The served area: Its economy

The construction of a bridge over the Saguenay River would allow the region of the North Shore and of Labrador (a region larger than France) to be connected to the rest of the continent.

These two regions alone represent 6% of the area of Canada. Labrador (28, 000 people) represents 72% of the territory of Newfoundland while the North Shore (population 100, 000) represents 20% of Quebec territory.

The Labrador Economy

Fishing, hydroelectricity and mining are important industries here. The discovery of the largest nickel deposit in the world at Voisey's Bay and its future export will generate huge economic spin-offs. The actual reserves have been evaluated at more than 60 B$. The cost of the project is estimated at 2.9 B$ Voisey.pdf (264Kb) . What's more, harnessing the Churchill River at Gull Island (4 B$) and at Muskrat Falls (2.8 B$) will allow a major hydroelectric development churchill.pdf (275Kb) . The continuity, the reliability and the safety of a road link takes on capital importance in order to assure the exploration and development of the territory. The Labrador and North Shore economies are closely linked, in particular, the town of Seven Islands is the shipping port for the iron ore produced in Wabush and Labrador City.

The North Shore Economy : Dynamic and Enriching

North Shore industry is highly strategic for Quebec and Canada.

It produces :

• 28% of the mineral shipments in the province;
• 31% of the aluminium production capacity (650,000 metric tons).Expansions in progress at the aluminium plants of Baie-Comeau and Seven Islands will bring this capacity to 1,100,000 metric tons from now to 2009 (increase of 70%);
• 28% of the value of the fishing industry;
• 15% of the value of allowed forestry cuts;
• 27% of the hydroelectric production (without considering a) production of the SM-3 and Toulnoustouc dams presently under construction; b) the optimization in progress with the existing dams which will increase production; c) the dam projects in progress on the Romaine and Petit Mécatina which will generate nearly 3 000 MW at a cost of approximately 10 B$1).

To that is added an emerging tourist industry whose development is intimately linked to finding a solution to the problems of traffic flow and safety of the road network at Tadoussac.

The dynamic economy of the North Shore Region is a result of the massive investments which have been made here. On the average between 1997 and 2002, fixed assets per capita were 12 365 $ annually while the average for Quebec was 4 474 $ and for Montreal, 6 088 $2.

Several major projects have supported the economic growth of the region. There are projects of more than 1 B$ each underway for a total of more than 26 B$ (invest1g_a.pdf 75Kb).

In 1999, an expert, member of the Research Group on Regional Development of the University of Quebec estimated the gross regional product of the North Shore3 at 4,186 B$, this being 2.1% of Quebec's GNP. With a population representing 1.3% of Quebec's population, each North Shore resident participates in the collective enrichment at 50% more than the provincial average.

For example, the North Shore produces hydroelectricity which itself alone generates nearly 5, 000 well-paid jobs outside the region for yearly recurrent salary wages of 250 M $ adding to the 1, 000 jobs on the North Shore (4% of the company's jobs for 27% of the production). Hydro-Quebec paid the government of Quebec, its shareholder, in addition to profits, a dividend of more than 1.5 B$ in 2002 and anticipates a payment of over than 2 B$ in 2003. More than 500 M$ of these recurrent profits are related to the production of North Shore electricity (27% of the production).

The same is the case for the 2nd and 3rd transformations of forestry resources, mines or other resources outside the region. The North Shore is a dynamic region and is proud to participate actively in the collective enrichment. However, its future economic development is dependant on the necessary investments in its road network, particularly by clearing the bottleneck of traffic created by the crossing of the Saguenay at its mouth.

Comparison with the Economy of Prince Edward Island

Following the construction of a bridge to Prince Edward Island costing more than 1 B$, here are some points of comparison to help visualize the importance of the region of Northeast Canada.

The Northeast region Canada represents more than 6% of the total area of Canada and its interior product is twice more than that of Prince Edward Island. This information measures the prosperity of the region and especially allows a measure of the potential for development if the territory becomes accessible by a road link which is continuous, safe and with free flowing traffic.

Investing in the North Shore and Labrador is a profitable investment for generations to come.

© Copyright 2003 - The Society for a Bridge over the Saguenay
Design and realization:
Bridge simulation: SIMARD Michel et al (1999)