its support for the program’s mission to preserve biodiversity and protect the environment. Guided by these values, we want to develop our Contrecoeur port terminal project in the strictest compliance with current environmental standards,” said Sophie Roux, Vice-President, Public Affairs at the MPA.
Through its objective to combine economic development with sustainable development, over the years the MPA has increased its initiatives and actions to safeguard the environment. They include installing shore power systems for cruise ships and wintering vessels and an LNG bunkering system, planting 2,000 trees on port territory, and installing hydrodynamic separators to help reduce the environmental impact of port activities. Due to these many initiatives, the MPA has a good track record in terms of sustainable development, and the intensity of GHGs related to port activities has dropped by 45% in 10 years.
The monies provided through this partnership will be used to fund various local initiatives on agricultural land, such as hedge planting, reforestation of fallow areas, shoreline replanting and ecosystem enhancement.
ABOUT ALUS MONTÉRÉGIE
The mission of ALUS is to encourage permanent developments that foster environmental protection in agricultural environments. The program aims to support actions that protect shorelines, soils and wetlands by improving the quality of water, aquatic ecosystems and the responsible development of shorelines and watercourses.
ABOUT THE PORT OF MONTREAL
Operated by the Montreal Port Authority (MPA), the Port of Montreal is the second largest port in Canada and a diversified transshipment centre that handles all types of goods: containerized and non-containerized cargo, liquid bulk and dry bulk. The only container port in Quebec, it is a destination port served by the largest shipping lines in the world. It is also an intermodal hub with a service offering that is unique in North America, featuring its own rail network directly dockside connected to Canada’s two national rail networks. The MPA also operates a Cruise Terminal and a Port Centre.
The MPA factors economic, social and environmental components into its corporate initiatives. This commitment is governed by a sustainable development policy whose guiding principles focus on involvement, cooperation and accountability. Port activity supports 19,000 jobs and generates $2.6 billion in economic benefits annually.
ABOUT THE PORT OF MONTREAL’S CONTRECŒUR EXPANSION
Located in an industrial zone, the land reserve acquired by the Montreal Port Authority over 30 years ago has undergone rigorous and concerted planning to support the development of the supply chain in Quebec and Eastern Canada. Between now and 2024, backed by the Canada Infrastructure Bank and private partners, the Port of Montreal intends to develop a new leading-edge container terminal in anticipation of the need to handle 1.15 million containers TEUs there. Advantageously located in the middle of the main pool of consumers, importers and exporters in Quebec and Eastern Canada, close to major rail and highway routes, the Port of Montreal’s Contrecœur expansion will consolidate the Port’s strengths here to effectively meet future needs. From the heart of the St. Lawrence Valley, this project will strengthen our worldwide logistics system.
— 30 —
SOURCE
Port of Montreal
Mélanie Nadeau, Director of Communications
[email protected]
514 283-1385
Montérégie UPA Federation
Caroline Deschamps, Communications Advisor
[email protected]
450 774-9154, poste 5227
