Building has formally began on a port growth close to Montreal — the primary so-called nation-building challenge that was fast-tracked for approval by the federal authorities.
Prime Minister Mark Carney was readily available Thursday on the terminal in Contrecœur, Que., about 45 kilometres northeast of Montreal, to announce the beginning of labor.
It’s the primary main challenge, deemed by the federal authorities to be within the nationwide curiosity, to get off the bottom since Carney grew to become prime minister in March 2025.
Carney’s authorities had chosen Contrecœur and a collection of different “nation-building” initiatives to be fast-tracked as a approach to strengthen and diversify the financial system amid commerce uncertainty with the USA.
Get every day Nationwide information
Get every day Canada information delivered to your inbox so you may by no means miss the day’s high tales.
The Port of Montréal’s growth at Contrecœur was referred in September to the federal government’s main initiatives workplace, which helped streamline approvals, develop a financing mannequin and velocity up permits.
The federal government says the challenge is the most important port growth in Canadian historical past and can enhance the Port of Montreal’s capability by roughly 60 per cent and create hundreds of jobs.
In a information launch, the federal authorities says the challenge had been first proposed 40 years in the past and had confronted delays ever since.
Ottawa mentioned it offered the Montreal Port Authority with $1.16 billion in financing by way of the Canada Infrastructure Financial institution.
Residents and environmentalists have expressed concern in regards to the challenge, describing it as dangerous to the aquatic ecosystem and economically pointless. The development website is within the feeding floor of the copper redhorse, a freshwater fish discovered solely in a couple of rivers within the St. Lawrence Plain.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada licensed the challenge within the fall after accepting the Montreal Port Authority’s mitigation plan, which incorporates constructing a brand new feeding space for the endangered fish.
The federal government says a second part of building is predicted to start in 2027 and full operations may start in 2030.
© 2026 The Canadian Press