Québec City , Québec
INFRASTRUCTURE GALORE
THE PORT OF QUÉBEC provides the shortest route by sea between Europe and the Great Lakes , welcoming more than 1,100 commercial vessels carrying $ 20bn of merchandise each year to the heart of North America and a market of 110m consumers .
It ’ s a market with no sign of slowing . The expansion of the Panama Canal and the arrival of the so-called Panamax ships has seen the port expand to deal with this new generation of larger vessels . The Quebéc Port Authority is also planning a further 600m eastward extension of the existing wharf to add two more deep-water berths . The investment of nearly $ 800m is shared with operator Hutchison Port and Canadian National Railway ( CN ). " We couldn ' t have hoped for a better scenario ," says Mario Girard , CEO of the Port of Québec . " The world ' s largest terminal operator , in alliance with North America ' s largest rail carrier , both choose Québec City . This will make it " one of the largest private nonresidential projects ever built in Québec City ," he says .
In the face of global competition and changing markets , Québec has adopted a multi-faceted strategic approach . The new Québec Marine Strategy aims to create more than 30,000 direct jobs and encourage public and private investment of about $ 9bn by 2030 . The Government of Québec will promote the creation of business opportunities related to the maritime economy . Minister Chantal Rouleau explained that the government intends to play a decisive role in encouraging investment opportunities for companies that will generate jobs and economic growth , in a desire for sustainable development .
The sea-focused strategy also embraces the cruise market . In
Québec benefits from a mixed economy . As a provincial capital the public sector is robust , as is tourism .
Left : Blazing an Arctic trail with global colleagues
2018 nearly a quarter of a million passengers abandoned ship to explore the streets and contribute to the local economy . Research form Tourisme Québec showed that a stopover passenger represented $ 111 , and a destination passenger $ 329 , contributing $ 86m annually . The Port of Québec is the first cruise ship destination on the St Lawrence .
Just steps away from the Ross Gaudrault Cruise Terminal , visitors can discover Québec City through its alleys , its fortifications — the only ones north of Mexico – and the architectural heritage . The Holland America Line rate Québec as the most popular of the 400 destinations it serves , whilst the home-grown AML Cruises has become the largest cruise line in Canada with 25 ships operating in 10 ports in Québec .
And it ’ s the ports that are key to Québec ’ s industrial renaissance , especially the manufacturing sector . The use of industrial port zones offers a genuine comparative advantage ; in Québec , such firms employ 29,000 workers . They are home to industrial giants such as the Davis Shipbuilding Yard , Canada ’ s largest shipbuilder with specialisms in design and construction that service sectors raging from offshore oil and gas to defence .
Revitalising the ports also has a knock-on effect ; such as the dramatic refurbishment of the Lévis river station . The old station was located on the south shore of the St Lawrence River across from Québec City in a building built in 1864 and was totally dilapidated . With more than 1.7m annual passenger journeys , the rebuild was total and dramatic , incorporating many ecological elements while integrating into a unique landscape , reflecting in its architecture the contrasts between
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