Belledune, New Brunswick, December 1, 2021 – The Belledune Port Authority (BPA) announced today that it is mapping a long-term vision for the future of the Port of Belledune with the launch of a Master Development Plan. The plan will assess the future use of the Port’s facilities, the size and inter-connectivity of the region, employment, and opportunities for local businesses to provide a strong and stable economic future for New Brunswick with environmental sustainability and competitiveness at the forefront.
During the summer of 2021, the BPA completed several studies during its Studies and Development phase. Among the studies completed include a maritime market analysis, commercial real estate analysis, regional economic opportunity analysis, Port performance analysis, labour assessment, and facility inventory.
The Master Development Plan is now embarking on its next phase, Expansion Options. This phase will incorporate public feedback and information from the studies to create a variety of scenarios evaluating the Port’s future expansion opportunities and focus its vision as a leader in green initiatives in northern New Brunswick for the next 30 years. The planning process to date is placing Belledune at the centre of much attention from clean technology experts and environmental innovators as we collectively play a role in the federal strategy to reduce greenhouse emissions.
“The master development plan (MDP) is an analysis of where we are compared to where we want to be – a vision document,” said Sylvain Raymond, VP Finance & Business Development at the Belledune Port Authority and Project Lead for the MDP. “The report won’t be prescriptive, recommending specific industries or technologies, rather it will provide general direction that will guide those decisions in the future.”
As a means to gather feedback and engage with the community, the BPA has also unveiled a Virtual Open House. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the BPA continues to take the health and safety of the public and its employees very seriously. In-person engagement sessions are not possible at this time, so they have created the next best thing – a unique online experience tailor-made to provide the public a place to explore, ask questions and provide feedback on the Master Development Plan and future of the Port of Belledune.
BPA stakeholders and First Nation communities are valued members of the Port community and their input on what the next 30 years will look like as the Port moves forward with the Master Development Plan is important. Once all feedback has been gathered and expansion opportunities evaluated, the BPA will deliver a report with specific recommendations for the next phase of growth by mid-2022.
To explore the Virtual Open House or to learn more about the Master Development Plan, visit https://portbelledune.ca/VirtualRoom/index.htm for more information and to complete the survey to provide feedback on the MDP.
Denis Caron
President & CEO
Belledune Port Authority
506.522.1203