Nelson Sergerie, LJI Journalist
MURDOCHVILLE – The Quebec government is taking the initiative to set up a pilot project for the creation of a committee to maximize local economic benefits from the Gaspé Mines project by the promoter Osisko Metals, in Murdochville.
“The goal is to have a leverage effect. With the eventual opening of the Murdoch mine, the goal is for the local and regional community to be able to take maximum advantage of this economic opportunity. The committee will bring together economic and community stakeholders, local and Indigenous elected officials so that everyone can pitch in and take advantage of the arrival of this significant economic development,” explains Maïté Blanchette Vézina, Minister of Natural Resources and Forests and Minister responsible for the Lower Saint Lawrence, the Gaspé Peninsula and the Magdalen Islands regions.
Ms. Blanchette Vézina travelled to Murdochville on January 13 to make the announcement.
The Minister wanted to find a project with good potential for opening up and target an area that had a desire to engage in economic development. “This is a project in a historically mining town. The community is keen to see this project. The winning conditions were there to create this pilot project,” adds the minister.
The committee, composed of her ministry and other ministries, economic stakeholders, MRCs, local elected officials, chambers of commerce and the Micmac Nation, will monitor calls for tenders and the needs of local investment projects to inform regional entrepreneurs of upcoming contracts and direct contracting authorities to local entrepreneurs able to meet their needs.
This pilot project is part of the actions of the 2024-2025 Roadmap for the Harmonious and Responsible Development of Mining Activity, which consists of “implementing strategies that enable host communities to benefit concretely and sustainably from the presence of mining activity.”
“It’s an asset and an asset that we will be able to use, exploit, and collaborate to ensure the success of the project,” points out Osisko Metals Chief Executive Officer Robert Wares.